97 Things Every Project Manager Should Know

Chapter 74. Scope Change Happens; Get Used to It

PMP. Pavel Simsa

IF THERE IS ONE THING that distinguishes a software development project from other project types, it is how, inevitably, scope changes occur. Not that it never happens in other places, but I can't think of another industry with such a constantly fluctuating scope.

You know projects are governed by the triple constraint: cost, time, and scope:

• Cost. If your project is in trouble, throwing in extra money or resources rarely helps. If you double the number of diggers, you'll probably get your trench dug in just slightly more than half the time. But if you double the number of software developers, hoping to get the project back on track, it will probably do more harm than good. You will create huge confusion over who owns what code and how things need to be done. So cost needs to stay the same.

• Time. There's always "The Date." It is not the delivery date indicated in your original schedule. Nobody officially mentions it out loud, but if you are developing a big security product that is scheduled to release in November, there is a likely chance you will get to keep your job even if your delivery slips until January. Secretly, the team knows "The Date" is February, for example, "at the time of the international Black Hat security conference where new releases are announced." You have some flexibility surrounding your delivery ...