September 04, 2025
Three weeks into your project, someone says: โWouldnโt it be nice if we could alsoโฆโ
Your heart sinks. You know exactly where this leads. ๐จ
Scope creep is the silent killer of technical projects. Hereโs how to prevent it:
๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ญ: ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐โ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด (๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฌ๐ผ๐โ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ก๐ผ๐)
Start with clear requirements. But hereโs the secret: also create an explicit โOut of Scopeโ section.
Those nice-to-have features people mention in meetings? Write them down as โVersion 2.0 features.โ Acknowledge them, document them, but donโt build them.
This serves two purposes:
โ Shows youโre listening to stakeholder ideas
โ Creates a clear boundary for current work
๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ฎ: ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐๐-๐ถ๐ป
Remember your stakeholder mapping? Make sure your project plan has something that satisfies each key player.
Get them to explicitly agree to the scope. Donโt just send a documentโhave a conversation.
โThis is what weโre building. This is what weโre not building right now. Are we aligned?โ
Get verbal confirmation. Even better, get it in writing.
๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐ฏ: ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐ต
Here comes the hard part: during implementation, stick to the plan.
When someone inevitably says โwouldnโt it be nice ifโฆโ your response is:
โThatโs a great idea! Iโm adding it to our Version 2.0 list. Letโs make sure we nail Version 1.0 first.โ
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ
Why do stakeholders keep adding features mid-project?
โ They get excited seeing progress
โ They think โjust one more thingโ wonโt hurt
โ They donโt understand the compounding complexity
โ They havenโt felt the pain of scope creep before
Your job is to protect them from themselves while keeping them engaged.
๐ ๐ ๐๐ผ-๐ง๐ผ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ:
โI love the enthusiasm! That feature would definitely add value. Hereโs what it would cost us in terms of timeline and current scope. Should we adjust our priorities?โ
This does three things:
โ Acknowledges their idea positively
โ Makes the trade-off explicit
โ Puts the decision back in their hands
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ ๐๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ป๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐:
Scope negotiation isnโt about being rigidโitโs about being intentional. Youโre helping stakeholders make informed decisions about trade-offs rather than just saying no.
When you frame scope management as protecting shared success rather than limiting possibilities, stakeholders become your allies in maintaining focus.
Whatโs your experience with scope creep? What strategies help you keep projects on track?
