96% of architects experienced scope creep last year - thoughts?

Research Projects
1

We recently surveyed architects and design professionals about scope creep and wanted to share what we found. We’d also like to hear what we missed.

Two numbers stood out:

96% of respondents said scope creep created unplanned work in the last 12 months. More than half are spending 3+ hours every week on unplanned, extra coordination, and change discussions.

Forms response chart. Question title: In the past 12 months, has scope creep created unplanned work on your projects?. Number of responses: 79 responses.
Forms response chart. Question title: In the past 12 months, has scope creep created unplanned work on your projects?. Number of responses: 79 responses.2196×924 105 KB

Forms response chart. Question title: On average, how much time per week do you spend dealing with scope creep-related work? (e.g., unplanned revisions, extra coordination, change discussions). Number of responses: 76 responses.
Forms response chart. Question title: On average, how much time per week do you spend dealing with scope creep-related work? (e.g., unplanned revisions, extra coordination, change discussions). Number of responses: 76 responses.2196×996 198 KB

For those working in Rhino and Grasshopper, late state changes likely mean revisiting models and re-coordinating with engineers.

We’re doing market research to explore whether there’s a tool worth building to help, and we will be sharing fuller results on our website.

If you’d like to share your experience, you can participate in our survey here: Architect Scope Creep Research Study. Participation is voluntary, any follow-up interviews are optional, and all info will be kept strictly confidential and used only in an aggregated, anonymous form.

What does scope creep look like in your workflow? We’d love to know.

2

Hi Douglas,

For this to lead to meaningful discussion might I suggest you include your definition of scope creep? To my mind “unplanned, extra coordination, and change discussions” do not necessarily arise from scope creep - the majority arise from our predictable failure to anticipate and plan for every eventuality.

Regards
Jeremy