What is Scope Creep – and Why Does It Matter for Your Website Project

If you’re planning a website project—or you’re in the middle of one—you might hear the phrase “scope creep” come up. It sounds a bit dramatic, doesn’t it? But don’t worry, it’s nothing to panic about. I’m Chris, a designer at O’Brien Media, and I’m here to explain what it means, why it matters, and how we handle it at O’Brien Media to keep your project running smoothly.

If this gets you thinking about your own website, you might want to check out our Web Development page or even get a tailored quote with our Instant Estimate Generator after reading. Just saying!

🧭 So, What Is Scope Creep?

Scope creep is when a project slowly grows beyond what was originally agreed—often without anyone really noticing at first.

Let’s say we start your project with five pages and a contact form. Partway through, you think, “Oh, let’s add a blog, a gallery, and a client portal!” That’s totally fine—and we love new ideas—but those extras change what we originally scoped out.

That’s what scope creep is: when small changes start to stack up. It can sometimes lead to more work behind the scenes, and we just want to make sure everything stays manageable and aligned with your goals.

💭 Why Does It Happen?

It’s really common (and honestly, really human!). Here’s why it tends to happen:

Not everything is crystal clear at the start – You might not realise you’d like a certain feature until you see how the site’s coming together.
Your business evolves – Maybe you launch a new service or rethink your branding during the project.
Quick changes feel easy – It can feel like a tiny update won’t impact anything big—but even little changes often need extra testing or setup.

🛠️ How We Handle Scope Creep at O’Brien Media

We’ve built our process to keep things running smoothly, while still staying flexible when you need to make changes.

📋 1. Clear Project Scope From the Get-Go

We’ll put together a clear plan that includes:

Pages – A list of what we’re building, whether it’s a homepage, about page, shop, etc.
Features – Things like forms, booking tools, blogs, integrations—we’ll map them all out together.
Design notes – Branding colours, typography, and layout preferences.

🔄 2. Easy Process for Changes

Need to tweak something mid-way? No problem! We’ll:

Ask for a quick note about the change (so nothing gets lost)
Chat about how it’ll affect the work needed and your project setup
Update the plan if it’s something we’re going ahead with

🗣️ 3. Regular Check-Ins

You’ll never be left wondering what’s going on—we’ll:

Keep in touch with updates and previews
Ask for feedback when we hit key stages, like design previews or content reviews
Always be happy to chat through any ideas or questions you have

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 What You Can Do to Help

Be as detailed as you can at the start – If you’re not sure what to include, check out our blog or FAQs to help you think things through.
Stay involved – Reviewing designs and content helps make sure everything is on track.
Let us know early if things change – We’ll always work with you to adjust where needed.

🎯 Final Thoughts

Scope creep isn’t a bad thing—it just needs a bit of care to manage. We’re always happy to talk through your ideas and help make sure your website does everything you need it to.

Got questions? Want to chat more about starting a project with us? Just drop us a message at [email protected], give us a call on 01793 239239, or have a browse through our services.😊