Gold Plating
Gold plating is the practice of adding extra features, functionality, or work to a deliverable beyond what was specified in the project scope, typically done by the project team without customer request or approval.
Explanation
Gold plating occurs when a project team member or the project manager adds extras to a deliverable that were not requested by the stakeholder or included in the approved scope. While the intention is usually to impress the customer or add perceived value, gold plating is considered a negative practice in project management because it consumes time and resources without authorization and introduces risk.
The key difference between scope creep and gold plating is their source. Scope creep originates from stakeholders or external pressure pushing additional requirements into the project. Gold plating originates from the project team itself, voluntarily adding features or enhancements that no one asked for. Both result in work beyond the approved scope baseline.
Gold plating can lead to schedule delays, budget overruns, increased defect risk, and scope management issues. Even if the customer appreciates the extra features, the project has still consumed resources on unplanned work. PMI considers gold plating inappropriate because it circumvents the change control process and adds risk without stakeholder agreement.
Key Points
- •Adding extras beyond the approved scope without customer request
- •Initiated by the project team, not stakeholders
- •Consumes unauthorized time and resources and introduces risk
- •Considered inappropriate by PMI standards
Exam Tip
Gold plating comes from the team; scope creep comes from stakeholders. Both are bad. On the exam, if the team is adding unrequested features, the answer is gold plating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Topics
Scope Creep
Scope creep is the uncontrolled expansion of project scope without adjustments to time, cost, and resources, typically occurring when changes are made without going through integrated change control.
Control Scope
Control Scope is the process of monitoring the status of the project and product scope and managing changes to the scope baseline.
Scope Baseline
The scope baseline is the approved version of the project scope statement, work breakdown structure (WBS), and its associated WBS dictionary, used as a reference for measuring project scope performance.
Accepted Deliverables
Accepted deliverables are completed deliverables that have been formally accepted by the customer or sponsor through the Validate Scope process, confirming they meet the defined acceptance criteria.
Most-studied PMP concepts
High-yield topics our learners drill most before exam day.
Burndown Chart
A Burndown Chart is a graphical representation of work remaining versus time in a Sprint or release, showing whether the team is on track to complete the planned work.
Resource Leveling
Resource leveling is a resource optimization technique in which adjustments are made to the project schedule to keep resource usage at or below a defined limit, often resulting in a longer project duration.
Risk Register
The risk register is a project document that records the details of individual project risks, including their identification, analysis results, response plans, and current status.
Stakeholder Mapping
Stakeholder mapping is the visual representation of stakeholder relationships, influence, interest, or other attributes using grids, matrices, or diagrams to support analysis and engagement planning.
Relative Estimation
Relative Estimation is an agile technique where work items are sized in comparison to each other rather than in absolute units like hours or days, providing faster and more accurate estimates.
Cost Performance Index (CPI)
Cost Performance Index (CPI) is an EVM efficiency metric that measures cost performance as the ratio of earned value to actual cost: CPI = EV / AC.
Schedule Performance Index (SPI)
Schedule Performance Index (SPI) is an EVM efficiency metric that measures schedule performance as the ratio of earned value to planned value: SPI = EV / PV.
Earned Value Management (EVM)
Earned Value Management (EVM) is a methodology that integrates scope, schedule, and cost data to assess project performance and progress objectively.
Power/Influence Grid
The power/influence grid is a stakeholder classification model that groups stakeholders based on their level of authority (power) and their active involvement or ability to affect the project (influence).
Part of
Scope Management
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