Scope Creep…it’s like a ninja

I posted a while back regarding scope creep, and how it ultimately begins prior to a project even beginning because of poor scope documentation development and a lack of a solid change management plan in place.  As I was sitting at the airport the other day, I overheard two gentlemen who struck me as either “C” level officers for a small firm, or sole proprietors in a startup.  What was most interesting about their conversation pertained to another aspect of scope creep that I had not covered in my original post.  Consider that the dialogue of their conversation consisted of a few minutes around a problematic customer.

This customer was a new account, large in comparison to their current client mix, and then also had a possibility for further work if the current contract was handled well.  I can only imagine what the contract amount was, but let’s imagine is was roughly $225,000 (there are several other assumptions I am going to make pertaining to the operations of this company, and the contract and scope documentation that had been developed for this effort.  Please just assume they are operating in a vacuum, and are following strict PMI guidelines). 

The customer had recently come to them and asked for a specific portion of work to be added and had exclaimed they felt it should simply be included in the project at no additional charge.  Suppose I asked you if, at this point with the details you have, you would complete the extra work.  Remember that this is a small firm, working with a $225,000 contract for a newly acquired client that potentially could add even more work to their pipeline.  Would you, based upon just this information, complete the additional scope without charging the client?

At this point it should be unclear which position you would take.  Why?  If I asked you to write down the reasons why you are still unsure, what would they be?  In my earlier post I did mention that in the project charter there should be limitations or privileges given to the project manager that allow them to, without clearance from someone else, add to the scope of the project if it fits certain parameters and falls under a certain price.  Considering in this scenario however, the client is asking for it to be done for free. 

Considering this scenario, do you need to implement guidelines in the change management plan to accommodate free items or levels of accommodation you are willing to make for a specific client?  I would argue you aren’t able to “legislate” to this level, yet you need to make sure that you have reoccurring conversations with your project managers to make sure their understanding of this dynamic are adequate.  I would also offer that you should have regular climate meetings to discuss current customer trends and issues so that you can have a revolving understanding of the concessions you may need to make to positively influence the relationship.