Mission Creep
- “what is mission creep”
- “mission creep vs scope creep”
- “mission creep origin”
- “how to stop mission creep”
:: COMPARE ::
Mission creepvsScope creep
The short answer
Scope creep adds deliverables to a fixed goal. Mission creep changes the goal itself. Mission creep is the more dangerous of the two, because a team can be executing perfectly against an objective nobody chose.
Side by side
| Aspect | Mission creep | Scope creep |
|---|---|---|
| What grows | The purpose | The work |
| Detectable by | Comparing to the mandate | Comparing to the plan |
| Fix | Restate the goal | Change-control |
| Origin | Military, 1993 | Project management |
Which one you meant
Readers who land here meaning Mission Creep rather than Scope creep are usually searching for phrases like “what is mission creep”, “mission creep vs scope creep”, “mission creep origin”.
Scope Creep
- “what is scope creep”
- “how to prevent scope creep”
- “scope creep vs feature creep”
- “gold plating meaning”
Which came first
Mission creep. 15 April 1993 — First appearance in print, in a Washington Post column by Jim Hoagland; he follows up on 20 July 1993 with a piece explicitly warning of 'mission creep'.
- 15 April 1993Mission CreepFirst appearance in print, in a Washington Post column by Jim Hoagland; he follows up on 20 July 1993 with a piece explicitly warning of 'mission creep'.
- 15 April 1993Scope CreepThe parent metaphor 'mission creep' enters print.
Read either one in full