The scope includes a result but not the data cleanup it needs. Who owns it?
Hidden enabling scopeExpose the work required to make the result usable, including preparation outside the delivery team's usual boundaries. Assign ownership explicitly rather than assuming another department will handle it.
What to do now
- Identify prerequisites for the promised outcome
- Assess missing preparation effort
- Assign business and technical owners
- Update scope and commitments through the agreed process
When to escalate
Escalate when
No owner or capacity exists for an essential prerequisite.
Who decides
The scope owner and authorized sponsor
Example
A CRM rollout includes customer-data cleanup after the team discovers that duplicate records prevent meaningful use.
Mistake to avoid
Calling necessary preparation somebody else's problem.
Prevent a repeat
Review ambiguous requirements and unresolved acceptance conditions before the affected work begins.
Suggested ApprovedFlow setup
- Projects
- Tasks
- Documents
- Approvals
Keep the agreed scope and acceptance evidence with the project; record any proposed change and its decision separately. See the platform
Related cases
- How can we manage scope when users discover needs during delivery?Evolving requirements
- Our project overlaps with another team's system. Where should the boundary be?Unclear scope interface
- The project ends before its benefits can be measured. Who owns the result?Missing post-project benefits ownership
- Our reports are always a week old. How should we show that?Hidden data freshness