IT Systems Planning and Acquisition - Essay Example

However, usually later in execution of the project, the stakeholders or beneficiary organization may require some additional or different software modules or deliverables as defined in the project scope document, this phenomenon referred as scope creep. “Scope creep refers to the change in a project's scope after the project work has started. Typically, the scope expands by the addition of new features to an already approved feature list. As a result, the project drifts away from its original purpose, timeline, and budget.

” (Alexandrou, 2011). In 2011, the Baker and Greer provided guidelines and shared the top 8 best practices for minimizing and avoiding scope creep of the project. I do agree that by implementing the guidelines of the Baker and Greer, the project manager may minimize the scope creep but the guidelines should more be refined and expanded in order to avoid or eliminate the scope creep of a project. In this document I would discuss the guidelines provided by the Baker and Greer, analyze them critically and would add the best practices or guidelines provided by other great authors along with the rationale. . There are certain reasons for the scope creep have been identified include poor requirements analysis, involving the users in the later phases of the project, ignoring the convolution of the project, change control lacking and Gold plating.

Some more reasons include miscommunication with customer, insincere customer with an unwavering policy of value for free, week project management methodology and resources (Vandermilt, 2011). It is pertinent to mention here that the Baker and Greer have not taken into account some of the reasons of scope creep in their guidelines that are mentioned above. Therefore, in order to avoid or minimizing the guidelines may be expanded and enhanced by including a plan for scope creep, getting formal signoff from the customer, document change control, reviewing the similar projects and lesson learnt reports, using standards for project management and certified project management professionals (Bellanca, 2010).

Scope creep rises from commencement of the project due to ambiguous planning. Therefore, it would be recommended to develop a plan for scope creep in which rules for handling the scope creep would be mentioned. Scope creep should be handled from the beginning to an end of the project through prescribed change control document. Change control refers to variation to the business processes, user or the technical requirements once sign-off has been taken place on the project scope document. Scope creep happens more repeatedly when formal sign-off the stakeholders have not signed off the project scope document.

A number of business cultures evades the actual signing-offs the project scope document, due to the fear of responsibility ambiguous and incomplete requirements.