Scope Creep Monitoring

Correct Answer: Evaluate the impact on project constraints and submit a change request.

When a stakeholder suggests a new feature that could potentially add value to the project but was not part of the original project scope, the project manager should first evaluate the impact of the proposed change on the project constraints, such as scope, time, cost, and quality. If after evaluation the feature is still considered valuable, the proper course of action is to submit a change request for official documentation and decision-making through the project's change control process. This helps in managing scope creep, ensuring that any changes are properly assessed and authorized before being implemented. Incorporating the new feature without a formal change process is not advisable as it can lead to scope creep and can impact project constraints in an unplanned manner, potentially causing project delays, cost overruns, and quality issues. Simply acknowledging the suggestion and continuing with the planned scope without considering the change may result in missing opportunities that could add value to the project and satisfy stakeholder needs. While it is important to advise the stakeholder on the process changes and to reassess stakeholder needs, this would not be the first step before evaluating the change's impact and submitting a change request.

Correct Answer: Evaluate the impact on project constraints and prepare a change request.

The best action the project manager should take first is to evaluate the impact on project constraints and prepare a change request. This step is essential because any scope change can affect the project's timeline, cost, quality, or other constraints and may also require formal approval from project stakeholders or a change control board. By preparing a change request, the project manager ensures that the proposed improvements and their implications are documented, reviewed, and decided upon in a structured and controlled manner. The other answers suggest incorporating the improvement without proper evaluation or postponing the evaluation, which can lead to unmanaged changes affecting the project negatively (scope creep), or assuming minor improvements are harmless. However, even small changes can have unforeseen impacts on a project, which is why they should always be evaluated and processed through the project's change management procedures.

Correct Answer: Assess the impact of the changes on project objectives

When unauthorized work is introduced into a project, it can lead to scope creep, which can inadvertently alter project objectives, cost, and schedule. The first step in managing any form of scope creep is to assess the impact of the unauthorized changes on the project objectives. This assessment will help the project manager understand how the changes may affect the scope of the project, deadlines, budgets, resources, and overall project successThe other options are not advisable as first actions:- Instructing the team to revert to the original project management plan immediately does not take into consideration any possible positive outcomes from the new work, nor does it analyze how the work came to be introduced. Simply reverting without assessment is not a proactive management approach- Approving the changes quietly to maintain team morale and avoid conflict is not recommended because it does not address the potential impact of the scope creep on the project. This could set a precedent that unauthorized changes are acceptable and could lead to further unplanned work and detrimental impacts on the project- Assigning someone to accommodate extra work within the project timeline right away does not deal with the root cause of the issue and does not analyze its impact. Adding work without proper planning and impact assessment can lead to schedule and budget overruns as well as resource allocation issues.