How to avoid scope creep?

What is scope creep? The more the team explore what does the scope statement means, the more they find out they underestimate the coverage!

Usually, the scope creep can be caused by the following scenarios:

1. Underestimate of complexity
2. Wrong assumption/intepretation of the scope statement
3. The environment factor has changed

For environment factor, such as government authority dictates on certain compliance, is very difficult to foresee. But, usually, it will become a totally new requirements that can be negotiated for additional charge.

For item 1 and 2 usually they are considered as the contractor's responsibility to explore the risk. But, considering the short time frame that the contractor has in doing the study or risk assessment, the best way is to build in some buffer plus the following effort:

1. Specify the review cycle and approval cycle for certain key stage or documentation in the contract or scope of work document.
2. Specify the prerequisites requirements for the stage or work to be performed in the scope of work.
3. Clearly define the deliverables for each scope statement (if possible) in the scope of work.
4. Clearly define the assumptions for each scope statement (if possible) in the scope of work.
5. Keep some buffer for additional time and resources to be utilized

Some times, scope creep is not that scary ... but to know who and what to escalate is crucial!