Key Points

• Scope creep can be curtailed with meticulous documentation and planning.
• Involve your stakeholders in your BPR project from the start for the best chances of success.
• Account for everything in your project plan, even potential deviations from the intended results.

Scope creep is the bane of any project’s existence, and one thing that can seriously hinder your BPR efforts. Avoiding scope creep is going to be paramount to the success of any efforts you’re undertaking to revamp your processes. Thankfully, it isn’t quite as difficult as you might think to stay focused and on task when it comes to your current project.

Today, we’re looking at some practical strategies for avoiding scope creep in your BPR projects. These are general tips that apply to any industry. So let’s dive in and get down to brass tacks on how you can keep your team on task.

Defining the Scope

The most important thing you can do to avoid scope creep is to define what exactly is out of scope in a given project. BPR projects can have a wide range in terms of what they encompass, and taking the time to define the precise scope of a project is going to save pain points later on. Of course, that isn’t all there is to defining the scope, there are some pertinent issues you need to tend to first.

As it stands, you want to make sure you and your team have a clear understanding of the expectations and parameters of a given project. There will be time for creativity and additions to the project later, as part of a cycle of continuous improvement. However, now, you need to focus on what is needed to get this project up and rolling.

Documentation

I’m a big fan of documentation, and it’s not hard to see why. When you’re documenting everything from the initial stages, you have historical evidence of the scope of a given project. Further, it gives some of the vital reasoning needed for a project. You’ll find some resistance early on, which we’ll address. That said, documentation outlining the reason for the project’s implementation, the scope, and vital documents like a Statement of Work and Work Breakdown Structure are great tools to have on hand.

No one likes paperwork, but it’s a necessary evil at the end of the day.

Defining Why

Before you start putting in the effort to get your BPR project started, it’s important to define why and emphasize the reasoning to the stakeholders. As they will be a driving force for any project, you want them in the loop right away as to why you’re looking to avoid scope creep and why you’re looking to implement this BPR effort in the first place. Address the problems that you’re looking to solve, and make sure you define when the project is considered done.

Change Management

Ultimately, you’re going to face resistance with any major changes in an organization. Strictly speaking, there aren’t many changes that are as drastic across the board as a BPR project. As such, having a concrete plan in place to manage the change is going to do quite a bit of good for the validity and overall success of your project. However, you don’t want to go about this with a loose change management idea in place.

A degree of formality not only saves your bacon but also helps the buy-in process. As such, you’ll want to develop some formal documentation and paperwork to aid the process. Working with a practiced change manager is also heavily recommended to help guide the nuts and bolts of the transition period.

Formal Change Controls

As previously stated, formal documentation is going to be your best friend here. Using documents like Change Request Forms and Impact Assessment is going to go quite far when it comes time to flip the switch and get the project rolling. Further, for every change CRF you’re filing, you’ll want to have a Change Control Board at the head of any decision-making.

This gives accountability and transparency, essentially bulletproofing the plan and project. It isn’t going to be a fun process by any means, but this helps keep everyone involved in the project honest and helps to avoid scope creep further on.

Communication

Documentation is grand and is a lifesaver in this scenario. I’d be selling myself short if I didn’t emphasize the need for concrete and clear communication. Communicating what you’re doing to the stakeholders keeps them in the loop and helps them to understand the change process. This might seem like a lot of legwork when you just want to rip the bandage off and get to work.

That said, it is an important foundation that continues accountability and lets your stakeholders in on what is happening with a given project. As you’re filing formal documentation to your CCB, you’ll want to keep your stakeholders aware of what is happening. Additionally, document what you’re communicating; a paper trail is going to be a blessing if things go pear-shaped.

Proactive Engagement

Communication, meetings, and more are all going to be a key part of the success of your BPR project. Not only are you keeping everyone in the know about how things are proceeding, but you’re reducing the chances of scope creep across the board. There are a few targets for engagement early in, like stakeholders and your team. Since these are some of the biggest driving forces behind your efforts, engaging them early helps get things rolling.

Communication for Stakeholders

I’ll keep hammering this point in: involve your stakeholders. Communicate with them regularly. Prioritize communicating with everyone at the higher levels of this project. This is key for defining the requirements and material needs of a project. Additionally, you want those stakeholders to buy into the whole endeavor. Any squeaky wheel in this process is a chance for things to go awry, and given how much of a drastic change you’re enacting, that’s the last thing you want to have happen.

Expectations

You can promise the moon with any given project, but that isn’t going to be realistic. Instead, clearly define the expectations and intended results of a given project. You can also take this time to account for any potential deviations. You might also want to take the time to conduct regular reviews with your stakeholders so they can see how things are progressing.

The entire process needs to have a foundation of trust and accountability to succeed. Further, this helps prevent any unwanted surprises from shocking everyone involved in the whole endeavor.

Planning

We’re at our last talking point for the day, and it’s just as involved as the others. You don’t go into any project without a plan. At the start of the project, you want to go in with clearly defined timelines, what resources are needed, and any dependencies for components of your project. A clearly defined project plan serves as a future reference as you get further along with your work, and should help to curtail any amount of scope creep that might set in.

Be Thorough

It seems like I’ve spent most of my time today lecturing you about the need for meticulous communication and record-keeping. The same is going to apply to your project plan, however, you want to account for every eventuality, no matter how small.

Monitor Everything

One of the most important things you can do to curtail scope creep is to monitor the scope of your project. This, along with other key metrics, informs you as to how a project is progressing, for starters, but also helps to identify any unexpected deviations from the scope of a project. It can be easy to lose sight of what you’re after, but keeping a close eye and sticking to the plan is going to yield better results.

Other Useful Tools and Concepts

Looking for something extra to go with your morning coffee? You might want to see how companies are leveraging the power of design thinking in their work. Design thinking is a novel practice that is removed from some of the more rigid means of designing and refining projects, and getting some inspiration is always a great way to take charge of your next project.

Additionally, you might want to look at how you can implement Scrum in a non-software industry. Scrum is generally seen as being a software-centric approach, but recent changes to the methodology have opened up its use for just about any industry you can think of.

Conclusion

Avoiding scope creep can seem like a fool’s errand at first glance. For those looking to make a lasting, workable change, sticking to the plan and approaching things with meticulous documentation is going to make a huge difference. You don’t want your next project to fail before it gets off the ground. Do your due diligence and stick to the plan.

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