As learned in EDUC 6145, scope creep is the natural
tendency to try to improve the project’s output as the project progresses (Pornty,
Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer, 2008). Although this may not sound like a bad idea
and people may think it could lead to a better end product of a project, this
is not the case. Scope creep can upset
clients that are not told how long the changes will delay the project or how
much the cost of the project with rise as a result (Portny et al., 2008).
Several years ago, I was an active 4-H volunteer
with a focus on raising sheep. The 4-H
program staff decided that it would be beneficial to hold a workshop for
children on how to prepare their sheep for the fair as well as how to show
their animals. This was not a problem
because there were adults available with expertise that could work with the
children. As the planning of this one
day workshop continued, however, other volunteers came up with ideas for arts and
crafts as well as games. It was decided that this event should take place over
the course of two days instead of one and that the children would stay
overnight in the dorms on the fairgrounds where the event was taking
place. By deciding to have this event
over the course of two days, it required the need to provide breakfast, lunch,
and dinner, in addition to other supplies which in the end added to the cost of
the workshop.
Although the children had fun with the different
activities and there ended up being follow through with the scope creep, there
was not a complete focus on what the original objective for holding the
workshop was. The length of the workshop
was dragged out from what was originally planned and the cost was higher. When considering a project and developing it,
it is imperative to focus on the objective that has been established for a
better end result. Additional aspects could
be included with the overlying objective for the workshop but in the end, time
would be taken away from the original purpose of the workshop, reducing its
potential value.
Looking back on this project from a project manager perspective,
I would have more carefully considered the purpose for holding the
workshop. Although staying overnight
with friends and doing arts and crafts might be fun, it is important to stop
and ask if these activities are important to the overall objective of helping
children prepare their sheep for the fair.
It is important to provide opportunities for children to have fun so
that they stay engaged, but this can be done with content associated with the
workshop objective rather than creating other opportunities just for a “fun”
factor.
Resource:
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J.,
Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project
management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ:
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Hi, Earl
ReplyDeleteThat’s a great example of scope creep. I think that scope creep often originates from an emotional desire to improve a project for the benefit of the recipients. In this case, it sounds like well meaning parents wanted to expand the scope of the project for the benefit of the children. I can identify with this easily, as I find myself in the same position where my child, and other kids, are involved. I also wrote about an example of scope creep, and in my example (which pertained to an instructional project at work), the reason for our scope creep also emanated from an emotional desire to provide more to our clients (students in our case). Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton & Kramer (2008) indicate that according to a survey of more than 500 project managers, the “most important single problem facing project managers indicates that coping with change is at the top of their list” – in other words, scope creep (p. 346). Avoiding scope creep isn’t always possible, but controlling and managing it is a necessity (Portny et al., 2008).
April
References
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Hi Earl,
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story.
Lynch and Roecker (2007) say that "with the addition of [...] features [...] the project team may drift away from their original duties, which now might be viewed as boring since the team may be in the more mundane development stage of the project, and focus on the new course or feature, which might be viewed as exciting" (p. 96).
The same thing happens often in education as well because when we as educators want to educate but we would like to make it fun too. Then before we know it things are out of control.
I'm glad the students had fun but I have to wonder if the students who needed to learn how to show their sheep were successfully taught?
Andrea
References
Lynch, M. M., & Roecker, J. (2007). Project managing e-learning: A handbook for successful design, delivery, and management. London: Routledge. Copyright by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Reprinted by permission of Taylor & Francis Group, LLC via the Copyright Clearance Center.
Earl - Great example of scope creep! Shelley Doll (2001) gives a great example of avoiding scope creep by having a vision. A solid vision of the project can help the project move in the direction it was planned. I think in your case, there wasn't a vision with the workshop and therefore scope creep kicked in.
ReplyDeleteI'll bet the whole 4-H experience is/was exciting on the other hand :)
Jeremy
Doll, S. (2001, March 13). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/article/seven-steps-for-avoiding-scope-creep/1045555
Earl,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I it interesting that you noted that the original objective ended not receiving the focus it should. Stolovich (n.d.) notes that this can become a problem when projects get too large. As a teacher whose evaluation is tied to standardized test scores, the scenario you describe conjures nightmares. However, it sounds like you guys had less rigid criteria for measuring success. Let’s face it. County Fairs should be place of fun and enjoyment for children. By those criteria it sounds like you did a great job.
Thanks,
Marc
References
Stolovich, H. (n.d). Monitoring Projects. Presented for Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved April 10, 2013, from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps /portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2652514_1%26url%3D
Earl,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this great story. I too have been involved in 4-H (in the Equine Program) and have shown at many State Fairs in Virginia, been a camp counselor, 4-H club leader, and adult volunteer; therefore, I understand your perspective of putting on 4-H events. In this case, it is interesting to me how the original objective of the program (prepare their sheep for the fair as well as how to show their animals) almost took a secondary role to other aspects of this two-day event. Additionally, it was not your customers (the 4-Hers) who were generating the changes in requirements, it was people within your own project team staff. In this case, as Perez (2013) points out, scope creep is not always a bad thing and may lead to some positive effects on the project; however, setting clear expectations with the staff upfront, agreeing on key milestones, creating a schedule, publishing a budget, and setting a scope control mechanism may have all kept the sheep workshop focused and one-day in duration.
Chris
References
Perez, K. (2013). Interview with Kate Perez. Clarity Consultants. Retrieved from http://www.clarityconsultants.com/learning-resources/how-to-preventminimize-scope-creep/