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Is the 15th Explosion Necessary?

by Stuart Foster on June 30, 2009

tr70 500x210 Is the 15th Explosion Necessary?

No. It definitely isn't. Yet it  happened anyway. That's the American way. How else could you explain why Michael Bay is continuing to make massive amounts of money?

Bloat is everywhere. Bureaucracy, politics and an inability to collaborate lead to ridiculously expensive and unwieldy marketing programs. What happened to crisp, clear and effective solutions? Where is the message? For that matter, where is the creativity?

Companies everywhere suffer from this dilemma. You can only do so many things well. If you try and do to many things you will slowly (or rapidly) lose your edge. It's just a simple reality.

This phenomenon is known as "scope creep". Which is something that all companies (but especially start-ups) have to wrangle with. Scope creep is "the practice of trying to do to everything and stretching your focus beyond your ability to complete the tasks in front of you."¹

How can you avoid scope creep? Simple: Do what you do well. Discontinue what you don't. Rinse and repeat as many times as necessary. However, crushing this kind of creep can not and must not kill innovation. That's the problem that a lot of larger companies run into when they undergo the process of retrenching. They just nuke anything that isn't turning a profit without much attention to whether or not that program fits into the core goals of the company (it often does).

90% of business is timing (as is pulling random statistics out of your head that seem right) and your ability to hit the market in stride. If you can grow your business along with market demands, keep focused on your core mission and effectively innovate to meet both those goals? The only thing that stands in your way is an asteroid hitting earth or a Decepticon.

What steps do you recommend to avoid scope creep?

¹The credit for this definition goes to Jake Cacciapaglia and Cort Johnson of dartBoston.

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  • Great stuff Stuart - I think the common thread and common flaw amongst many companies is this idea that they have to have their hand in everything - they distribute their attention so vastly, trying to encompass everything, that they lose track of their purpose - forgetting what the do best.

    You said it best. Do what you do and cut out the excess. You don't have to standardize your product or service, specialize and cater to your target market. It's important to remember that EVERYONE doesn't have to love you and everything you do.
  • Seth Hosko
    Do what you love, and stick to it. Don't get greedy. Even entrepreneurs suffer from this, and jump from new idea to new idea without following through on the first one.

    I would think that one of the most interesting questions would be how traditional and non-traditional agenices are dealing with scope-creep as they ever position themselves in a rapidly changing industry. Are we digital? Broadcast? Design? Should we do social media? Is our position now relevent, will it be so in the near future, and what do we do to continue to be relevent? I'm guessing PR firms are definitely asking these questions now. How do they continue to be relevent without suffering from mediocrity enducing scope creep?
  • Good post. I think many of us have a problem with giving up on an idea right before we actually start seeing results from it. And there is the problem of always jumping to the newest idea before finishing work on old plans. Following though is important.
  • You know, I hear 67% of statistics are just made up on the spot. Shame on you, Stuart.
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