Scope Creep

Scope creep is one of the most common causes of project failure. It occurs when new requirements, features, or work are added without formal evaluation and approval through the change control process. Common causes include unclear initial requirements, stakeholder pressure, gold-plating (adding unrequested features), and lack of a formal change control process. Prevention requires a clear project scope statement, a robust WBS, a formal change request process, and the discipline to evaluate every requested change against its impact on schedule, cost, and quality.