What happens when a project extends beyond its original scope? The honest answer: It may fail. According to research published on FinancesOnline, the second biggest reason for project failure is change in objectives. Along with inaccurate requirements gathering, projects with out-of-scope requests can quickly find themselves in quicksand. Project teams rarely escape scope creep altogether, but it is possible to navigate these tricky circumstances and enjoy project success.

Navigating the Labyrinth

Woolpert recently partnered with a utility company to complete an asset management software implementation. Originally, the client anticipated completing the software configuration in-house, but as the project unfolded, it became necessary to adopt a more collaborative approach. This shift birthed many out-of-scope requests with the potential to hinder success at every step. The project could have ended in disaster, but the project team and the utility company took steps to avoid big-time mistakes. The result was a smooth software implementation that now serves as an excellent example of how to steer projects toward positive ends, even when initial objectives and requirements shift. Here are seven tactics that project teams can use to sidestep scope creep and keep projects on track.

1. Communicate, Communicate, and Communicate More

Good communication with clients is critical when steering a project with unexpected tasks. It helps project teams navigate unanticipated terrain and keeps the train on the tracks. Sadly, this element is often overlooked, even though it's foundational to success.

The Project Management Institute found that bad communication is the No. 1 reason projects fail, with it being a contributing factor in 56% of unsuccessful initiatives. If the percentage is that high for overall plans, imagine how high it is for projects with out-of-scope requests.

For project teams to avoid failure, it's vital to maintain good communication when handling initiatives with unanticipated new tasks. Depending on a project's complexity, enough communication may look like 20 to 30 hours a week, especially if new stakeholders involved have joined the project to help achieve the new objectives. Enough also may look like joining a client's communication channel on platforms like Microsoft Teams or Slack to respond to questions, provide updates, and address concerns quickly.

2. Adopt a Growth Mindset

Sometimes, project teams don't have all the skills needed to handle every scope creep request they've committed to doing. There are two ways to approach this scenario: First, teams can carry a fixed mindset, believing talent rather than hard work is necessary to complete any task. The second is to adopt a growth mindset that knows talent can evolve with hard work to make new duties achievable. The former approach can lead to inaction and delays, while the latter is ideal because it motivates project teams to approach unfamiliar tasks by combining trust in their talent and their previous experience with a high level of effort to get the job done.

With a growth mindset, team members can commit to moving forward with some unfamiliar scope requests because they'll know it's possible to complete them. Accomplishing these requests may require some additional out-of-the-box thinking, creativity, discovery, and iteration, but the result will be a great final product and valuable new skills that team members can add to their toolbox. This outcome is far superior to the alternative: Passing to another company the additional work that the initial project team could’ve handled had they adopted a growth mindset. Simply put, that's leaving money on the table.

3. Spread Out the Workload

When a project starts looking different from the original scope, there's a question project teams and clients must answer: What resources do we have to complete the add-on requests? In this context, resources refer to subject matter expertise and labor. In many cases, clients rely on their project teams to provide this additional knowledge and effort, but there are times when clients want to take the reins themselves. The reasons, including financial, can vary, but assigning internal client resources presents its own set of challenges. Leveraging in-house expertise and labor can easily overwhelm clients' workforce, leading to missed deadlines, extended timelines, and overall project failure. On the other hand, a collaborative approach spreads the new workload evenly between the project team and client to increase the likelihood of success.

4. Update the Project Schedule Regularly

One of the easiest things to do when unexpected tasks appear is to forget to update the project schedule—but as expectations evolve, timelines must evolve as well. Otherwise, team members and clients will be confused, causing disorganization that fosters delays.

An updated timeline will ensure milestones are hit and budgets are maintained. It’s important, though, for project managers to communicate the updated schedule to their teams and clients so that everyone is on the same page.

5. Muscle Through Hard Conversations

There will be times when project teams have to facilitate hard conversations about the budget, especially if multiple out-of-scope requests have emerged. The appearance of various unexpected tasks will inevitably require financial adjustments. Depending on the complexity of the out-of-scope requests, the financial shifts may be significant, making conversations with the client intimidating, but avoiding the discussion isn't an option. It'll only hinder momentum and project completion, so teams can't make the mistake of delaying these hard conversations. Instead, tackling them immediately, openly, and honestly is best. Having a great relationship with the client prior to the discussion is also beneficial.

Uncomfortable interactions are easy to navigate when team members have an established connection with their clients. This should be built starting day one on the kickoff call and continue throughout the project duration. Doing this successfully isn’t rocket science. Being responsive, available, kind, and communicative are all ways to build strong client relationships that make hard conversations about finances easier to navigate.

6. Don’t be Afraid to Call a Time-Out

When new stakeholders are added to a project to help complete an out-of-scope request, project teams may notice that certain personalities are hard to manage during meetings. Of course, remaining professional is always necessary – but there's usually a temptation to move forward during calls or in-person gatherings, even when the difficult personalities have introduced tension, creating complex team dynamics. Bulldozing forward, however, is not the answer. That approach doesn't diffuse tension but allows it to simmer until it reaches the surface and becomes uncontrollable.

If project teams want to complete out-of-scope requests, it's imperative to call a time-out when the team's cohesion becomes shaky. Every team member should feel empowered to throw the flag and ask to pause. Regrouping will allow each person to take a break and brainstorm ways to move forward effectively, which may include escalating the situation to whoever can help get the team dynamics back on track so that the project doesn't stop.

7. Take a Break

It's easy to work long hours when new project tasks emerge, but it's critical for teams and clients to regularly carve out time to step away. Working around the clock only ends in burnout, which Indeed says more than 52% of its recent survey respondents experience, with a leading cause being long hours.

Employee burnout makes initiatives significantly harder to complete as everyone trudges forward with little motivation, engagement, and productivity. Preventing that means team members and clients must schedule time within their day to get fresh air, take a walk, or enjoy another activity that'll help them reset. With this approach, everyone involved with the project and its out-of-scope requests will be refreshed and ready to go whenever it's time to work.

Failure is an Option, Not an Inevitability

There's always a chance projects will include out-of-scope requests, whether a team is working with a new or current client. How those unexpected tasks are handled can determine whether a project succeeds—but it's good for teams to remember that failure is not inevitable. Managing out-of-scope tasks effectively is possible to produce a positive outcome. Project teams and their clients just need to avoid some detrimental mistakes and commit to moving forward to deliver great work.