Exploring factors behind project scope creep – stakeholders’ perspective

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the different views of major project stakeholders about the factors that contribute to poor project scope leading to project scope creep.

Design/methodology/approach

Major factors of project scope creep are identified using commonality analysis of stakeholders’ views. An interview-based industry research method is applied to collect data from different projects in the United Arab Emirates.

Findings

Relying on stakeholders’ theory, the study proposes a framework for managing project scope creep. Results indicate that communication is among the major causes of project scope creep, as reported by all project stakeholder groups in this study.

Practical implications

The study is expected to support the assessment of the causes of project scope creep, simultaneously expanding knowledge on the topic for both researchers and practitioners.

Originality/value

This study is among the first few to explore the commonality of various stakeholder views in the factors that hinder project success.

Citation

Ajmal, M., Khan, M. and Al-Yafei, H. (2020), "Exploring factors behind project scope creep – stakeholders’ perspective", International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, Vol. 13 No. 3, pp. 483-504. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMPB-10-2018-0228