Let’s not beat around the bush. Scope creep is a real as the struggle. Scope creep is what happens when continuous and ongoing changes alter a project after it’s already begun without adding to the project’s bottom line. In short, it’s what happens when a client pays for one thing and adds changes and modifications until it mushrooms into something else. Here are two purely hypothetical examples of scope creep:
- A client requests a 500-word blog for $XXX. By the time the project is complete, the blog is written, an image is sourced and inserted, the blog is scheduled to post automatically, on their blog, and social media blurbs are written and scheduled.
- A client requests a complementary discovery call with a Life Coach. By the time the project is complete, they’ve had a discovery call, a complete list of next steps, a plan for the next quarter, and a handful of workbooks and done-for-you documents.
The thing about scope creep is that it’s entirely avoidable. When these five missteps are avoided, projects are easier to manage, and your business avoids unexpected and often costly delays. There are the five reasons scope creep happens.
- No clear stopping point is defined
- The client is aggressive and intimidating
- The full scope of a project is not clearly defined
- The small business owner is afraid of losing income
- The small business owner is afraid to disappoint a client
Scope creep is that dreaded thing that happens when a client signs up, and pays, for one project, but slowly creeps into add-ons that increase your workload without increasing your pay. Small business owners simply cannot afford to get lost in scope creep. It’s a dangerous precedent to set. After all, it’s easier to tell a client their project includes A-C from the onset, than to explain why Project One included A-Z, but Project Two only includes A-C. Trust me – avoiding scope creep right from the start is a smart move for you and for the client.