Example: 2X+6 = 30

(30 – 6)/2 = X/2

(24)/2 = X/2

Therefore: X = 12.

What we were learning was not just math but an engineering technique called “black box”. When an engineer is designing a project and they don’t yet know how one part of it will work, they will draw a black box around that section of their design and design everything else first. Then they can go back and address the black box later.

Both concepts – solving for X and black box – are equally relevant in the world of project management.

When you start a project, you probably won’t have all of the tasks clearly laid out in front of you. Things change, information evolves, people move from department to department. So, apply the theory of the black box or apply the theory of solving for X. Lay out the project as best as you can and identify the points on your project timeline where the tasks aren’t clear. Draw a black box or an X. Then, as the project progresses, and the work becomes clearer, those tasks will be filled in.

Knowing in advance that these giant question marks will exist, and identifying where they are, can help you get a project off the ground even if you don’t have all your ducks in a row.

Note: This can create scope creep because you might find that “X” is a huge, unwieldy addition you didn’t plan as much time or budget for. That is a risk, which is why you should do your best to keep those unknowns to a minimum in every project. But they will occur and it’s okay to work on a project with those unknowns in them as long as you’re aware that they will need to be carefully managed.

No related posts.

In a way, the word “scope creep” is sort of like onomatopoeia, except that it’s not named for a sound. Just like the word mucus and fungus sound gross (and, indeed, ARE gross), scope creep feels as disgusting as it sounds.

There are so many reasons that scope creep can happen and nearly every project faces it. Here are a few reasons I’ve seen in my experience:

LACK OF AWARENESS – When a dozen or more people are sitting around a table and working on a project, chances are only one or two actually had their hand in creating the scope of the project. So when someone else says, “it would be a great idea if we also did [insert massive unbudgeted addition to project here]” and everyone else votes in agreement, it’s not a surprise that the scope expands out of control.

BEES IN BONNET – This is the law of the squeaky wheel. Highly vocal and highly influential people (who might or might not be involved in the project) have a bee in their proverbial bonnet can strongly influence the direction of the project. They don’t have to be in the project, they just have to be highly vocal and/or highly influential. (Heather’s Law: The more vocal AND influential the person is, the more likely the scope will creep in their direction).

NO NORTH STAR – Projects that start without a clear goal are obviously doomed for scope creep. But I’ve seen projects with well-developed goals face scope creep because those goals were created around shifting objectives. This is particularly true when a company is trying to respond to shifting marketplace trends: They create a project around one trend but then the trend itself shifts while the project is underway. Hello scope creep!

This is certainly not an exhaustive list and you can probably list many more situations. These are three scope creep threats I’ve had to work against on recent projects. In the future I’ll talk about ways to address, reduce, and even eliminate scope creep.

Related posts:

1. The X factor
2. Weekend Reading: My fav’s from this week: 11/06/09