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Gold Plating vs. Scope Creep

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Gopal Sahai Corporate Trainer| Self employed New Delhi, Delhi, India
Scenario: Internal automation projects
Key Stakeholders: Head of the Organization and Functional Departments.
Project Org Structure: Functional
Background: Many of us have experienced the challenge to deal with Gold Plating and Scope Creep. Especially true for internal projects influenced by Organizational Culture, gold plating is largely self driven (from project inside-out), whereas scope creep has come in from outside (stakeholders wanting more). While controlling gold plating is still manageable, scope creep coming from higher ups is a real challenge; esp. when the same stakeholders later complain of project delays and project mis-management. Eventual impact on team performance and appraisal.
Question: How to manage such situations on stakeholder expectations, both pro-actively and reactively.
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Gopal Sahai Corporate Trainer| Self employed New Delhi, Delhi, India
Due to time difference, joining in from India on the morning of March 19. With the on-going cross-cultural discussion on agile vs. change management, there are some insights to varied aspects.

Sergio, I take your discussion as an advise for me to understand agile further... but I would do so in perspective of PMI / PMBoK; because if I were to benefit from Agile, that would largely be under PMI umbrella. Nevertheless, learning newer areas is always exciting for me. My take from this is that Agile has wider aspects than what I am currently aware of.

Till the time I enlighten myself further on Agile, focusing on the given scenario, I do take other critical elements pointed out by various members. Cultural factors, requirement change impact analysis, and stakeholder engagement would be key to curb scope creep coming from key stakeholders themselves. The earlier this starts in the project cycle, the better it is.

Meanwhile, any additional technique to handle the given scenario is most welcomed and requested.
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Sergio Luis Conte Helping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based Organizations Buenos Aires, Argentina
I am not an agile advocated. And I am not an advocated because what we use must be fit to what we name "enterprise architecture". To evaluate that we use the Tom Peter´s Seven S model where you can find variables like "culture". Forget about to understand agile from the PMI perspective because that is not the PMI project management view. The PMBOK is a guide that can be use with any type of project life cycle appying any type of approach into any type of domain (at least that is the intention). That is because an PMBOK Software Extension for Agile was created (I have the opportunity to be part of that). About any aditional technique I have wrote about it: change management. That is the only thing that can help you in that scenario. Obviously is my opinion. But I firmly believe on that after working in "both side of the desk" (as a provider and as a client).
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Krishna Bhimarao Khasanis India
Situation explained is very typical of some regions/countries. Out of the many ways/tools explained above to tackle situation in question, I would say , ultimately it is left to the man in the middle of situation. Without compromising the PMI ethics or ethics in general , convincing the concerned stake holders with SOFT SKILLS, appears to be the best approach in the given situation.
Please correct me if I am wrong.
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1 reply by Gopal Sahai
Mar 20, 2016 11:37 PM
Gopal Sahai
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I am repeatedly getting exposed to situations with increasing importance to "soft skills" in project management. A lot of other tools & techniques have little impact if one PM does not possess the desired competencies.
PMI has also emphasized to this in the PMCD Framework document that details the competencies to be demonstrated by a PM while managing a project.
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Gopal Sahai Corporate Trainer| Self employed New Delhi, Delhi, India
Mar 19, 2016 9:04 AM
Replying to Krishna Bhimarao Khasanis
...
Situation explained is very typical of some regions/countries. Out of the many ways/tools explained above to tackle situation in question, I would say , ultimately it is left to the man in the middle of situation. Without compromising the PMI ethics or ethics in general , convincing the concerned stake holders with SOFT SKILLS, appears to be the best approach in the given situation.
Please correct me if I am wrong.
I am repeatedly getting exposed to situations with increasing importance to "soft skills" in project management. A lot of other tools & techniques have little impact if one PM does not possess the desired competencies.
PMI has also emphasized to this in the PMCD Framework document that details the competencies to be demonstrated by a PM while managing a project.
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