Back to Scope Creep Management

Scope Creep Monitoring

5 minutes 5 Questions

Scope creep monitoring is an ongoing process that involves routinely examining project progress and scope adherence. Regular reviews of the project milestones, schedule, costs, and benefits should be conducted to identify early signs of scope creep. This process may involve tools and methods such as performance measurement baseline, earned value analysis, variance analysis, trend analysis, and constant communication with stakeholders and project team members. Early detection can help the project manager take preventative or corrective actions to mitigate negative impact on the project.

Guide on Scope Creep Monitoring

Scope Creep Monitoring is a critical process in the discipline of project management. In this guide, we will understand its importance, how it works and how to answer questions about it in an exam.

What is Scope Creep Monitoring?
Scope Creep refers to the changes, either minor or major, in the project's scope, at any point after the project begins, without adjustments to time, cost or resources. Monitoring these scope creeps allows project managers to ensure the project stays on track.

Why is Scope Creep Monitoring important?
Without efficient monitoring, scope creep can lead to increased costs, delay in completion time, customer dissatisfaction and could even lead to project failure.

How does Scope Creep Monitoring work?
It involves setting clear project boundaries, continuously monitoring project progress and changes, and implementing management processes to accommodate or reject these changes.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Scope Creep Monitoring
1. Understand the Concept: Deep understanding of the concept is crucial to answer efficiently.
2. Use Real-World Examples: Use actual examples where possible to illustrate your understanding.
3. Be Concise: Try to answer to the point.
4. Provide Detailed Explanation: When required, provide a detailed explanation such as how to monitor and control scope creep.
5. Define Terms: Define any jargon or terminology you use to demonstrate your knowledge.
6. Understand the Question: Make sure you fully understand what is asked before starting your answer.

Test mode:
Start practice test
CAPM - Scope Creep Management Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3)

Question 1

During project execution, a stakeholder suggests a new feature that could increase the product value but was not initially included in the project scope. To manage scope creep effectively, what should the project manager consider doing first?

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.

Question 2

In the midst of a project, a stakeholder proposes a subtle expansion of the scope by recommending an improvement. To manage potential scope creep effectively, which action should the project manager take first?

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.

Question 3

While updating the project management plan, you realize some new work has been introduced without formal authorization. What is the FIRST thing you should do to manage this form of scope creep?

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.

Go Premium

Certified Associate in Project Management Preparation Package (2024)

  • Earn 15 PDUs needed for your CAPM certification
  • 4454 Superior-grade Certified Associate in Project Management practice questions.
  • Accelerated Mastery: Deep dive into critical topics to fast-track your mastery.
  • Unlock Effortless CAPM preparation: 5 full exams.
  • 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed: Full refund with no questions if unsatisfied.
  • Bonus: If you upgrade now you get upgraded access to all courses
  • Risk-Free Decision: Start with a 7-day free trial - get premium features at no cost!
More Scope Creep Monitoring questions
12 questions (total)
Start 12 question test