Scope Creep
Uncontrolled expansion of work after a project begins without corresponding tradeoffs.
Plain English
The project keeps growing without changing time people or priorities.
In context
Scope creep occurs when additions bypass deliberate reprioritization and quietly increase delivery risk.
Example
“Offline mode would be scope creep for this release.”
When you'll hear this
- project planning
- status review
- retrospective
Common misunderstanding
A deliberate scope change with explicit tradeoffs is not necessarily scope creep.
Commonly used by
Related terms
Updated: 2026-08-25
