Change Control Vs. Scope Creep: Understanding The Difference

Defining Change Control

Change control is a formal process used to manage alterations to the originally agreed scope, schedule, or resources of a project. The change control process provides a framework for proposing, evaluating, approving, and implementing changes in a controlled manner. It enables structured decision-making regarding changes to ensure they are properly assessed for impact and alignment with business objectives prior to implementation.

The Goals of Change Control

The primary goals of change control are to:

Ensure changes are thoroughly evaluated to determine if they support business goals
Minimize the likelihood of negative impacts from changes such as budget overruns or schedule delays
Provide visibility into proposed changes for stakeholders
Establish accountability for change decisions
Reduce unauthorized changes
Document the complete impact of changes
Enable faster and more informed decision-making

Implementing a Change Control Process

Implementing an effective change control process involves the following key steps:

Table of Contents

Define roles and responsibilities – Clearly define who is responsible for owning, approving, reviewing and implementing changes at each stage.
Document change requests – Requiring changes be formally documented ensures critical details are captured upfront using a standard template.
Assess impact – The impact on cost, schedule, scope, quality, and resources should be thoroughly analyzed by subject matter experts.
Evaluate alignment to objectives – Proposed changes must be evaluated to determine if they support business goals or introduce unnecessary scope.
Review and approve changes – A change control board comprising stakeholders reviews and makes decisions on which changes to approve based on priorities and impact.
Update project documentation – All plans, requirements, budgets, and schedules are updated to reflect approved changes.
Implement and validate changes – Changes must be deployed into production and validated to ensure no defects or unintended consequences.

Defining Scope Creep

Scope creep refers to uncontrolled changes in a project’s scope that were not part of the originally agreed requirements. It involves continuing to add incremental features and functionality without revising the schedule, resources, or budget to align with the new scope being introduced.

How Scope Creep Occurs

There are several common causes of scope creep on projects:

Lack of properly defined or documented requirements
Inadequate change control processes
Poor communication between stakeholders
Underestimating time or effort for original requirements
Addition of nice-to-have functionality over core features
Insufficient review of requirement change requests
Pressures from customers to incorporate new features

The Dangers of Unchecked Scope Creep

Allowing uncontrolled scope creep can significantly undermine project success leading to:

Missed delivery deadlines due to expanding scope
Overstretched resources attempting to meet unrealistic schedules
Cost overruns from additional unplanned work
Quality issues from lack of testing on new features
Delayed delivery and reduced functionality of core features
Frustration for project teams unable to stay on track

Distinguishing Between Change Control and Scope Creep

The key difference between change control and scope creep is that change control is a structured process governing changes within defined parameters, while scope creep represents unmanaged changes:

Change control changes align to business objectives while scope creep does not
Change control assesses the impact of alterations while scope creep ignores impact
Change control involves thorough review and approval while scope creep circumvents oversight
Change control results in documentation and schedule updates while scope creep causes misalignment
Change control manages changes within budget while scope creep leads to cost overruns

Establishing Boundaries to Avoid Scope Creep

Project managers can establish clear boundaries around scope to prevent creep by:

Creating detailed requirements documentation
Defining a formal change control process for managing changes post-baseline
Securing signed-off acceptance criteria from stakeholders
Building requirements traceability into testing and development efforts
Implementing scope verification checks throughout the project lifecycle
Refocusing customer requests back to baseline requirements
Limiting further changes after critical milestones or code freezes
Incentivizing the project team to stay within the boundaries

Managing Changes Through Change Control

Project teams can leverage change control processes to effectively govern changes by:

Evaluating business alignment, costs, benefits and risks of each change
Determining which changes are necessary and adding the most value
Securing appropriate levels of approval based on change thresholds
Negotiating scope reductions to offset scope increases
Re-baselining project scope, schedules and budgets after approved changes
Updating requirements documentation for all implemented changes
Developing workarounds to avoid changes with negative impacts

Example Change Control Workflow

A best practice change control workflow would include these key steps:

Change request submitted and documented with details on rationale and perceived impact
Change request assessed by lead architects, developers, or engineers to determine implementation requirements
Proposed change reviewed by project manager to analyze alignment with business objectives
Cost-benefit analysis performed to compare costs of change vs value added
Change control board evaluates request based on findings and votes to approve or deny
For approved changes, project plan, budget, designs updated and resources assigned
Change implemented and testing performed to validate functioning per specification
Post implementation review held to confirm change aligns to original intent

Best Practices for Change Management

Some best practices that help manage changes effectively include:

Define change policies aligned with project and organization risk strategies
Secure senior management support and visibility into change processes
Establish change control boards representing business, user and delivery teams
Require documented change requests include impact assessments across key metrics
Freeze requirements early and limit changes after critical milestones
Group related changes for review to manage demand on resources
Add contingency buffers into estimates or schedules to allow for some change
Incorporate change management metrics into project scorecards