3 Guaranteed Ways to Prevent Project Creep

3 Guaranteed Ways to Prevent Project Creep

Have you ever had a project that just wouldn't die? It starts out as a simple re-do of an outdated site and suddenly you’re adding live feeds and, “Oh, would you mind adding a blog?” Sound familiar?

While some may think that clients like project creep because they're getting tons of free stuff, the truth is that they hate it just as much as service providers do. Project creep happens because of uncertainty, and if there's one thing that service clients hate, it's uncertainty.

Early in my career, I had the "hell project" that lost tons of money. At first I was extremely angry, bitter and disenchanted. Every time I thought about that project, my stomach would tie itself into knots. Today I'm grateful I had that opportunity because I realized what a valuable set of lessons I received. The most important things I learned are:

1. Each action item must be explicitly written down. Write down exactly what you are going to do. Not the basic gist of what you're going to do, write down EXACTLY what you're going to do, and don't do anything else. As soon as I hear something that is outside of scope, I continue taking my conversation notes and at the end of the conversation ask the client if they would like me to write a new amended SOW (Statement of Work) or simply add these items to a regular timesheet. Some of you may think that this is the kind of thing that may start an argument, and that starting arguments with clients is bad business. The truth is, I have yet to have a client react badly. In fact, they're always grateful that I'm immediately straight forward. They know where I stand, and that knowledge creates trust and comfort. There's no guessing as to whether they're going to be asked to write a check later for the thing they're asking for today. Even though projects often a lot of gray areas that have to be discussed, but it's best to work that out sooner than later and to be completely upfront about it. When  client can trust me, that makes them feel comfortable and happy.

2. Listen to the client. You can't deliver any specific services unless you know what the client wants. When I first speak with some people, they may think I'm not very smart, because I keep asking the same question from different angles. I ask the client to repeat themselves. I repeat back what the client just said. Doesn't that sound like someone who's just thick? Let's just say that opinion changes as soon as my clients realize that I am giving them exactly what they wanted.

3. Write down specific milestones and delivery dates, and stick to them. As a rule, I am always early or on time. Occasionally a date has to be missed, but not a very good reason and without advanced warning. Sometimes things come up that just couldn't be foreseen, and sometimes life happens (like illness or a death in the family). Otherwise, milestones must have specific items and are expected to be delivered on a specific date.

These 3 lessons have served me very well in my professional life. My clients always tell me how professional I am, and as a result I get tons of referrals and repeat business. In fact, I'm so busy that I don't even have time to finish this ...