Scope-creep

A phrase you have likely heard of is “scope creep” – and if you’ve heard that phrase, you’ve probably heard it in connection with difficulties in actually getting software out into the hands of users.

Actually, there are two ways in which scope creep can manifest – although to be fair both of them are bad.

The first type is you’re being a perfectionist. If it could go out, just ship the thing, please.

The other type of scope creep is that you don’t know where the end of the project is. It’s not that the project is actually “creeping” or getting bigger. It’s that when you started it, you didn’t know how much work needed to be done and every time you do a bit, you find more to do. (It’s like buying an old house, stripping off the wallpaper and then all the plaster falls off and you also find woodworm.)

If this is happening to you, then yes sadly you do have a problem. My advice is to stop digging (not to mix metaphors), and try and work out a new plan rather than keep throwing money at the existing plan.

8/Oct/2023