Your penitence is to design, develop, implement and operate a robust Scope Management function. To read a short summary on scope management view the category link here:

http://www.decium.co.uk/categories/Scope-Management/

Now we’ll discuss specific actions you can undertake to put yourself back on the virtuous project path. These actions are simple to define but some can be very complex to implement so please don’t lose heart if you don’t have a fully functioning Scope Management function up-and-running by the end of the week!

Let’s investigate actions for each of the transgressions outlined previously:

Scope creep / Lack of a commercial change control process – Allowing requirements to change freely will seriously impair your project in the long run. As you increase the size and complexity of the work you are doing (e.g. you are running a programme) a lack of Scope Management becomes, exponentially, more important. You must clearly agree the process for inputting, analysing and signing-off change and ensure the appropriate stakeholders are intimately involved so they can both understand the impact of changes and their criticality.

It is imperative to get the change control process set-up as early as possible during project launch. The foundation of this should be a change control board with appropriate authority to agree changes on an as needs basis. A strong change control board with key stakeholders will provide both a conduit for modifying the scope baseline as well as an authoritative and informed gateway that can ensure unnecessary change is avoided.

Right, so what's next....