Your mobile app project is facing scope creep. How can you maintain agile principles amidst the chaos?

When scope creep starts to take over, staying agile can feel like trying to keep a boat steady in rough waters. To navigate through, I focus on three key things: 1. Stay Clear on the Goal: I regularly revisit the project goals with the team to make sure everyone is still heading in the same direction. 2. Short Feedback Loops: Using short sprints helps us catch changes early and adjust quickly, keeping the project agile and responsive. 3. Open Communication: I keep the lines of communication wide open with stakeholders, so we can manage expectations and make informed decisions together.

I believe that is why teams adopting MVP(minimum viable product) which is more specific in requirements and any additional features/scope are always added to next phase of MVP. If MVP is closed and agreed then there would be no effect of scope creep. On other side, agile managers are now encouraging TDD(Test Driven approach) in form of business use cases which gets approved before starting any planning.

A structured change control process is imperative. It ensures that scope adjustments are made thoughtfully, considering the effect on timelines, budgets, and resources. Stakeholders appreciate that their requests are taken seriously and assessed for overall project feasibility. Continuous communication is also fundamental. Transparent updates help manage stakeholder expectations and align understanding across the board. In addition, promoting open dialogue often surfaces potential misunderstandings before they can affect the project. My approach often includes a regular project 'health check' to assess for scope deviations and align with project goals.

To combat scope creep in your mobile app project, focus on revisiting agile fundamentals: regularly reaffirm project goals with your team to ensure alignment, use iterative feedback through short sprints to adapt quickly, and maintain transparent communication with stakeholders to manage expectations and support decision-making.

If you are in this situation, take a deep breath first. The advantage of being agile is having a flexible approach to achieving goals. For example, if a new feature is needed, we can still negotiate how to implement it. About 15 years ago, we were asked to support Crystal Reports in our VC++/MFC-based desktop product just before a release. Instead of complaining, we created a standalone .NET application to handle the integration, avoiding a more complex and costly deep integration. We quickly prototyped it, got approval, and met the release deadline. It wasn’t the perfect solution, but it got the job done.