You're facing scope creep in a product innovation project. How will you ensure project deadlines are met?

In managing any project, it is imperative to strike an optimal balance between Scope, Time, and Cost. To ensure the project timelines are met, keeping the scope under check becomes essential. Here's how: 1. Define Clear Boundaries: what is outside and what is inside the project must be defined, more on what is not inside than what is included. This helps in setting correct expectations and avoids scope creep from derailing the project. 2. Robust Change Control System Implementation: Create a formal system of change control with a proper, full-bodied mechanism of approval. It would guarantee that no unauthorized change is accepted by the team, and it focuses attention on delivering value within the agreed timeline.

Scope creep is somewhat inevitable but you can balance it with one true and simple method. Connect with people. If you can connect with your cross-functional team to understand their priorities, their roadmap, and the company's highest-level objectives, then you can build a model that doesn't just fit your "selfish" ideas to prove something but can support the company and build trust for the future. It's not just communication; it's trust. Do product, engineering, data, or other teams trust you have each other's back? If you achieve that, you can get a balance of priorities that helps reduce scope creep and focus more on common interests.

Something I wish I had done more of in my early career as a product innovation leader was to establish strong change control processes when facing scope creep. Establish a formal process for handling changes to the project scope such as a change request system. Ensure any new requests are documented, reviewed, prioritized, and approved before implementation. You can also develop an impact assessment. Evaluate the impact of any change request on the project timeline, budget, and resources, and be sure to communicate these impacts clearly to stakeholders before making decisions.

Build a minimal loveable product. Scope creep is always a feature and functions battlefield with no connection to customers. Keep your customer in focus and avoid stakeholder creep. You are solving a customer problem and not the problem of your department X PoV because they know it better. Get rid of this.

**You're facing scope creep in a product innovation project. How will you ensure project deadlines are met?** First things first, evaluate whether the scope creep adds value or complexity to your current sprint. If it truly brings value and can be squeezed into the sprint, discuss with your team to see if bandwidth allows for the extra work. If it adds complexity and low value, negotiate with stakeholders for a deeper evaluation of the benefits and consider postponing it to the next sprint once its value is demonstrated. This approach ensures that deadlines are met without compromising the project's overall quality and focus.