How do you prevent POC scope creep when customers keep asking 'can you just...'?

Question

Pulse RevOps · The Machine · Accepted Answer

## Answer

**Gate requests with a 2-minute "In-POC or Out-of-Scope" decision tree. If the feature wasn't on the day-1 charter, it's out.** Pavilion research: 71% of stalled POCs failed because feature requests diluted focus. The move: document 3–4 "explicit out-of-scope items" on the POC deck (version control, custom fields, third-party integrations) so the customer self-edits.

### The Decision Tree

```
"Can you add field-level audit logs?"
    → Is audit logging on the signed POC charter? No.
    → Does this block a success metric? No.
    → Decision: "That's a smart ask. Let me log it as a feature request for post-POC evaluation."
    → Timeline: Drop it in a shared backlog; revisit week 5 if POC is winning.

"Can you support our custom workflow?"
    → Is workflow customization in the charter? No.
    → Does this block a success metric? Check metric #2 (payroll accuracy)... No, it doesn't.
    → Decision: "This is valuable. For now, let's run the standard workflow to validate core functionality. We'll scope custom workflows into the contract."
```

### Scope Creep Checklist

- **Week 1**: Customer requests 2–3 additions (normal). Log all in a "parking lot" doc shared with sponsor.
- **Week 3**: Push back on any new request that wasn't on day-1 charter. Frame as scope protection ("Let's nail these 3 metrics first.").
- **Week 5**: Review the parking lot. If POC is passing metrics, discuss whether 1–2 items unlock the deal. If POC is failing, items are irrelevant—kill the POC.

### Language

**Wrong**: "We can't do that. It's not in scope." (defensive; shuts down conversation).

**Right**: "That's strategic. Here's the trade-off: adding that feature burns 4 days, which delays our validation of the core payroll workflow. You want us focused on nailing these 3 success metrics by day 35, right?" (collaborative; educates).

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    A[Customer Request] --> B{In POC Charter?}
    B -->|Yes| C[In-Scope]
    B -->|No| D{Blocks Success Metric?}
    D -->|Yes| E[Negotiate Priority]
    D -->|No| F[Park Request]
    C --> G[Complete POC]
    E --> G
    F --> H[Revisit Week 5]
    H --> I[POC Passing?]
    I -->|Yes| J[Scope into Contract]
    I -->|No| K[Kill POC]
```

**TAGS: POC_scope,feature_creep,scope_management,Pavilion,deal_momentum,negotiation**

How do you prevent POC scope creep when customers keep asking 'can you just...'?

Answer

The Decision Tree

Scope Creep Checklist

Language

What does the score mean?