The next transgression has an innocuous exterior that belies a darkened core which can afflict even the most pious projects...

Gold-plating – This one is a classic sin in smaller companies, who have less leverage, and they find themselves in a position where they are desperate not to lose a client (who is essentially their lifeblood) so they will try to do more than was originally agreed because they hope it will impress the client and possibly lead to more work. Naturally this isn’t the exclusive territory of small vendors but also sullies the delivery of some of the big guns as well. Some people might read this and say ‘hold on…surely this is a good thing?...delivering more than was agreed?....exceeding clients expectations?’. I’m sorry but my answer to that is a simple…no. If you agree a scope and can deliver that scope more quickly/cheaply than you originally estimated then do it. The client’s expectations will have been exceeded. But if you decide to deliver a bit of old-fashioned ‘gold-plating’ then you are taking the decision out of your client’s hands. The decision as to whether they want that extra scope or whether they would actually prefer the project delivered early or below budget. This doesn’t exclude you from telling the client of your current, strong position and a discussion of whether some originally omitted scope might be added in to flesh out the budget under-spend. Let it be their decision. Deliver what you promised. Not more. If the amount they want you to deliver increases then so be it, but do it in a controlled way. In the long run this can only be something that increases the respect they have for you and your ability to deliver consistently. It also shows them that you are a project management professional and understand the intricacies of managing this most important of project elements.

I hope by this stage you can feel the weight of moral project turpitude lifting from your shoulders. Now onto the final transgression...