Analyzing Scope Creep

 Years ago, I was a part of an educational initiative that served as a clear reminder to this day of how scope creep can slowly derail even the most promising ideas (Walden, n.d). The educational initiative was a project funded through a state grant with the goal of strengthening collaboration between the college mathematics department and local high school teachers. The objective seemed to be straightforward, which was to help high school teachers earn either a master's degree in mathematics through our online program or at least 18 credit hours, which would enable them to teach dual credit courses. The project was divided into subject-focused groups: statistics, college algebra, calculus, and trigonometry. Each group had two professors from the math department as their mentors. I was one of two processors working closely with the statistics group.

The main objective for each group was to design and deliver the course using a flipped classroom model. This is where students would watch lecture videos at home and complete the coursework during class time. To implement this, we met monthly for approximately six months. Our task was to collaborate with the high school teachers to create instructional videos that students would use outside the classroom.

 

This is where the scope creep crept in. The professors involved, including myself, were not clearly informed of the full scope of the grant's goals before the project began (Walden, n.d). The professors were told of a grant that was to deal with dual credit courses, but that was it. The main objectives and goals were not given until the first meeting with the high school teachers. We were unaware that video creation would be left largely in the hands of the high school teachers. Many had little to no background in teaching or even taking a statistics course. Because of the lack of prior experience, the videos varied widely in quality and teaching style. There was a unified structure, pedagogy, or standard for what a college-level statistics course should look like. By the end of the first semester for the dual credit courses, we, the professors, found that none of the high schools actually implemented the courses using the flipped classroom model. The videos were essentially abandoned, and the high school teachers taught the course to their abilities and teaching styles. This happened for all the groups, not just statistics.

 

In hindsight, the scope wasn't clear for us professors (Greer, 2010). We were not prepared to create resources for a flipped classroom. The boundaries, training, and oversight of the project were not clear, and the project shifted away from its main goal (Walden, n.d). As a project manager, I would have the professors involved in the project's objectives and deliverables about a month or two ahead of the initial meeting with the high school teachers (Greer, 2010). The top properties were the video creation and design of a flipped classroom model. Completing these tasks was important and should have been completed ahead of the initial meetings with the high school teachers (Walden, n.d). That way, the professor could create and lead the content creation to ensure consistency, accuracy, and alignment with college-level rigor. Then, the high school teacher could supplement the material with their own classroom strategies. In addition, since many teachers had not taught statistics before, they should have been provided a crash course in statistics teaching. Lastly, we as professors should have been guided to check in with the high school teachers throughout the first year to ensure they had the resources to implement the flipped classroom model.


The project had good intentions, but without a clear and detailed project scope, it slowly derailed.


References

 

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com

 

Walden University, LLC. (Executive Producer). (n.d.). Monitoring projects [Video]. https://waldenu.instructure.com


Walden University, LLC. (Executive Producer). (n.d.). Practitioner voices: Overcoming 'scope creep' [Video file]. Retrieved from https://waldenu.instructure.com

 

Walden University, LLC. (Executive Producer). (n.d.). Project management concerns: 'Scope creep' [Video file]. Retrieved from https://waldenu.instructure.com

Comments

  1. Kimberley By DesignApril 13, 2025 at 12:25 PM

    Heather, thank you for sharing such a detailed reflection. Your experience highlights how critical early planning and clear communication are in managing complex educational initiatives. When “changes are made to the original project goals, often to satisfy stakeholders” (Roy & Searle, 2020, p.95), this will lead to diminishing the main objective of the project and also the participation from team members. The unclear project scope, roles, and expectations undermined the original goals. I agree with your recommendation to include professors earlier and provide structured training and resources for high school teachers, as this would have set the project’s foundation. Moreover, your experience is a powerful example of how scope creep and misaligned stakeholder understanding can derail even well-funded, well-intentioned projects.

    References
    Roy, S., & Searle, M. (2020). Scope Creep and Purposeful Pivots in Developmental Evaluation. Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 35(1), 92–103. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjpe.56898

    ReplyDelete
  2. CaitlynnHamApril 13, 2025 at 3:05 PM

    Thank you for sharing such a detailed reflection on your experience. What stood out to me was how the lack of upfront clarity around the grant objectives and roles of participants directly contributed to the project’s scope creep. Your example illustrates well what Greer (2010) emphasizes about the importance of clearly defined project boundaries from the start. When the professors were left uncertain about the expectations for video creation, the risk of inconsistent deliverables became almost inevitable. I also appreciate your point about equipping the high school teachers with foundational training in statistics. This could have helped bridge the gap between intent and execution, as Walden University (n.d.) underscores the value of continuous support and monitoring to keep projects aligned with their goals.

    Your suggestion about early involvement and preparation of professors is especially important. It highlights proactive stakeholder engagement and the necessity of resource readiness before collaborative phases begin. In thinking about your experience, I wonder how you might approach balancing the empowerment of external contributors, like the high school teachers, with the need to maintain academic rigor and project consistency. What strategies would you recommend to ensure that external partners feel ownership of the project while still adhering to the required instructional standards?

    References
    Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com
    Walden University, LLC. (Executive Producer). (n.d.). Monitoring projects [Video]. https://waldenu.instructure.com

    ReplyDelete

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