Sprint Scope Creep
Sprint Scope Creep measures the percentage of new work added after a sprint begins. It reflects how often teams adjust sprint scope mid-flight and whether they are able to maintain delivery focus once the sprint has started.
Calculation
Scope creep typically includes any work that was not committed during sprint planning but is added to the sprint backlog after it starts. This includes urgent bugs, escalations, and unplanned features. Work is usually measured in story points or issue count. The scope addition should only include work that was unplanned at the time of sprint kickoff.
This metric is calculated by dividing the amount of added work by the original committed scope:
sprint scope creep = added work ÷ original sprint commitment × 100
Goals
Sprint Scope Creep helps teams understand how often they deviate from sprint commitments. It answers questions like:
- Are we regularly introducing work after the sprint starts?
- Is unplanned work impacting our ability to complete planned items?
- Are we coordinating priorities clearly before and during the sprint?
Reducing scope creep supports reliable delivery, clearer expectations, and more predictable planning. For supporting concepts, see Scrum.org’s explanation of sprint planning boundaries.
Variations
Sprint Scope Creep is sometimes referred to as Scope Change, Scope Creep, or Total Scope Change. While the term is often used broadly in project management, this metric focuses specifically on scope added during an active sprint.
Common segmentations include:
- By source of change, such as customer escalations, internal priorities, or defect work
- By work type, to identify whether bugs, tech debt, or features are most commonly added
- By team, to compare delivery discipline and planning stability
Some teams also compare sprint scope creep against Sprint Carryover Rate to see whether mid-sprint additions are contributing to missed commitments.
Limitations
Sprint Scope Creep does not differentiate between necessary and avoidable changes. Some mid-sprint additions are valid and reflect healthy responsiveness, while others stem from poor planning or communication.
It also does not show whether scope additions were completed, nor how they impacted original sprint goals. To interpret scope creep fully, use it in context with other sprint delivery metrics.
To understand how added scope affects delivery, use this metric with:
| Complementary Metric | Why It’s Relevant |
|---|---|
| Sprint Carryover Rate | Reveals whether added scope pushes planned work into the next sprint. |
| Planning Accuracy | Shows whether teams are consistently over- or under-estimating capacity at sprint planning. |
| Work in Progress (WIP) | Helps determine if mid-sprint scope changes are causing multitasking and delivery drag. |
Optimization
Reducing Sprint Scope Creep involves improving planning rigor, stakeholder alignment, and prioritization discipline during the sprint.
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Strengthen sprint planning inputs. Ensure stories meet the Definition of Ready before sprint commitment. Include all relevant stakeholders so that priorities are well aligned before the sprint begins.
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Create structured buffers for interrupts. If scope creep is driven by urgent support work, allocate a small percentage of sprint capacity to handle unplanned tasks without derailing core sprint goals.
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Tag and track scope additions. Document when and why new tickets are added mid-sprint. Retrospectives should include a review of scope changes to surface patterns and root causes.
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Set expectations with stakeholders. Educate product owners and business partners on the cost of changing sprint scope. Push non-critical work to future sprints when possible.
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Visualize scope changes. Use sprint dashboards or burndown charts that highlight scope creep over time. When teams see how frequently plans are disrupted, they can better assess tradeoffs.
Scope creep isn’t always bad, but it should be intentional, visible, and managed collaboratively. This metric helps teams maintain focus while staying adaptable to real-world demands.
