How to avoid Scope Creep......and make your life a lot easier! Keith Richards

How to avoid Scope Creep...

...and make your life a lot easier!

Keith Richardswww.agilekrc.com

Presentation Structure

• Introductions• What is Scope Creep?• The good news and the bad news!• How to solve the problem• The role of the business/customer• The Product Owner role – a help or a hindrance?• Going forward and rising to the challenge• Live questions.

Introductions

• KRC is a pioneering training and consultancy company• Specialising in Agile approaches• Focusing on improving Agile capability at any scale• 15 years experience in PRINCE2 and DSDM Framework• IAF Accredited / APMG Certified Facilitator • Author of ‘Agile Project Management’ (TSO)• Voted ‘Most Valuable Agile Player’ UK Agile Awards.

What is Scope Creep?

• Requirements changing• New requirements• Requirements no longer needed• Several requirements becoming one• One requirement becoming several

...but there are two types of scope creep!

Type 1: Bad Scope Creep

• Project objective is unclear• Project objective is clear but incorrect• Driver for the project is unclear• Strategic fit is poor• Project objective is imprecise• Problems with the business case• Solution arrived at too early.

Type 2: Good Scope Creep

• Greater understanding• More accurate solution• Convergence (Emergence?)• Building in great ideas• Removal of mistakes• Encourages creativity• The ‘killer feature’.

Start as you mean to go on!

• Most of the problems occur at the start• Get this right and you are in great shape• You cannot build a house on sand• ...but it doesn't need to be on granite either• Do enough and no more• Make sure it is safe to move to the next stage• Is this feasible?– (1 to 2 weeks)

• Can you establish firm foundations?– (2 to 4 weeks).

Use techniques that make change easy

• Think of boulders, rocks and gravel• Prioritise with MoSCoW as opposed to 1,2,3,....n.• Create a ‘trading space’• Think physical!– How do I want to do this?– How do I control it?– How do I want it to look?

Get very very close to the customer!

• You want to hear about change• You want to hear about it quickly• You want to hear about it accurately• You want to hear about it easily.

Beware the ‘Product Owner’

• Single voice of the truth.......or single point of failure!

• Easy way out?• Would a blend be better?

Get real – learn to love it!

• Embrace change!• It is just a fact of life• ‘laugh in the face of danger’• Be ready with the 2 most important questions!• ...they just make life so much easier!

Don't get emotional

• Follow the laws of physics• If the goalposts have moved then escalate• If they haven’t then don’t• Think breadth and depth• Does your customer understand this?

Further Information / Next Steps

• Next month: Project and Product environments: Do projects really exist in agile?

• KRC help organisations with their transition to Agile• KRC offers a variety of Agile training and support services• Maturity assessment (project ‘health check’)

• Next AgilePM public course is on May 13th in London• Next Certified ScrumMaster course is on May 7th in London

• Free downloads, including today’s slides @ www.agilekrc.com

• Join ‘The DSDM Group’ on LinkedIn • Follow us on Twitter @agilekrc

How to avoid Scope Creep...

Thank you!

k.richards@agilekrc.comc.robinson@agilekrc.com

www.agilekrc.com