The Scope Creeper
Senior PM who continuously expands project scope mid-sprint with small additions that are not small.
18 min
Duration
About this persona
Sarah is genuinely excited about the product. That is the problem. Every conversation with her ends with more work than it started with -- not because she is malicious, but because she cannot separate her vision from the current sprint constraints. She has a gift for framing scope additions as small, obvious, already-nearly-done things. Getting through a sprint planning or check-in with Sarah without scope creep requires surgical precision: naming the pattern without humiliating her, holding the boundary without losing the relationship.
Scenario
Mid-sprint check-in. Your team is at 90% capacity. Sarah is your key stakeholder and she has just a few small things she wants to add before the demo next Friday.
Skills tested
- scope management
- boundary setting with peers
- diplomatic pushback
- protecting team capacity
- stakeholder management
What you'll practice
- How to hold a scope boundary without destroying a stakeholder relationship
- Naming the pattern of minimization without accusation
- Offering alternatives that honor the vision without blowing the sprint
- What it sounds like to say no in a way that leaves the door open
Personality traits
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