As a consultant, I find that much of my time spent in business is about drawing boundaries. If I set a project based price, which I typically do, I have to drive to the original project deliverables and protect against what project managers call scope creep.

Scope creep is when the encompassing goals of a project – that could be a writing assignment, a web redesign, an office re-do, or even your overall job requirements – begin to broaden outside the original agreement. It could be something as innocent as “Hey, while you’re at it, could you also give me these XX figures too?” to something larger to “We want to add on 4 people instead of just 2 – it’s just doubling up what you’re already doing right? It’s nothing – you’re doing the same thing, just add a few zeros.”

Whether you’re a consultant or an employee within a larger firm, scope creep can be infuriating in business, but it’s your job to set the boundaries. Most people are not particularly aware of what they are asking for – they hired you as a specialist for a reason, right? Sometimes it takes some education, sometimes it takes some conversation, and sometimes it takes just saying no.

Here are some suggestions as to how you can minimize any negative effect on you:

1.  Work to be clear upfront and set expectations.

Do your best to talk through the exact report, task, product or service you will provide. Include realistic dates for delivery and stay in touch with everyone involved. Know going in what might be a stopping point and be sure to make everyone aware of the parts of the project that are most crucial, the deal stoppers for all the other tasks.

If, like me, you set project rates, include approximately how many hours are included in that project and tell your client upfront how many physical meetings, phone calls, and extra support hand holding that includes. Also communicate how long those meetings will last. And, to cover any last minute requests, include an al a carte overage charge schedule, so that if they want more meetings, they can pay for them. Do all this going into the project, not in the middle or later at invoicing.

2. Speak up and push back.

Don’t think a person realizes what they’re asking for – they probably don’t. And, if they do, they may fully expect you to push back and challenge them. Compulsive negotiators – the type who always, no matter what, think it’s their job to negotiate anything presented – are accustomed to that game. Play it skillfully. Some people will always ask for more. Personally, I try to weed those people out ahead of time and not take them on as clients, but if you didn’t or your industry is packed with them so you can’t avoid them, then it’s your responsibility to speak up and push back.

If the new requests impacts the schedule, say so. If the new requests takes more hours than the original method, say so. It’s their project, you can let them choose. If they want a delay and they feel their request is required, then that’s their choice to make.

What you don’t want to do is nothing. You don’t want to volunteer to absorb the costs. You don’t want to agree to be part of a project where you don’t mention how the changes impact the quality and then end up with a hot mess that you’re ashamed to put your name on. What you don’t want to do is say nothing, the schedule slips, the budget flairs and you get blamed. Speak up and push back!

3. Get it done

If you dawdle in your project completions, of course more stuff is going to get piled on top of you – time is marching on! Create a project plan with small enough milestones that you can complete something, “put it to bed” so to speak, and move on to the next thing. Not only does this help create urgency, but it also makes it very clear that you are going back and doing rework if you have to go back and add work to that task. If all of your milestones are huge, it’s easy to lose motivation, lose momentum, and have additional requests placed on your work. Chunk it down small enough to have completions and large enough to not make managing the project itself another full time job.

Managing scope creep in your business is about managing expectations. It’s also about being confident enough in what needs to get done and when to take a stand when it’s necessary. Always remember that you have to put your name on the project when it’s through. It’s the only way to build a business through referrals and it’s the only way to build a portfolio of work. Stick to your guns, make choices based in reality not ego, and understand that scope creep is a natural phenomenon of the job. Deal with it and you’ll be fine.

Together, we are stronger!

Vicki Flaugher, CEO
aka @Smartwoman

Sometimes the environment we see pokes at us. We look around, see liars and cheaters getting bailed out, see unscrupulous (or maybe just lazy) business people getting awards & recognition and we feel burned. We think about the high quality work we do (and the amount of it) and wonder why we even try so hard. We think about the employees we treat with respect while others are cutting wages and laying off.  We aren’t doing as well as we’d like to be, as we need to be to support our families, and we want to just give up. As tempting as it might be to give up, we usually don’t, but our happiness quotient definitely takes a beating. Sometimes the whole thing just becomes too much.

But, even if we don’t give up, one thing we may start doing is playing the Blame Game. We start saying the reason why our business is lurching is because of all those other things – the economy, fear, gas prices, foreign outsourcing, the government – those other people. We quit looking at our processes, our customer service, the quality and relevance of our product offerings, and shift to blaming something else beyond our selves, beyond our control.

I’m telling you now, you need to stop that thinking right away – now – this minute! Not only is it probably not the real reason your business is being challenged but it also is not what a leader would do.  Your family and your employees need you to inspire them to get through this time. You need to be their rock, their light in the storm. You need to step up. Being a visionary is your entrepreneurial duty.

There are real impacts from the economy and from circumstances that you are probably experiencing and I don’t mean to minimize those in any way. But, rather than fall into the deep hole of uncontrollable chaos, here are some tips for you to strengthen your business during these economic times.

1.  Improve your customer service

I’ve been receiving extra services from my insurance company lately.  And, the services they are adding are worthwhile and valuable, things I’d wish they’d always done. That activity is definitely contributing to me not going bargain shopping for another insurance company. Even just getting a letter with tips on how to save money has been helpful and well timed. I intend to stay with them.

So, what services could you be providing that are non-cash or low in cost to you that would provide value to your customers? Would maybe just a personal phone call from you expressing appreciation do the trick? If you haven’t tried it, you don’t know the impact that putting a real face on your business can have on the loyalty of your customer base. But, I’ve tried it and it works.

2.  Ask more questions

Challenging times demand more creativity. Ask your employees what you could do better. Ask them what ideas they have to improve sales and encourage them to take action on their ideas. Ask your customers what they need from you. Ask your suppliers how you can be a better customer. Ask where most of your money comes from and focus on the strong products that are working and diminish the focus on the weaker products. Ask what training you or your employees could gain to take your business to the next level. Ask, ask, ask.

And, once the answers start coming in, listen without judgment or a critical reaction. You might have to shift how you’ve been doing things. By being willing to examine everything and being open to change, you will find what works. If an honest examination reveals that you should shut down your business and move on to something else, that is an answer also. The joy and responsibility of being an entrepreneur is to make those choices. Take heart that you have the intelligence, drive, and personal resources to do whatever it takes to succeed. All of this can shake you a bit, but it’s all worth examining. Ask!

3.  Get back in touch with your passionate purpose

To continue to have the energy and focus to work through your challenges, you need to remind yourself why you do what you do. Think about the lives you’ve positively affected, the families you’ve helped, and the contributions you’ve made to your community by being an entrepreneur. Stoke the fires of passion that led you to start a business in the first place. Take a few moments to feel the gratitude of being in a world that allows you to pursue your dream.

Sometimes you need to step back and take a deep breath to gain a new perspective. Try turning off the doomsday news and doing some volunteer work. Listen to music or sit out in Nature. Take a walk. Where it may not seem that these activities are business related, they are focused on your wellness and balance. And, here’s where you can make a difference, where you have full control. Your balance and ability to stay upbeat even in the face of challenges could very well be the turning factor in your business, especially during hard economic times.

Worry does not solve problems and impulsive actions will more likely exacerbate rather than resolve your issues. By taking time to plug back into your purpose, by asking questions, and improving your customer service, you can begin changing the impact of the real and imagined dangers of being an entrepreneur. And, please, know that you have friends here. Speak up if we can help you in any way – we believe in you.

Together, we are stronger!
Vicki Flaugher, the original SmartWoman

follow me on Twitter: SmartWoman