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3 Ways to Prevent Scope Creep From Destroying Your Project

Wednesday 6 September 2017

4 minute read

By Sarah Burns

Scope creep is a commonly used term in the creative industry - but what does it mean for your project?

Whether it's a brand refresh, marketing strategy or new website, all of these projects can be impacted by scope creep.

"Small changes in a plan or project that necessitate other changes which lead to still more changes... and so on."

Source: Business Dictionary

It is ultimately one of the key reasons that we reiterate with clients who important it is to have all of your website content sent to us and signed off, before we begin a website build or why we get sign off on a brand concept before moving further with the identity's development.

Scope creep can unleash havoc on a budget, timeline or the relationship between two organisations.

Don't be afraid to question everything in the first place

Question the colour choice, font size, use of informal language. Do it all in the first instance and not a moment later. As a creative organisation we love the opportunity to guide you, educate you and answer any question. After all your project is yours - we want you to love it. It benefits everybody if we can do that immediately, rather than going through varying levels of changes and additions.

Make sure everyone that needs a say has a say

The issue with a lot of projects can be best defined by the old adage, "too many cooks spoil the broth".

Sometimes you need to cut people from the decision making process, but alternatively sometimes people need to be added in to get the final decision made efficiently.

An efficient decision process relies on the right people being involved from the start. For instance, so that three days into a website build, an MD doesn't say, "I have a problem with this - we must change it."

Clarify your project, its cost and timeline before it gets underway

Before you say "Yes, let's do this!", ensure that both sides of the project are in agreement about costs - including the cost of additions and inaction - timelines and what you can expect from your project.

Your creative team should outline this clearly and alleviate any concerns you may have, but it's important to do this before the project gets underway, otherwise it will be impossible to stay 'on track'.

Find more via Website Design.

If you're looking to embark on a website build project, whether it's completely from scratch or a site refresh, our ebook will give you the knowledge to make your project as stress-free as possible.

The Website Design Handbook for Businesses

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