Managing scope: Keeping creep under control

Delivering great software on time for our customers comes down to effectively managing four key elements: scope, risk, quality, and talented people. In this series of articles, which accompany our Tech Talks video, we take a closer look at each one individually.

Here, we tackle the thorny topic of scope and scope creep…

We were recently working on a project for a customer that required us to re-architecture a solution to help deliver some key mid-term goals for their business. The project had been carefully scoped, and a roadmap produced.

However, our customer received some important feedback from their prospective customers. The solution would need an additional feature in a short timeframe to enable them to secure a contract. That immediately shifted the scope of our project, as this new requirement suddenly became a top priority.

In many cases, this kind of pivot may cause a significant problem by adding a large amount of additional work which could jeopardise the success of the entire project.

But it didn’t for us. We were able to quickly re-prioritise the tasks involved, allowing us to complete the essential elements on time and extend the deadline for the rest. That meant we delivered the most essential value for the client, fast, and the project was still completed in a satisfactory way.

Such a scenario, where scope changes are required mid-project, will be familiar to anyone involved in software development: scope creep can be one of the biggest risks. Left unmanaged, it can result in delays and unsatisfactory outcomes for both the client and the developer.

We therefore believe it’s vital to pay close attention to managing scope, from before a project even starts, and right through to the end and beyond.

The main causes of scope creep

In our experience, scope creep – or ‘gold plating’, where unnecessary features are added to a product – usually comes from one of two places.

The first is the product manager or evangelist. Understandably, they always want the best product they can have – that’s their job. And, to achieve this, it’s important that good ideas are thrown in during the development process. But the constant danger is that, if you add something in, you don’t take something out. When that happens, and we’re working to a fixed delivery timeline, quality is likely to be compromised or, worse, the whole project is likely to fail.

The second is on the technical side. There may be a desire to create a technological standardisation – for example, a new way of accessing data in a program – which invariably creates more work. That’s often for very good reasons, and it might also be the case that this has to be prioritised ahead of everything else, because of the value it could bring to the business and customers. But the effect it will have on the project has to be acknowledged, as there is usually only a finite amount of time and effort available.

Strategies for avoiding scope creep

Here are our four main approaches to keeping a project on track:

1. Everyone takes responsibility

Managing scope is not solely a delivery manager’s job. We believe everyone needs to play a part – and that includes the customers with whom we work in partnership. If everyone involved has a transparent and honest relationship, and keeps the lines of communication open, scope issues can be kept to a minimum.

2. Working closely with customers

If we can create a clearly defined scope with the customer from the outset, we are usually able to hit the ground running and very few issues will occur. When the scope of a project spirals out of control, it can nearly always be traced back to a failure to recognise changing priorities in a project and adjust the plans accordingly.

3. Agile processes with regular feedback loops

We use agile development processes that involve working in short sprints, usually two weeks at a time. That’s because, at the end of every cycle, we’ll share our progress with the customer and obtain their feedback, allowing us to make small, incremental improvements. It’s an excellent way of ensuring the customer is getting what they really need – and nothing they don’t need.

And, best of all, it ensures we don’t miss any gems. Our experience tells us that if you wait until everything is completed, you miss the chance for domain experts to share their knowledge and ideas along the way. The more collaboration you have, and the more feedback you gather, the better the product you end up with.

4. Value-focused prioritisation

Truly understanding the value of each part of a project for our client and their end users allows us to deliver the best possible outcome in the shortest time available. This necessitates working closely with key stakeholders to ensure the most important aspects, from a business or commercial perspective, are prioritised.

How customers can play their part

We believe our customers have a huge role to play in helping us. Our advice, therefore, is to always engage fully throughout the process, as this will result in the best possible final product that precisely matches their needs – delivered on time.

If you’d like to find out more about any of the points raised in this article, and how we can deliver great software for your business, get in touch now .

Iain Bishop, founder and CEO, Damilah