Scope Creep and My New Sport Coat

 

After almost thirty years of marriage you think I would have learned by now.

Last night after work, I thought I would visit the old "haberdashery," and buy a couple pair of nice slacks to wear during the upcoming WorkOut 2011 Conference next week. I made the mistake of asking my wife if she would like to join me, which she did.

I'm not a big fan of shopping for clothes, and tend to lean toward "functional and comfortable," which usually means jeans. Needless to say, my wife seized upon the opportunity and made sure that I not only had a couple new pair of slacks (the purpose of the shopping spree), but also had a new sport coat, dress shirt, tie and a shiny new belt. Another 15 minutes and I would have had a suit!

As I watched myself get sucked into the "Ty, that really looks nice" vortex, I was thinking about scope creep. It started with something as simple as, "I think you could use a new belt," and the rest I described above.

Most of the time I think scope creep works this way. It starts innocently enough, but before you know it project scope is spiraling down the vortex. It's a slippery slope my friends. I learned that the hard way last night. Sometimes, you just have to put your foot down. For example, when they started showing my wife new suits. "Sorry dear, this project's budget doesn't have any room for a new suit."