Scope creep is one of the most dreaded pitfalls of project management. It can turn any project into a late, expensive, and unhappy situation for all parties. So it's important to communicate and draw the line when you need to. I experienced successful scope management on a recent project - we caught risks early, planned on some changes, and made decisions to nix other changes. We are on track, on budget, and on time so far! Here are some lessons I've learned from this successful management of scope, in a three part series!

The first part of project planning is the analysis of business needs. Early on in the project, ideas are flowing. "What about this?" "Wouldn't that be cool?" "Oh, can we do this?" The excitement is there about a world of possibilities. This excitement is key!