Two Hidden Kinds of Scope Creep in Billing Projects and How to Eliminate Them

Billing transformations are hard. Not because teams don’t try but because the challenges that sabotage these efforts often go undetected until it's too late.

One of the biggest culprits? Scope creep.

But not the kind you’re thinking of.

In over a decade of managing Quote-to-Cash implementations, I’ve seen two hidden forms of scope creep quietly derail even the most well-intentioned projects. These don’t show up in change requests or meeting notes. They emerge in misalignment, silence, and good intentions that go unchallenged.

Let’s break them down.

1. Expectation Creep

Expectation creep happens when different stakeholders silently evolve their definition of project success.

Maybe Sales expects flexible proration logic. Finance assumes billing will finally reflect contract rules. Operations want fewer manual steps.

No one is wrong but no one’s on the same page either.

And because these expectations aren’t explicitly challenged during discovery, they become the silent “should haves” that surface mid-project.

How to prevent it:

• Run an expectations alignment session before discovery begins.

• Ask: “What does success look like to you in 90 days after go-live?”

• Document and play back the results. This is your true scope baseline.

2. Silence-Based Creep

This one is sneakier. It’s the scope creep that comes from assumptions that go unspoken.

• “Of course we’ll be able to handle multiple billing types.”

• “This product will behave the same in the new system, right?”

• “We didn’t mention it, but we assumed reporting would be easier.”
  

These assumptions get coded into expectations, even though no one discussed them. The longer they remain unstated, the more damaging they become when they finally surface, usually during UAT or go-live.

How to prevent it:

• Use a guided discovery framework that forces articulation (like our Orbital Framework).

• Don’t just ask what the system does; ask how, when, why, and for whom.

• Create a “known unknowns” register and review it regularly with stakeholders.

Final Thoughts

Scope creep isn’t always about added features or late-stage change orders. Sometimes, it’s the quiet drift in expectations and the accumulation of unspoken assumptions that take your project off-course.

If you’re leading or supporting a billing transformation, don’t just define the project scope - uncover it.
 

That’s where real control begins.