Which term describes an unauthorized addition to the project scope that can extend duration and cost?

• A. A formal acceptance of project deliverables
• B. Unauthorized addition to scope, causing a project to possibly take longer and cost more
• C. The process of creating detailed requirements
• D. The act of diminishing scope to meet deadlines

Answer: (B)

Scope creep is an unauthorized addition to the project scope that can extend duration and cost. It happens when new features or requirements are added without going through formal change control and approval, causing the project plan, timeline, and budget to drift. Implementing a formal change-control process helps ensure any proposed changes are evaluated for their impact on scope, time, and cost and only approved changes are incorporated. The other options describe different ideas: acceptance of deliverables relates to sign-off at completion, creating detailed requirements is part of planning, and diminishing scope means reducing what’s in the project rather than expanding it.