Writing a scope that survives the project
Most statements of work describe what will be done. The useful half is what will not be.
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Scope
Writing down what is included, noticing when it changes, and raising it before the work is already done.
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Scope creep is rarely a client behaving badly. It is a series of small, reasonable requests, each of which would have been awkward to refuse, arriving faster than anyone is counting them.
This section is about making the boundary visible: a statement of work that says what is excluded, a change process light enough to actually use, and the conversation that has to happen at request three rather than request eleven. When the goal is to balance capacity and delivery rather than merely log hours, workforce optimization software is the broader category to compare. For a broader framework, PMI's overview of project management summarises the standard concepts behind planning and delivery.
Noticing scope creep while it is still small
Nobody notices the third small request. Everybody notices the eleventh, by which point raising it looks like an accusation.
Read the guideA change process light enough to actually use
Formal change control is why studios stop using change control. The version that works fits in an email.
Read the guideThe project that is waiting for approval
Work that is ninety percent complete and awaiting sign-off is not nearly finished. It is stalled, unbillable, and quietly expensive.
Read the guideBreaking a project into phases that mean something
Phases exist to limit how much can go wrong before somebody notices. Most are drawn to fit an invoicing schedule instead.
Read the guideTurning work down
The projects that damage a small studio are usually the ones it should not have accepted, and the warning signs were visible before the contract.
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