So, let\u2019s dive in.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"Gold](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Gold-plating-in-project-management-cover-1024x512.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhat is gold plating in project management?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Gold plating involves adding more features to a <\/strong>deliverable<\/strong><\/a> than was considered in the original scope plan.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine that you work in an IT company and that you\u2019re developing a new app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve already met project requirements, and the client is satisfied. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the story doesn\u2019t end here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re a perfectionist, and you feel the need to keep polishing the work to impress everyone around you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As a result, you end up going over budget, or even worse \u2014 creating something entirely different that the client won\u2019t accept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This practice in project management is called \u2014 gold plating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Due to its name \u2014 gold plating \u2014 people often think that gold plating is good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, despite the term \u2014 all that glitters is not gold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, if you\u2019re in doubt about whether gold plating is good or bad, the answer is \u2014 gold plating is bad<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To elaborate, gold plating can be extremely harmful to the project management process, causing several negative consequences \u2014 such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of adding bonus features, project team members<\/a> should follow the scope plan and deliver what the client has actually asked for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note:<\/strong> Not all changes are bad \u2014 just those that aren\u2019t officially assessed. As long as they\u2019re regulated through official procedures \u2014 additional changes can be good and aren\u2019t considered gold plating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gold plating and scope creep<\/a> are terms often used interchangeably. However \u2014 they are not the same<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gold plating<\/strong> is when a project team member voluntarily adds more features than the client has requested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, scope creep<\/strong> is a situation where the client or any other project stakeholder<\/a> requests that certain changes be made \u2014 without proper prior authorization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both practices are considered bad in project management \u2014 without considering the consequences first, changes can lead to project failure<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To help you better understand what gold plating looks like in real life, we\u2019ve prepared a couple of examples. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While going through the following examples, try to think of all the negative consequences this bad practice can have on both the current project, and all projects in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine an IT company being hired to create a simple website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Without previously consulting with the client, the team working on the project decides to voluntarily add a digital clock on the website, assuming that the feature would be both useful and visually appealing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, there\u2019s a solid reason why this feature wasn\u2019t requested by the client in the first place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only will this bonus feature trigger additional costs in the future, but it will only create confusion when the website is used in different countries and time zones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In scenario #2, the IT company is hired to develop an app for desktop users. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, as team members finish early, they decide to do some extra work to fulfill their time, so they voluntarily develop a simple mobile version of the app. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At first, the client is happy about getting this bonus service for free. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But, soon enough, certain technical issues start to appear in the mobile version of the app, and the client now asks the company to fix these bugs for free. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The company has to either disappoint \u2014 and potentially lose a recurring client \u2014 or they need to spend extra money to fix something the client hasn\u2019t even requested or paid for in the first place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The third scenario would be the same IT company being hired to create a new and complex business website for their client. <\/p>\n\n\n\n During the project, one team member decides to add some creative videos to place them on the landing page, assuming this would cause admiration and praise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, instead of being happy about getting bonus work done, the client ends up being completely dissatisfied with the final result, as the page, complex that it is, now takes even longer to load. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The client must ask the company to redo the project, and unfortunately misses the planned launch date for the website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udcd6 Gold plating is one of many project management phenomena that can be useful or damaging to your project depending on how you use it. To explore other similar topics and deepen your knowledge, you can visit our Project Management Glossary of Terms<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that you understand what gold plating is \u2014 as well as what it\u2019s not and how it looks like in real life \u2014 it\u2019s time to move on to what causes it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We already touched upon this in the examples and definitions above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, here are the 5 common reasons that trigger gold plating:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project team members sometimes voluntarily make free additions to a project deliverable, assuming that this would impress other team members, or the client themself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, instead of just showing off, this practice can cause negative consequences, such as client dissatisfaction with the final deliverable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, project team members gold plate a project hoping to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you\u2019re a project team member or a team leader, you should avoid perfectionism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s important to know that, in the context of project management, being sufficient is enough<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words \u2014 all that you need to do is to meet all the originally established requirements, and nothing above that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting stuck in details and always striving to \u201cmake things better\u201d might throw you off track, causing unwanted results, such as time or budget overruns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As stated by Mark C. Layton in Agile project management for Dummies<\/a>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith <\/em>agile<\/em><\/a> project management, the term barely sufficient is a positive description, meaning that a task, document, meeting, or almost anything on a project includes <\/em>only what it needs<\/em><\/strong> to achieve the <\/em>goal<\/em><\/a>. Being barely sufficient is practical and efficient.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, the reasons behind gold plating are intentional. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Gold plating might be done on purpose, to divert the attention of the client from certain project flaws and weaknesses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Poor communication is one of the most common gold plating triggers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It can be the root of many problems and misunderstandings occurring both among team members, and in communication with project stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without a clear picture of what is expected of them, project team members might easily turn to gold plating. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Manage your work and maintain transparency with Plaky.<\/p>\n\n Doing more work than initially agreed upon rarely goes without consequences \u2014 as we\u2019ve already discussed earlier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many unnecessary project risks<\/a> can occur due to gold plating. These risks can further endanger either the current project or any other future projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, let\u2019s dive deeper into the consequences gold plating causes, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you decide to upgrade a project without consulting the client first, chances are you\u2019re going to end up missing key deadlines<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As time overruns seem rather unprofessional in the eyes of clients and stakeholders \u2014 you might as well avoid spending valuable time gold plating the project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Apart from that, schedule delays will most likely require other project area readjustments, such as budget readjustments. Moreover, they might push back certain other projects you have lined up in the future \u2014 which might mean more missed deadlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project team members who\u2019re adding extra features to a deliverable tend to underestimate the costs of that practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Supposing that some extra features are at fault for some reason \u2014 the project team would have to spend money on removing, or correcting these additions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words \u2014 gold plating frequently includes unforeseen budget overruns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 Plaky Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To avoid budget overruns, you may want to consider a cost forecasting method known as estimate at completion (EAC). Read about it here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Essentially, gold plating a project with some minor additions may consequently affect other project areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voluntarily adding a feature to a project deliverable might cause a chain reaction, triggering some other project area requirements, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adding your own flavor to a project can be tolerated, but only if you follow official procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Otherwise, introducing changes on your own, and not sticking to what you\u2019ve initially agreed upon \u2014 the client may no longer feel confident that you\u2019ll follow their instructions the next time they hire you. As a result, they might stop hiring you in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, to establish trust with your client, be extra careful to avoid gold plating the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though at first glance it seems generous to provide additions or upgrades for free \u2014 in reality, this practice might jeopardize your future projects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Scenario number 1 is that the client starts believing they paid too much money for your services since you obviously have a lot of spare time to do extra work. Maybe they could just pay less and get what they really need, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scenario number 2 is that the client gets accustomed to the perks of getting extra work done \u2014 so next time when you don\u2019t gold plate a project, they\u2019ll be disappointed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Either way, you\u2019ll most likely set a bad precedent for your future projects, or what’s even worse \u2014 you could lose them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As gold plating might happen unintentionally, often causing a series of negative consequences, we say \u2014 it\u2019s better to prevent than to cure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, if you prevent gold plating on time, you\u2019ll save yourself from dealing with unnecessary issues later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Luckily, we\u2019ve prepared a couple of tips any project manager<\/a> should have up their sleeve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you wish to avoid gold plating, each team member should first be familiar with the phenomenon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not being aware of its existence, you won\u2019t be able to prevent it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Any skilled project manager<\/a> should focus on raising awareness about gold plating by identifying possible gold plating situations and spreading knowledge about its causes and consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This way, each team member will think twice before making any additions on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The very first thing a project manager should do when starting a new project is to define the project scope<\/a> by creating a detailed plan on what is needed to develop a product or service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Scope determines all work and tasks that need to be done to finish a project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By having a clearly defined scope baseline<\/a>, you\u2019ll manage and control the scope, as well as all change requests and modifications that occur during the process \u2014 which will naturally prevent the occurrence of gold plating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another proven way to avoid gold plating is to assign tasks transparently, which means it should be crystal clear who\u2019s doing which task at all times. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One way to achieve transparency in task management<\/a> is to use an intuitive project management<\/a> tool such as Plaky<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Plaky enables you to assign different tasks to different team members, and further specify these tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s an example of what it looks like to manage a project in Plaky: <\/p>\n\n\n In the example above, you can see how one marketing project is organized in different groups (i.e.. this month\u2019s tasks and next month\u2019s tasks), and custom fields, e.g.:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keeping all important information in one place \u2014 such as a Plaky space \u2014 you\u2019ll know exactly what stage of the project you\u2019re at, and thus control its development. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There won\u2019t be room for unplanned changes and gold plating, as all team members will know exactly what their assignments and deadlines are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There will come a time when project team members will suggest certain changes be made for the good of the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, of course, changes can be good, especially in agile \u2014 as long as they\u2019ve been evaluated and authorized first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, making changes without prior revision will be considered gold plating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, all project managers should insist on following official change procedures, and create a clearly defined change control protocol, \u2014i.e. a plan for regulating proposed changes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n During this process, the proposed changes will be evaluated, and either approved or rejected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Following official procedures, the project manager:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It goes without saying that good communication in project management<\/a> is key to the success of any project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another tip on how to enhance it is to focus on giving constructive feedback to project team members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Receiving enough feedback, team members won\u2019t feel the need to gold plate a project in an effort to earn praise from their managers or clients. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Listening skills are crucial when starting a new project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the moment when you differentiate what your client wants or doesn\u2019t want you to deliver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In other words, it\u2019s important to differentiate what is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n By understanding the client, you\u2019ll know exactly what it is that you\u2019re creating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This will help prevent gold plating a project with additional non-requested features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Stay focused and do the things that actually matter. Try Plaky today.<\/p>\n\n As mentioned earlier, specialized project management software can do a great deal to help you avoid gold plating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only does it ensure transparency among the team, it also ensures transparency with clients and other stakeholders, as the app allows you to add guest viewers to your spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, it improves communication by allowing important information to be exchanged directly on the platform, all of which is recorded in the potentially unlimited activity log.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Want to see Plaky in action? Register a free account today and try the app for yourself. You\u2019ll get access to all of Plaky\u2019s premium features during the 14-day trial, after which you can pick the plan that suits your needs, or continue using the Free plan indefinitely.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nIs gold plating good or bad?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What\u2019s the difference between gold plating and scope creep?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3 examples of gold plating in project management <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
#1<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#2 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#3<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Causes of gold plating in project management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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#1 A wish to impress the client or project team<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#2 Seeking recognition <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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#3 Being a perfectionist<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#4 Hiding project flaws from stakeholders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#5 Poor communication<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Free project management software<\/h2>\n
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-learn\/src\/images\/plaky\/banners\/default@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat are the consequences of gold plating?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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#1 Time overruns <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#2 Budget overruns<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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#3 Impact on other project requirements <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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#4 Client distrust<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#5 Threat to future projects<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to avoid gold plating in project management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
#1 Raise awareness about gold plating<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#2 Have a clearly defined project scope<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#3 Use a project management tool to assign tasks to team members<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Plaky](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/A-single-project-in-Plaky.png\")
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#4 Insist on following official procedures for introducing changes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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#5 Give feedback to project team members<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#6 Listen to your clients and stakeholders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Free project management software<\/h2>\n
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-learn\/src\/images\/plaky\/banners\/landing-2@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n\n\n\nOptimize your processes and adapt more efficiently with Plaky<\/h2>\n\n\n\n