Opportunity Management - Scope Creep?
For many people the idea of using the risk process to identify and manage opportunities is new, since their focus has previously been on dealing with threats. As a result, people are sometimes unsure where to find opportunities, explains David Hillson...
For many people the idea of using the risk process to
identify and manage opportunities is new, since their focus has
previously been on dealing with threats. As a result, people are
sometimes unsure where to find opportunities... By David
Hillson
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A common concern is that proactively seeking opportunities may
result in scope creep, as a result of looking for extra
unplanned benefits in addition to those already defined in the
agreed scope. Pursuing these optional extras might distract
attention and effort from the original objectives, and could
even be counter-productive.
A colleague illustrated this when he set himself an objective to
lose some weight, and decided to take up running. He realised
that he might discover that he really enjoyed running, and might
even be quite a talented runner, so that perhaps he might be
able to join a club or take part in a marathon. But do these
count as opportunities, and should he be exploring them
proactively? They have nothing directly to do with his original
objective to lose weight, so aren’t they just additional scope
to the weight-loss project?
The same situation might occur at work. If while we are trying
to enhance an existing product we discover a gap in the market
for a completely new product, is this a genuine opportunity to
be pursued or just potential scope creep?
Escalating out-of-scope threats
The answer to this important question is to treat opportunities
in the same way as threats. So what happens if during a project
risk assessment we identify a threat where the potential
negative impact would be outside the scope of the project? Do we
take responsibility for addressing this threat within our
project, since if we identified it we should manage it? In fact
an out-of-scope threat should be escalated to someone outside
the project who can decide what to do, perhaps the project
sponsor or someone in another part of the organisation.
In the same way, if we identify an opportunity which is outside
the boundaries of our responsibility, we cannot just decide to
include it in our project. Instead we should escalate the
out-of-scope opportunity to someone who is able to decide
whether and how to address it.
Will a new opportunity help you meet your project
objectives?
The key to deciding whether to escalate a risk or deal with it
ourselves is to remember that all risks, both threats and
opportunities, must be defined in relation to objectives. So the
only risks which should be managed through a project risk
process are those which could affect a project objective.
Any threat or opportunity where the potential impact is outside
the agreed project scope should be escalated. This ensures that
these types of risk do not automatically result in scope creep,
although of course a positive decision could be made to change
scope to include a particularly good new opportunity or to avoid
a serious wider threat.
Instead of worrying about scope creep, the search for
opportunities should consider anything that might help us reach
the agreed objectives. We are looking for ways of working
“smarter, faster, cheaper” within the existing scope, and not
trying to increase the scope. My colleague needs to find
creative ways to help him lose weight more quickly with less
effort, and not worry about running a marathon – unless he wants
to launch a new project with a different objective.
About Risk Doctor:
© January 2006, Dr David Hillson PMP FAPM. To provide feedback
on this Briefing Note, or for more details on how to develop
effective risk management, contact the Risk Doctor (info@risk-doctor.com), or
visit the Risk Doctor website (www.risk-doctor.com).
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