Scope creep refers to the uncontrolled and unauthorized expansion of a project's scope. It occurs when new features, requirements, or functions are added to a project after the initial scope has been defined, without following the formal change control process. These additions often happen incrementally and can negatively impact the project's timeline, budget, and resources, as they were not originally planned for. The key elements are that the changes are "uncontrolled" and "unapproved."

A. Managing new requests through change control is the formal process used to prevent scope creep, not the definition of it.

B. Updating the project schedule is a project management activity that may result from scope changes, but it is not scope creep itself.

C. Making minor changes to improve team efficiency relates to process improvement, not the uncontrolled expansion of the project's deliverables or scope.

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1. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (7th ed.). Section 2.2.3

"Project Performance Domains

" discusses managing scope and notes that scope creep is the uncontrolled expansion of scope without adjustments to constraints.

2. Kerzner

H. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning

Scheduling

and Controlling (12th ed.). John Wiley & Sons. Chapter 13

"Project Control

" defines scope creep as the addition of scope after the baseline has been established

often without proper authorization or documentation.

3. Wysocki

R. K. (2019). Effective Project Management: Traditional

Agile

Extreme

Hybrid (8th ed.). Wiley. In the section on "Managing Scope

" scope creep is described as the result of uncontrolled changes that bypass the established change control system.

4. MIT OpenCourseWare. (2012). 16.852J / ESD.352J Systems Engineering. Fall 2012. Lecture 10

"Project Management

" describes scope creep as a common project risk where the scope expands beyond its original objectives

often due to informal requests from stakeholders.