Understanding Scope Creep
By Harold D. Kerzner, Ph.D.
Abstract
Project managers are no longer envisioned as managing projects. Instead, they are viewed as managing part of a business. They have become business managers. Project managers are now spending more time managing strategic projects where the scope is susceptible to changes as the projects progress. Scope change control is now becoming a critical component of project management. Scope changes will require project teams to become more active in solving problems and making decisions. Scope change control will require collaboration with stakeholders and possibly government agencies.
For more than three decades, best practices, problem solving, and decision making focused heavily upon traditional projects using the waterfall approach to project management. Now, the use of Agile, Scrum, and Hybrid Methodologies applied to strategic projects are creating new best practices and new approaches for managing scope creep.
About the Author
Dr. Harold D. Kerzner, Ph.D., is Senior Executive Director at the International Institute for Learning, Inc., a global learning solutions company that conducts training for leading corporations throughout the world. He is a globally recognized expert on project, program, and portfolio management, total quality management, and strategic planning. Dr. Kerzner is the author of bestselling books and texts, including the acclaimed Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling, Thirteenth Edition. His latest book, Project Management Next Generation: The Pillars for Organizational Excellence, co-authored with Dr. Al Zeitoun and Dr. Ricardo Viana Vargas, delivers an expert discussion on project management implementation of all kinds.
