My Experience with "Scope Creep"

The most recent project I engaged in was for my last course through Walden University, Distance Learning (EDUC 6135-3).  I described the project details and the general scope of the project in a previous post on this blog.  The project called for the development of an online orientation program for learners who were new to distance learning.  The orientation course was developed and presented online through the content management system (CMS) Schoology.  For this project I did not work with team members and all of the work on aspects of the project such as the design of the learning activities or deliverables were done alone.

In essence the poor planning on my part lead to the phenomenon know as scope creep throughout the project.  Portney et al. in Project Management: Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling Projects define scope creep as “the natural tendency of the client, as well as project team members, to try to improve the project’s output as the project progresses.” (p. 346)  In the case of my project the scope creep was a result of changing the learning activities in an attempt to improve them and also to meet the criteria of the project.  The work on the project was progressing at an adequate rate and following the schedule set forth during the course.  Then toward the final stage of the project the following requirement was introduced: “Throughout this course, you have read about and we have discussed the characteristics of effective distance education, the need to address diverse learners, and the importance of learner engagement. One way we address these is by incorporating a variety of media, materials, and activities into the courses we develop.  Consider what will appeal to your various learners who all likely have different motivational profiles, study habits, and abilities. With this in mind, you may need/want to include text-based material, graphic and visual elements, and video and audio media in your course module.  Also consider how you will engage your learners. For example, relate the material specifically to their interests and needs; incorporate problem solving, creativity, and perhaps humor (used judiciously); develop activities that require their active participation (games, interactive activities, etc.)”

Due to the nature of the project in that there was no true client or budget concerns the scope creep in this instance was quite different than in a more traditional sense.  However, developing some semblance of a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) would have been of some benefit.  The WBS would have allowed me to look at the learning activities more closely and allowed me to create them with the criteria in mind.  Instead, my planning was very unorganized and I never documented any type of WBS or storyboard to help plan the content. 

Scope creep as it pertains to my scenario also could have been avoided to a certain degree by implementing more strategical project planning techniques such as developing a timeline and a scope statement.  The project scope statement takes the project charter and expands on it in order to look more closely at what the end products should look like.  Michael Greer in The Project Management Minimalist: Just Enough PM to Rock Your Projects a scope statement will help you “figure out exactly what specific items (i.e., tangible work products, also called deliverables*) the project team must create. In a nutshell, you need to meet with all of your stakeholders and conduct a brainstorming session in order to document, in “high resolution,” everything you are going to be building.” (p. 13)

References:

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc. 

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.