A soft skills approach to scope creep in project management 

Project scope creep occurs where project requirements continually expand beyond the initial scope. As a result, this leads to increased costs, delays, and challenges in delivering project objectives on time and within budget. 

Project scope creep is an unfortunate fact of project management life, and can impact quality, quantity, time and cost, or all of the above.  

In theory, having a detailed signed Project initiation document or Project Charter, puts you have in a strong position to negotiate any changes to scope and corresponding changes to deadlines, budgets, and resources. In theory. 

Stakeholder Power dynamics 

Unfortunately, the degree to which this is viable, depends upon what is at stake for the major players involved and the power dynamics between them. 

Stakeholder power falls into the following categories:  

• Formal power 

• Charismatic power 

• Expert power 

• Informal power 

Understanding the mixture of these sorts of power, in play within the project, is useful. Identifying what sort of power a stakeholder has is important. It’s also important to understand the sort of power their allies have. 

The ability of those with formal or expert power to demand and get scope changes are perhaps obvious. However charismatic power and informal power can be equally effective in forcing scope changes through.  

Gold plating and de-scoping 

Sometimes individuals and groups want to ‘gold plate’ solutions. Occasionally stakeholders simply get excited about the possibilities revealed as a project unfolds. Or perhaps there is a desire to descope elements which individuals or groups don’t appreciate are critical to the overall benefits the project is seeking to deliver. On other occasions external factors prompt scope change or the recognition of important omissions in designs.  

Project scope changes of course are neither good or bad per se. So long as they are accompanied by suitable adjustments to budgets, deadlines and timeline etc, and signed off by project stakeholders. 

Scope creep management 

And this is where things can get messy. The Project manager needs the requested scope changes reviewed, discussed, agreed and signed off by all parties. However this is where the project manager can often find themselves caught in the middle. Particularly, where one or more stakeholders demand or lobby for a scope change which other stakeholders won’t support or sign-off. 

Project management methods have mechanisms or ‘rules’ for dealing with these situations, however they rely on stakeholders’ understanding those ‘rules’ and respecting them. 

As a result, such situations can sometimes lead to the project becoming a battle ground for the various parties involved. In these situations collaboration, compromise and consensus often breakdown, which can be hugely disruptive for the project and stressful for the project manager and the project team. 

Project soft skills 

This is where project soft skills come into play, and where the project managers’ communication, conflict resolution, problem solving, relationship management and negotiation skills are needed. These skills help the various parties explore and agree upon a compromise. The quality of these skills ultimately determine if the scope change request is handled successfully.  

Dealing with scope creep in project management requires a combination of soft skills to effectively manage project scope and mitigate its impact on project timelines, budgets, and resources.  

Here are the most useful soft skills for project managers in handling scope creep: 

Communication:

Clear and transparent communication is essential for addressing project scope creep. Project managers need to effectively communicate project objectives, deliverables, and boundaries to stakeholders and team members. They should also be proactive in communicating any changes to the project scope and its potential impact on the project. 

Negotiation Skills:

There is often a need to negotiate changes to the project scope with stakeholders. Strong negotiation skills are required in managing expectations, finding mutually acceptable solutions, and maintaining project alignment with organizational goals and constraints. 

Stakeholder Management:

Building and maintaining positive relationships with stakeholders is crucial for managing project scope creep. Project managers need to engage stakeholders early and often, solicit their input, and involve them in decision-making processes to minimize the likelihood of scope changes. 

Conflict Resolution:

Project scope creep can lead to conflicts among project team members and stakeholders. Skills in conflict resolution techniques to address disagreements, reconcile conflicting priorities, and reach consensus on scope-related issues are particularly important. 

Assertiveness:

It’s clear project managers must be assertive in defending the project scope and boundaries. Moreover, willingness to push back against unnecessary changes, enforce project scope change control processes, and ensure that all project scope changes are properly documented and approved is vital. 

Adaptability:

Projects are dynamic, and scope changes are often inevitable. So project managers must therefore be adaptable and flexible. Consequently a willingness to adjust project plans and resources in response to changing requirements while minimizing the impact on project objectives, is an important factor. 

Time Management:

Effective time management is essential for dealing with project scope creep and preventing project delays. Accordingly project managers must prioritize tasks, allocate resources efficiently. They must also manage project schedules to accommodate project scope changes, without compromising project deadlines. 

Problem-solving:

Strong problem-solving skills, to analyse the root causes of project scope creep are vital. Identifying potential risks and impacts, and developing strategies for managing scope changes effectively while minimizing their negative consequences is essential. 

Leadership:

Strong leadership skills are essential for guiding the project team through scope changes and maintaining project momentum. Project managers should inspire confidence and motivate team members. It’s also important for them to provide clear direction to ensure that everyone remains focused on project objectives despite scope challenges. 

Resilience:

Dealing with project scope creep can be stressful and challenging. Consequently project managers must be resilient in the face of setbacks. Furthermore they must be able to remain calm under pressure. Finally, they must persevere in their efforts to keep the project on track despite scope-related obstacles. 

Conclusion:

Project managers able to call upon project soft skills , when dealing with project scope creep, have a distinct advantage. In short, this is because, they typically operate against a backdrop of much higher trust, goodwill and stronger emotional connection, with stakeholders, through their proactive use of soft skills like the emotional bank account. Consequently there is a much higher chance of in handling scope creep successfully.