In the world of manufacturing, we live by project charters, standard work, and the voice of the customer (VOC). So why do so many projects fall victim to scope creep—those unplanned changes or uncontrolled growth in a project’s scope that derail timelines, balloon costs, and frustrate teams? Recently, in a networking meeting, the topic was how to overcome shifts in direction in a project with a difficult client. My answer resulted in this newsletter.
Let’s call it what it is: defect waste. Defects and waste are costly. And just like any defect, preventable. So, we’re going to use Lean Six Sigma to overcome this common mistake.
Know Your Project Charter
Every project begins with a clear definition. Your charter outlines the problem, objective, scope, timeline, and deliverables. When additional work is requested that’s outside this scope after execution has begun, it’s a red flag.
If leadership or a client shifts direction midstream or requests deliverables that weren’t agreed upon – without adjusting the contract, timeline, or resources – you’ve entered the world of change orders.
Scope Creep = Process Drift
Scope creep is like special cause variation: an unexpected change that throws your process out of control. Without a formal change order, it’s undocumented, unmanaged, and increases the risk of rework, delays, and unhappy stakeholders.
When this happens, the original CTQs (critical to quality elements) get diluted. Your team loses focus. Your outputs may no longer match what the customer really values, or what they’re paying for.
Change Orders Are Your Poka-Yoke
Change orders are your built-in error-proofing (poka-yoke) mechanism. They protect your process and your people. When work needs to change, a change order formalizes:
- The request
- The rationale
- The scope of new work
- The cost/time/resource impact
- Stakeholder approval
It’s not red tape—it’s risk management.
Remember: Strategy Before Service
At Barracuda B2B, we see this happen often when companies ask for “just one more thing” outside the marketing plan or project agreement. Good intentions can quickly become scope bloat. That’s why we align everything to the original strategy and revisit the charter if the destination changes.
Change is expected. But uncontrolled change leads to waste. If your project changes, your direction and agreement must change, too.
Are you experiencing project chaos, constant rework, or team burnout? It might be a scope issue. Let’s talk about how Lean-based project governance can restore control and focus to your processes. Marketing is a process like any other. Everything in your facility should be governed by a process, not just the plant floor. Start scoping smarter.