What is meant by scope creep in project management?

Scope creep refers to the situation in project management where the scope of a project gradually expands beyond its original objectives without proper control or review. This can happen due to various factors such as stakeholders requesting additional features, changes in market conditions, or a lack of clear project requirements. When these changes are made without formal approval or documentation, it can lead to an increase in resources, time, and costs associated with the project.

This uncontrolled growth in scope can jeopardize the project’s success, as it may divert focus from the initial goals and lead to delays and budget overruns. Ensuring that changes to the project scope are managed through a formal change control process is critical in mitigating scope creep. This allows for any modifications to be evaluated, approved, and documented properly, preserving the project's integrity and ensuring that it remains aligned with its original objectives.

In contrast, controlled changes, refinement of deliverables, and adjustments to timelines involve processes that are typically managed and recorded, which do not constitute scope creep.