speckit-scope-creep

name	speckit-scope-creep
description	Detect scope creep by comparing current spec against its original version in git history
compatibility	Requires spec-kit project structure with .specify/ directory
metadata	{"author":"github-spec-kit","source":"scope:commands/speckit.scope.creep.md"}

Scope Creep Detection

Compare the current spec against its earliest committed version to detect scope creep — requirements that grew, acceptance criteria that expanded, and phases that multiplied since the original spec was written. Quantifies how much the spec has grown and flags the biggest scope increases.

User Input

$ARGUMENTS

You MUST consider the user input before proceeding (if not empty). The user may specify:

• Baseline reference (e.g., "original commit", "sprint start", "specific commit hash")
• Creep threshold (e.g., "flag anything over 20% growth")
• Scope (e.g., "requirements only", "include tasks", "full analysis")

Prerequisites

1. Confirm you are inside a git repository.
2. Verify .specify/ directory exists with at least spec.md.
3. Find the original version of spec.md using git log --follow --diff-filter=A -- .specify/spec.md to get the first commit.
4. Read the original version using git show <first-commit>:.specify/spec.md.
5. Read the current version of spec.md.
6. If plan.md and tasks.md exist, check their history too.

Outline

1. Identify Baseline: Find the original spec version.

   ## Baseline
   
   | Field | Value |
   |-------|-------|
   | Original commit | `a1b2c3d` |
   | Original date | 2026-03-15 |
   | Original author | @developer |
   | Current date | 2026-04-11 |
   | Days elapsed | 27 days |
   | Spec revisions | 8 commits |
   

2. Measure Growth: Compare original vs current across all dimensions.

   ## Scope Growth
   
   | Metric | Original | Current | Growth |
   |--------|----------|---------|--------|
   | Requirements | 5 | 9 | +4 (+80%) 🔴 |
   | User Scenarios | 2 | 4 | +2 (+100%) 🔴 |
   | Success Criteria | 3 | 7 | +4 (+133%) 🔴 |
   | Task Items | 8 | 18 | +10 (+125%) 🔴 |
   | Phases | 2 | 4 | +2 (+100%) 🔴 |
   | External Integrations | 1 | 3 | +2 (+200%) 🔴 |
   | **Complexity Score** | **28** | **71** | **+43 (+154%)** 🔴 |
   

3. Identify Creep Sources: Pinpoint exactly what was added.

   ## What Crept In
   
   | # | Addition | When Added | Impact |
   |---|---------|------------|--------|
   | 1 | PDF export requirement | Commit `d4e5f6` (Mar 22) | +6h effort |
   | 2 | Admin dashboard feature | Commit `g7h8i9` (Mar 28) | +12h effort |
   | 3 | Email verification flow | Commit `j1k2l3` (Apr 2) | +8h effort |
   | 4 | Rate limiting changed from simple to account-based | Commit `m4n5o6` (Apr 8) | +4h effort |
   
   **Total creep: +30 hours of additional effort beyond original estimate**
   

4. Creep Timeline: Show when scope grew over time.

   ## Creep Timeline
   
   Mar 15 ████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 28 (original)
   Mar 22 ██████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 38 (+PDF export)
   Mar 28 ██████████░░░░░░░░░░ 52 (+admin dashboard)
   Apr 02 █████████████░░░░░░░ 61 (+email verification)
   Apr 08 ██████████████████░░ 71 (+rate limiting change)
   Apr 11 ██████████████████░░ 71 (current)
   
   Scope grew 154% in 27 days
   

5. Creep Severity Assessment: Rate the overall creep level.

   ## Creep Assessment
   
   | Level | Threshold | Status |
   |-------|-----------|--------|
   | 🟢 Healthy | 0-20% growth | — |
   | 🟡 Watch | 21-50% growth | — |
   | 🟠 Warning | 51-100% growth | — |
   | 🔴 Critical | 100%+ growth | ← THIS SPEC (154%) |
   
   **Verdict: 🔴 CRITICAL SCOPE CREEP**
   This spec has more than doubled since its original version.
   

6. Recommendations: Suggest how to address the creep.

   ## Recommendations
   
   1. **Split the spec** — Original scope (5 reqs) is a viable MVP. New additions could be Phase 2.
   2. **Re-estimate** — Original estimate of 30h is no longer valid. Current realistic estimate: 65h.
   3. **Prioritize** — Rank the 4 new additions by business value. Cut the lowest-value one.
   4. **Freeze scope** — No new requirements until current scope is implemented.
   

Rules

• Read-only — never modify any files, only analyze git history and report
• Git-authoritative — all baseline data comes from git history, not assumptions
• Percentage-based — always show growth as percentages for easy comprehension
• Timeline-aware — show WHEN creep happened, not just WHAT changed
• Effort-linked — translate every scope addition into estimated effort impact
• Threshold-based — classify creep severity using clear thresholds (healthy/watch/warning/critical)
• Actionable — always end with concrete recommendations to address creep
• Non-judgmental — scope changes aren't inherently bad; report facts and let teams decide