Analyzing Scope Creep
I liken scope creep to going to Target®. If I don’t go there with a list and a set budget, I walk out with a cart full of stuff I don’t need, and $300 poorer.
This week we are asked to recall a project that has experienced scope creep. I can’t recall a project that I worked on that ever experienced scope creep, because every project I have been involved in has never made it past the development stage. We have never had a project manager, and certainly never had a statement of work. Generally our “team,” so to speak, has consisted of volunteers of fine arts teachers to work on various committees to design curriculum maps.
As music teachers, we get off task often and never have a clear vision of what we need to accomplish. Our curriculum coordinator changes every two years or so, and the district is constantly trying to make us legitimize what we teach, so we always have a new project to work on. Scope creep never has a chance to happen.
With that being said, what I have learned about project management I can now apply to our next project. I won’t necessarily assume the role of project manager, but I can develop a work breakdown structure (Greer, 2010) to make sure that everyone has a defined role, create a project schedule, and a project status report. This way we can keep ourselves on track, and legitimize our project, no matter who our curriculum coordinator happens to be. Perhaps we might actually complete a project, and be able to use the final result.
Resources
Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.
Chris,
ReplyDeleteI understand your situation of not yetexperiencing scope creep in the workplace. It is a new concept for me as well. However, the constant change of personnel could be identified as scope creep since it effects your chain of command and any ongoing projects within the music department. We are reminded by Portney et al., "misunderstood assumptions, technological uncertainty and mandates" are the most difficult changes to accept (2008, 140). Definitely utilizing a work breakdown structure "establishes a clearer picture of exactly what needs to happen and how long it takes" (Portney et al., 2008, pg.89). Perhaps when you work with various committees in the future you can utilize some of the project management strategies you have learned during this course to streamline the process.
Reference:
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chris,
ReplyDeleteI love your Target analogy! This reminds me of the importance of making a shopping list, which I seldom do!
As a public school teacher, I can relate to what you are saying about projects not really taking off like we would like. I think this is because we are teachers, not professional instructional designers or project managers, even though you and I are on our way.
Portny, et al. (2008) claim that any project that is unusually large in size is at risk of facing challenges. I feel that every curriculum writing project that I have been a part of begins with a scope that is far too large. This is due to district and state content area standards, plus new technology standards. There is always so much to cover and not enough time in the school year to get through all of the standards and benchmarks that have been deemed "essential."
Working on a curriculum team, as you described in your post, can be even harder than working individually since every person has his or her own idea of what is "essential" to teach. At least, this has been my experience. Do you think this could be another reason why your project didn't really get off the ground?
I enjoyed reading your post this week.
Thanks,
Kaylin
I forgot to add my reference before posting my last comment.
ReplyDeleteReference:
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you work in a tough situation. I see the frustration in your writing.
I worked in the same type of situation where there were many projects, but lacked project management training, so things always seem disorganized and that many of the projects never really went anywhere because we couldn't get everyone on the same page.
It sounds like what you might be struggling with is finding someone willing to step forward to take leadership of projects. Do you think now that you have more knowledge of project management that you will be more comfortable taking the lead on projects?
Thanks for your honesty.
Cindy
Chris,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blogs, your comment about even though you may not be a PM daily, the information we have learn this past months can be applied to just about everything we do, making us PM's of life's events. As our reading describes, project can be big or small, involve one or more members, considered formal or informal, have external or internal clients, or can be conducted with contract or just an agreements. And a great PM can accomplish all this by knowing how to execute three basic operations, planning, organizing, and controlling to meet objectives and to stay on budget making it easy to see how all things we do seem to work with the principals of PM. (Portny, 2008, p 2-3)
I wished I would have figure this out sooner, I too am a "Target Shopper", and this knowledge sure could have saved me some $$$$$$.
Thanks for sharing
Sandra
Reference:
Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.