The most effective way of addressing scope creep is to determine its origin/source in a way that not only resolves its conflicts, but also prevents them from resurfacing. One main cause of scope creep is a lack of communication between executives and project teams. Executives hire project teams to essentially do the work for them, however if the executives put too much faith into a project team, then it is likely that the project may deviate from what was initially intended. This can be addressed by having a project’s sponsors elaborate their desired details for design in a technically-written document while also maintaining consistent communication with the project team throughout its design phases. The overall cause of scope creep seems to be a lack of planning prior to initiating a design process. Starting a project early may seem as though costs are being cut since a shorter project duration correlates to exerting less time and money, but it may likely come at a greater expense down the road, possibly even during the project’s final phases.

The design process for medical devices can take several years for a project team to accomplish, therefore every member on the team cannot be expected to stay committed to a project. Is developing a protocol that accounts for losses in personnel considered to be a way that prevents scope creep, or is that another general form of risk management? What if a client abruptly alters their expectations of a product, is that considered scope creep and what can be done to reach a solution in that event?

Reference:
Larson, R. & Larson, E. (2009). Top five causes of scope creep … and what to do about them. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2009—North America, Orlando, FL. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.