Mission creep is the expansion of a project or mission beyond its original goals, often after initial successes. Mission creep is usually considered undesirable due to the dangerous path of each success breeding more ambitious attempts, stopping only when a final, often catastrophic, failure occurs. The term was originally applied exclusively to military operations, but has recently been applied to many different fields. The phrase first appeared in articles concerning the United Nations peacekeeping mission during the Somali Civil War in the Washington Post on April 15, 1993, and in the New York Times on October 10, 1993.
Scope creep (also called requirement creep, function creep, feature creep, or kitchen sink syndrome) in project management refers to changes, continuous or uncontrolled growth in a project’s scope, at any point after the project begins. This can occur when the scope of a project is not properly defined, documented, or controlled. It is generally considered harmful.
Scope creep can be a result of:
poor change control
lack of proper initial identification of what is required to bring about the project objectives
weak project manager or executive sponsor
poor communication between parties
lack of initial product versatility
Scope creep is a risk in most projects. Most megaprojects fall victim to scope creep (see Megaprojects and Risk).
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