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4.5.22: Scenario 23 – Visible Scope Drift and Baseline Erosion

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    Scenario Context

    Following a period of stable delivery and increased flexibility, Project Reckon has continued to incorporate enhancement requests and minor adjustments.

    In recent weeks:

    • Small feature changes were introduced informally
    • Backlog reprioritization occurred within iterations
    • Direct communication between stakeholders and development teams increased

    Individually, these changes appeared manageable.

    Collectively, their impact is now becoming visible.

    Email from Julie Rama

    Subject: Scope Alignment – Emerging Variance

    Hi,

    I wanted to bring your attention to a trend we’ve identified over the past two iterations.

    Current Observations

    We are seeing a growing divergence between:

    • Originally planned scope
    • Currently delivered functionality

    This appears to be driven by:

    • Incremental enhancement requests
    • In-iteration backlog adjustments
    • Informal additions during development

    Impact

    The cumulative effect is now visible in:

    • Increased development effort beyond planned estimates
    • Additional QA cycles to support incremental changes
    • Difficulty tracking baseline scope vs delivered features

    Metrics

    • Velocity: 92% of baseline
    • Defects: 11 open (mostly low severity)
    • Burn rate: +10.6% cumulative
    • Schedule: Beginning to slip beyond prior stabilization range

    Vendor Perspective

    While individual changes were small, their accumulation is now affecting:

    • Predictability
    • Cost tracking
    • Scope clarity

    We recommend reviewing current scope alignment and determining how to proceed.

    Request

    Please advise on:

    • Whether to formalize current scope changes
    • Whether to reset baseline
    • Whether to restrict further adjustments

    Best,
    Julie

    Attachment A – Scope Variance Summary

    Scope Variance Summary
    Category Observation
    Planned Features Defined in URD + approved backlog
    Delivered Features Includes additional enhancements not formally approved
    Scope Tracking Partial mismatch between plan and delivery

    Attachment B – Financial & Schedule Impact

    Financial & Schedule Impact
    Category Status
    Budget +10.6% cumulative
    Schedule Beginning to exceed prior tolerance trends
    QA Effort Increased due to incremental additions

    Student Assignment

    You are the Project Manager at C-Bay.

    The project is now experiencing:

    • Visible scope drift
    • Baseline misalignment
    • Budget and schedule impact from accumulated changes

    You must determine:

    • Whether scope drift has occurred
    • Whether baseline should be reset
    • Whether controls should be re-established
    • How to regain project alignment

    Prepare a formal written response to Julie Rama.

    Required Submission Structure

    Your memorandum must include:

    Executive Position

    • Has scope drift occurred?
    • Is the project still under control?
    • Is intervention required?

    Scope Assessment

    • How significant is the divergence between planned and delivered scope?
    • Should current enhancements be formalized?
    • Should scope be rolled back or accepted?

    Baseline Strategy

    Choose and justify:

    • Reinforce original baseline
    • Reset baseline to reflect current scope
    • Hybrid approach (partial reset + controls)

    Budget & Schedule Position

    • Is +10.6% burn acceptable?
    • Is schedule drift becoming a concern?
    • Should corrective measures be implemented?

    Process Control Strategy

    • Should informal adjustments be stopped?
    • Should change control be enforced strictly?
    • Should backlog management be restructured?

    Risk Assessment

    Identify and evaluate:

    • Scope creep risk
    • Budget overrun risk
    • Schedule instability risk
    • Governance breakdown risk

    Assign likelihood and impact.

    Directive to ZynoxDev

    Provide a clear directive, such as:

    • Freeze scope and enforce change control
    • Formalize all additional features through change requests
    • Reset baseline with full documentation
    • Restrict in-iteration adjustments
    • Provide detailed scope reconciliation report

    Learning Focus

    Scenario 23 introduces:

    • Transition from subtle drift to visible impact
    • Baseline integrity management
    • Scope reconciliation
    • Restoring control after flexibility
    • Formalizing what was previously informal

    Students must demonstrate:

    • Recognition of cumulative impact
    • Decisive corrective action
    • Structured governance thinking
    • Control re-establishment

    Key Insight

    Scope creep is not a single event.

    It is:

    The accumulation of many “small, reasonable decisions.”

    This scenario reinforces:

    Control lost gradually must be regained deliberately.

    This page titled 4.5.22: Scenario 23 – Visible Scope Drift and Baseline Erosion was last modified on Wed, 02 Sep 2026 04:37:47 GMT and is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Sukhjit "Bob" Singh.