Analyzing Scope Creep

I can describe a professional experience on a project that ran into all of the scope creep issues that were mention in the example provided (unplanned deliverables, financing issues and timeline issues ). The project I am describing is a project that, last I heard, was an absolute failure. I worked on this project for just shy of a year and I had seen it all. It was a systems implementation that was to be a full release to the entire organization. The deadline estimate was short but workable. However, after some time it became clear that there were issues merging the new system with existing systems etc. At first this was not too alarming as it is common to run into issues but after several months of false release deadlines it became clear that this project was turning into a money pit. At the time I simple kept my head down and focused on the work I had in front of me. I was a developer on the project and I was expecting the project managers to help salvage the project. If I had been in the position of PM on the project, after pulling my hair out, I would have to be very honest with the team about how miserably the project is going. I would have just asked for the project to be placed on hold until the systems issues were figured out instead of continuing to put in effort and finances toward the project. There was an attempted late into the project but it was too late.  I think I did all I could do considering my role on the project and trust me I complained, a lot.

Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources

I feel like the most challenging thing about estimating activity durations and resource costs is the actual estimation. It takes a great deal of research and study in order to calculate the costs and timing of a project and sometimes the best preparation is experience. Calculating cost can be tricky in that there is always the possibility for unexpected obstacles to incur unexpected cost. With the right experience a project manager will be able to calculate any surprise costs, within reason. Time estimation comes with its own challenges. Like in cost estimation, there are possibilities that timing issues may arise during a project. However, I feel like these time issues are far more damaging to the health of a project than any cost issues that may arise. Every circumstance is different but unexpected time obstacles can throw off the entire chronology of a project and put the release at risk. I feel that estimating the duration of each activity is the riskiest part of the estimation process and should be handled with great care.