Mission Creep
- “what is mission creep”
- “mission creep vs scope creep”
- “mission creep origin”
- “how to stop mission creep”
01 · Side by side
Side by side
Comparison sheet
| 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 |
02 · Which one you meant
Which one did you mean?
In shortReaders 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”
03 · Which came first
Which came first
In shortMission 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 1993
Mission Creep. 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 1993
Scope Creep. The parent metaphor 'mission creep' enters print.
04 · Read either one