There are two sub-species of the scope creep “family” that are unfortunately not caused by the client but by us.
Effort creep: I pile on additional work and deliverables although no one asked me to do it, and I know damn well no one is going to pay me for it either.
I know, it feels great to do a job to the max. But it’s a luxury that is out of place in many projects. If you are aware of the costs, and overdelivering anyway, fine. But don’t do it because you feel you have to. It would have been in the contract already if that was the case.
Gold plating: I add unnecessary enhancements or features beyond the agreed-upon scope, with the expectation of being compensated for it, above the already agreed-upon price.
I’m all for correcting the brief to assist the client in ordering what they really need from you, but that has to be done before the deal is made. Demanding payment beyond what’s been agreed on will, with almost no exceptions, damage the relationship. That’s true even if the additional price is very very reasonable. A deal is a deal.
Overdelivery has been a popular idea in the last decade or three, and maybe it worked well in the 80-ies or something. But in today’s world, I’d argue it’s a false prophet with a good PR team. It doesn’t lead to raises for the employed, or client loyalty for the independent experts. It just burns us out – so I like to call it “creepy”:)
Friends, I’ve got something new for you – if you would like to know more about my thoughts on other “creepy” subjects, go to www.fearless-pricing.com and ask Astra AI chatbot to tell you about scope creep, scope seep, hope creep, or over-delivery. She can take it from there.