Scope creep and its effects in construction projects

This study aims to examine the causes, effects and management strategies of scope creep in construction projects. In this context, structured interviews were conducted with professionals who are managers in construction projects and experienced in scope management using the qualitative research method. The participants of the study consisted of 21 professionals who have experience and competence in scope creep in the construction sector. In order to determine the effects of scope creep on construction projects in terms of cost, time and quality and to develop strategies for effective management of scope creep, a qualitative research design was adopted and structured interviews were conducted. A structured interview form was used as the data collection tool and the data was analyzed using thematic analysis method. The findings showed that the most common reasons for scope creep in construction projects were uncertainties in employer demands, technical requirements, material and supply problems, and deficiencies in the contract and bidding process, changes in client requests, site personnel's lack of clear understanding of the scope, working with insufficient indirect staff, weak communication with stakeholders, new stakeholders joining the project and making additional requests, changes in legal regulations and requests from local authorities that were not originally included in the scope. The most important effects of scope creep on projects include cost increases, delays in the schedule and quality problems. Based on the findings, critical steps to prevent and manage scope creep include clearly defining the project scope at the outset, establishing effective communication, creating scope and responsibility matrices, and developing project management plans and risk analyses. Additionally, carefully reviewing employer requests, strictly implementing change control processes, ensuring open communication with stakeholders, and having a contract and claims department in continuous communication with the field team can minimize the negative impacts of scope creep and improve project success. These strategies provide effective solutions for managing scope creep in construction projects.