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Scope Is a Promise
Table of Contents
Scope is a promise to the team and the stakeholder - every yes spends time you cannot spend elsewhere.
Key Concept
- Scope is a promise means every feature you add is time and attention taken from something else that was also promised.
- Say No to Protect the Yes is the move; Plain Commitments at Work is how the promise sounds in Slack.
- Silent scope creep is broken trust - glad early nos hurt less than late slips.
Level 1 - Recognize
Scope is a promise means every yes to new work is a no to something else already committed.
Level 2 - Explain
Like a fixed grocery budget - adding steak means dropping something else, not pretending the wallet grew.
Level 3 - Use
When a stakeholder asks for one more field, name what drops or what date moves before you say yes.
Level 4 - Connect
Iron Triangle forces the trade visible; Static Site Client Scope is the freelance version of the same promise.
Level 5 - Create
Run a scope change log - who asked, what traded, new date - pairs with Change Window on when edits are still fair.
Examples
- Glad I said the extra report pushes launch a week - scope as promise beat a silent slip and angry Friday demo.
- Client added chat on the deposit call - we named what left phase one; promise held because the no was explicit.
Note Relationships
| Relationship | Wikilink | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| extends | PM Mindset | Core tradeoff inside the hub |
| extends | Say No to Protect the Yes | Protect the main promise |
| extends | Plain Commitments at Work | Plain yes and no in Slack |
| extends | Iron Triangle | Scope leg of the triangle |
