Blog Assignment: Analyzing Scope Creep
Getting back the
Houston Art Car Parade project that I discussed in my earlier blog. The Art Car
parade is a parade which displays the creativity of local artist on cars and
vehicles in Houston.
Project: Art Car Float entry
Scope: Design and create an Art Car that will be entered in the Art Car
Parade
Timeline: about 2 thousand dollars
Client: My High Schools Art Department
There was a great deal
of bickering and infighting about the concept of the “Art” for the car. The
design was simple enough, and limited sufficiently that there shouldn’t have
been troublesome issues. Simply the art car called for an artistic paint job,
along with ornamentation that would enhance the look and feel of a car that maintained
a quirky art-like appearance. This was simple enough in theory. However, when
team member with different artistic concepts began voicing their ideas and
opinions they wanted the car's appearance to include more vibrant and
utilitarian accessories. This would be outside the scope of the cars paint
scheme and art ornamentation. Another member who fancied himself an electrical
guru wanted to use the car's battery power to make tail that wagged like a dragon or a fish.
Remember, this was a high school assignment, so the maturity of knowledge of
project management wasn’t at a professional level. In any case it was still a
project type, and with the difference in opinions, there was bound to be things
that were outside of the scope.
David,
ReplyDeleteI might be confused, but I thought this week's blog assignment was to:
By Thursday:
To prepare for this assignment, conduct a web search (listservs, message boards, blogs) and locate at least two resources that would be useful in estimating the costs, effort, and/or activity durations associated with ID projects. Post the links to the sites you found in your search. (Embed the hyperlinks in your blog so that others can simply click to visit the sites.) Then write a brief description and evaluation of the resources available on each site. Share the most helpful thing you found about each site and how you might use it.
Maybe I'm on the wrong week (Week 5?), anyway hope this helps.
Terry
no, you are mistaken. This is week 6 assignment. As the title says.
ReplyDeleteLove your example of scope creep! Great photo too!
ReplyDeleteHi David!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool project - I love the video you included as well! I am curious... since this was a high school project and (as you mentioned) the team members had limited experience and maturity levels, was there someone in charge who acted as PM to keep people on track and minimize the personality conflicts when they occurred (such as a teacher, administrator, or community representative)?
-Jenn
Hi David,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the video. It was great. Seems like a fun and engaging project! Scope Creep for sure! Thanks for sharing!
Pam F.
My experience was similar in that our team was inexperienced and immature. The stress level with this demographic seems to intensify as the project progresses and "unforseen" complications rise to the surface. Although it seems like wasted time to frontload projects with research and communication, it often leads to fewer complications and increased project success (Portny, et.al., 2008) (Greer, 2010).
ReplyDeleteI really like the example, David. The film on the art cars really illustrated the differences in the participants ideas. Well done and again, thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteLisa
I like that idea, and you guys must of had a blast. How did you get everyone on the same page? My mother and aunt are both artists and can't agree on anything. I assume artists are so different and creative that they have great ideas, but may not be so quick to change gears and give up on their idea.
ReplyDelete