Managing Change and Scope Creep in Projects

The assignment discusses the importance of managing change requests and scope creep in project management. It explains the process of submitting a change request form, reviewing it, defining options, and creating a response document. The document also highlights the risks associated with changes in cost, time, and quality, and provides techniques for managing scope creep, such as defining and documenting project scope clearly.

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Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date

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PART B: Change management report
1. The impact of the change of cost, time and quality of a project and techniques
applied in managing them
Projects are usually designed to achieve specific objectives that are deemed significant by the
project sponsors. The Glasgow Science Centre tower is a state of the Art Science and technology
based in the city of Glasgow. Upon its inception, the owner of the project had three primary
objectives including using the tower as an exhibition center, to use the center as a housing unit
for the science center's telecommunication links and to provide a viewing cabin on the upper part
of the tower. The project was a great idea whose implementation would put the City of Glasgow
on the global map. Although the project was expected to run smoothly, it suffered myriad
challenges right from its inception to the period after its official opening. These challenges can
be attributed to the changes in the time, Quality, and scope of the project.
Time
Time concept refers to the period between the initiation of a project and its completion.
Time is of a high essence in any given project. For a project, all aspects involved in the project
should be considered before setting of the time that a project should be completed failure to
which time-related challenges are bound to arise in the course of the implementation. Because
time is of significance in the success of a project, it must be accurately determined and stated in
the project document before actual implementation. For the Glasgow Science Tower project,
however, time of completion of the project was not initially indicated. Lack of a specified

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deadline can be viewed as one of the aspects that caused the problems that were experienced
during the implementation of the project. The setting of specific timelines ensures that all
projects deliverables are achieved before the project is completed and officially opened. It also
ensures that the project’s quality standards are maintained.
Several aspects can lead changes in the timelines of a project. Such changes include
narrowing or widening the scope of a project. Scope widening means that the duration of a
project will also need to be extended. It would also require the approval of an additional budget
if the span of a project is minimized. Changes in the time of a project can also affect the quality
of the final product. On the other hand, the time of a project can be reduced as result of a
narrowing of the project scope. Such a change might lead to the completion of a project earlier
than anticipated and also cut the initial budget for the project. Failure to establish timelines for
the project in the planning stage caused delayed the opening of the Glasgow project. It is also
one of the reasons why the project experienced a budget overrun of over $15 million. Had the
scope of the project been appropriately defined before its implementation its duration would not
have been affected. Other techniques that would have been used include the addition of an
additional budget and establishing sufficient scope creep and risk management techniques
(Heldman, 2013).
Cost
The cost of a project is the money required to run a project from its inception to its
completion stage. Cost is an essential consideration in project management as it ensures that both
deadlines and quality deadlines are met. The cost of a project should be set after all the factors

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likely to be involved in a project are determined separately and collectively. Appropriate cost
estimation avoids possible cost overruns that can be experienced if such measures are not put in
place. Proper budgetary allocation should follow necessary changes introduced in a project. One
of the main reasons for the challenges faced in Tower Project was incorrect cost estimation.
Project changes can either be beneficial or come as a disadvantage to a project.
The failure to approve an additional budget for the project resulted to its scope being
changed by the owner. This was the point of contention between the owner of the project and the
initial Architect. Changes in the cost of the project, led to the opening of the project later than it
was anticipated, it also affected the quality of the project as was witnessed in the failure of the
elevator multiple times, it also led to strained relationships between the project owner and
original architect of the project. The cost of projects is managed through maintenance of the
initial project scope by rejecting any proposed changes or through the elimination of unnecessary
activities to narrow the scope of a project (Snyder, 2013). The owner of the project could have
also set a budget for the pre-implementation activities such as the testing that was involved. The
cost of the project could also have been managed through adequate cost estimation that would
have resulted in the adoption of an appropriate budget for the entire project
Quality
A project is said to have met quality expectations if it achieves all the desired objectives.
It must also be delivered within the timelines and budget estimations of a project. The quality
must also be delivered within the estimated project time and budget. Widening of the scope of a
project without increasing the budget, time or sometimes both can have a significant impact on

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the quality of the project (Project Management Institute, 2013.Lack of sufficient planning for the
project for the project also affected its original quality
Dilution of the original quality in order to minimize cost led to multiple problems
including delaying the official opening of the project. In the first instance the opening day was
moved forward because of the failure of the elevator. Failure to observe the quality that was spelt
out in the initial plan also led safety concerns for the project users. Change in quality also led to
the postponement of the official opening date of the project by dignitaries. An excellent example
of the impact of the change of quality is the trapping of 10 people when both elevators failed four
years after the project had been officially opened. This tainted the image and reputation of the
project. The quality of the project could have been controlled by implementation of the initial
scope of the project, establishing clear quality management strategies, approval of sufficient
funds for implementing the project. Adoption of efficient risk analysis and risk management
strategies, this would have ensured that all risks such as the collapse of the elevators and the
challenges of power failures were foreseen and sufficient measures put in place to address them.
Another technique that can be used to manage quality of a project is continuous monitoring .This
technique ensures that all possible deviations in all stages are identified and rectified early
enough.
2. Options to satisfy the change request and any associated risks for each change
Project change refers to all alterations that occur to the initial scope of a project. Such
changes may be as a result of a request from the client or caused by other factors beyond the
control of the project team. Several options can be used to satisfy demands for change.

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Filling of change request form
Filling of a change request form is usually the first step in the change request process. The clients
or proponent of the change fills a change request form in which they explain the proposed
amendment, the disadvantage of failing to implement the change, the anticipated outcome if the
change is implanted, the expected value of the change and completion date (Wysocki,2012).
Submission of the request form for review
After the request form has been filled, it should be presented to the project team for it to
be reviewed. The team should then analyze the consequences of the request to make a decision.
Definition of option and creation of response document
Upon reviewing of the change request form, the project team should then respond to the
change requested by the client. In their response, they should explain their proposed solution and
its timelines, the consequences of the change to the project including the time and cost impact as
well as the duration in which the client is required to respond (Snyder, 2013).
Final Decision and Approval
The client is then required to make a final decision based on the response from the project
team within the timelines specified by the project team. After that, the resolution is approved by
the project team for implementation.
Associated risks of each change

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Several risks can occur as a result of changes in the cost, time and quality of a project.
Such changes can result in the abandonment of a project or its failure to achieve the intended
quality and deliver the expected outcome. Changes in the initial scope of the Glasgow project led
to the emergence of a conflict between the Architect and the owner of the project. As a result of
the conflict the original architect abandoned the actual implementation of the project because
according to him, the original idea had been diluted. The changes can also confuse the members
of the project team besides affecting their morale (Heldman, 2013).This was witnessed by
members of the project leaving the scene before the initial testing of the elevators was carried out
Changes in the project also affected the overall cost and timelines.
4. Explanation of scope creep, examples and tools and techniques that can be used to
manage scope creep
Scope creep refers to uncontrolled changes that occur in the scope of a project in the
course of its implementation. Such changes are continuous and are caused mainly by failure to
define appropriately, document and control the scope of a project. An example of scope creep is
where a project begins with two features ends up with nine elements in the course of its
implementation. Scope creep can occur where there are disagreements or lack of proper internal
communication among members of the project team. It can also be caused by changes in the
requirements of a project prompted requested by the project owner (Project Management
Institute, 2013).The Glasgow science center project is an excellent example of a project that was
affected by scope creep. The change of the initial scope of the project by the project owner was
the primary cause of several problems that were experienced during the implementation of the

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project. Another example of a project affected by scope creep was Denver International Airport
Baggage handling system. The introduction of additional requirements into the project led to its
failure. Scope creep can be managed through the following techniques
Appropriate definition and documentation of project scope
Defining the scope of a project clearly and having it documented appropriately can help
in avoiding scope creep in a given project. The scope document should then be explained and
made available to all parties to ensure that there is a general understanding of should be included
in the scope of a project and what should not be included (Snyder,2013).

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References
Heldman, K. (2013). PMP Project Management Professional Exam Study Guide (7th ed.).
Indianapolis, IN Wiley
Project Management Institute. (2013). A guide to the project management body of knowledge
(PMBOK Guide®)(5th ed.). Newtown Square, Pennsylvania: Project Management
Institute.
Snyder, C. S. (2013). A project manager’s book of forms: A companion to the PMBOK guide
(2nd ed.). Indianapolis, IN Wiley.
Wysocki, R. K. (2012). Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme (6th ed.).
Indianapolis, IN Wiley.