Scope creep is the slow and continuous expansion of the scope or a project, such as data type or routine, resulting in a broad, unfocused, and unmanageable scope and usually leads to cost-overruns, missed deadlines, and loss of original goals.
This term is used to describe a commonly occurring problem with projects. Continual change requests and poor project management combine to unintentionally increase the scope of a project. This increase often causes project delays, deadlines to be missed and budget overruns.
The tendency of a project to include more tasks or to implement more systems than originally specified, which often leads to higher than planned project costs and an extension of the initial implementation date.
The expansion of the scope of work usually resulting from clients requesting and expecting additional products and services, often a result of poor project management.
The slow expansion of scope during a project. ()
The addition of new requirements, source data or users to the initial agreement of what the project will be delivering.
On-going requirements increase without corresponding adjustment of approved cost and schedule allowances. As some projects progress, especially through the definition and development phases, requirements tend to change incrementally, causing the Project Manager to add to the project's mission or objectives without getting a corresponding increase in the time and budget allowances.
Allowing changes to be made to software in the course of development that turn out to be difficult to implement, subsequently throwing the project off track. This problem is usually referred to as scope creep, because the scope of the project slowly drifts over the course of many small changes. Scope creep is so common that many project managers don’t realize that it’s a problem at all. They feel that refusing any change request would be considered “inflexible†by others in the organization, and that any project manager or team member who refuses to make a change is not being a team player. But in a team that does not control changes, progress on the project starts to slow as the changes pile up.
An unwanted effect where the Scope Mounts creep along the Scope Rail. During the firing cycle of Spring Piston powered gun, the piston bangs into the front end of the compression chamber, making the entire gun to snap forward violently. There are systems that eliminate scope creep for good.
The gradual addition of extra effort or size of deliverable. Each addition may be so small that it could be overlooked in the total impact on the completion of the project, but the cumulative affect could be considerable.
The common phenomenon where additional requirements are added after a project has started without reconsidering the resourcing or timescale of the project. Scope creep arises from the misapprehension that such small additions will not affect the project schedule.
Any modification to the scope of a project that has not been authorised or approved by the appropriate individual or group. Refer to Scope
A project is defined by what is included and what is excluded. Scope creep occurs when the boundaries of what is included in the project expand without the terms of the agreement/contract for services being changed to accommodate the expansion in scope.
A phenomenon whereby the original scope of the project slowly widens, resulting in a much larger project than originally intended.
Scope creep (also called "requirement creep", and sometimes "kitchen sink syndrome") in project management refers to uncontrolled changes in a project's scope. This phenomenon can occur when the scope of a project is not properly defined, documented, or controlled.