The Ecology of the Scope Creep: Episode Three

[ellyssian]

The Ecology of the Scope Creep
A Programmers Nightmare Elucidated

Presented in four parts

Episode two: Anatomy of a Scope Creep

Habitat of the Scope Creep

"I must have walked by it a thousand times, but it isn't until now, what with the big review where I get to explain why I failed to bring the project in on time and under budget, that I realised it had been living right under my nose the entire time..."

- Marina, Project Manager

Although many inferences of the Scope Creeps living arrangements can be gathered from the previous section, it is now time to delve deeper into the crags of code and bluffs of marketing where these monstrosities make their permanent abodes (during holiday, they prefer lounging upon a beach in tropical climes, lasciviously leering lecherously, and ofttimes being mistaken for lawyers or, less alliteratively, politicians) and where they prefer to hunt their prey.

The nest of the Scope Creep is constructed of a variety of materials it has access to, such as shredded, secure documents, to which it will go to all ends of the Earth to ensure it has a complete collection of entertainment and coercion-enhancing reading material. A piece of code, certified 100% bug free and created via test-driven development, will be crawling with bugs within minutes of being set down in a nest – quicker, if the beast happens to be in the nest as well. The nests are often furnished with various tidbits, depending on the Avatar or dupe, which range from threads of innocence and naivety to bits and pieces of maliciousness and malevolency.

Nests are, of course, often found in the Marketing department, but can even be found in the programmers work area as well. In the former case, they are often out in the open, perhaps setting before a poster or chart explaining how great and valued and all-powerful a horrendous idea is. In the latter case, however, they are hidden with much skill, so that, if glimpsed, one feels they ought to be there and all is well and right with the world, and will be even more so should the hidden gem of an idea be implemented.

For such nests are merely breeding grounds, and the true home of the Scope Creep is a project it can firmly grasp. The tighter the deadlines the better, as the creatures seem to enjoy living on the edge. One would think they would be pushed to the brink of extinction by attempting to inhabit that which is already endangered, but they thrive in the most challenging environment, preferring pressure to leisure.

Up next, episode four: The Life and Times of the Scope Creep