Definition

Scope creep

Scope creep is the uncontrolled expansion of a project's requirements after the contract is signed, usually surfacing as change orders.

What a vendor quietly moves to a 'future phase' during scoping resurfaces later as a six-figure change order. The defense is a locked scope with testable acceptance criteria and a commitment ledger that flags anything dropped between proposal versions. Benchside's Scope-Drift Sentinel tracks exactly this.