N = 90 · 2026

Scope creep is costing firms more than they know.

We surveyed 90 design and construction professionals about how scope creep affects their work. The findings were consistent enough that we built a product around them.

95.6%

said scope creep created unplanned work in the past 12 months

Nearly every respondent reported scope creep affected their workload in the prior year — not as an occasional problem, but as a recurring one.

57%

spend 3 or more hours every week on scope-creep-related work

More than half of respondents said scope-creep management — revisions, coordination, change discussions — consumes at least half a workday every week.

1 in 7

lose 10 or more hours a week to scope creep

About 14% of respondents reported losing more than a quarter of a standard workweek to scope-related work — most of it never billed.

Methodology

This is a self-reported survey of 90 design and construction professionals, conducted in 2026. Firm sizes ranged from solo practitioners to firms of 50 or more people; roughly two-thirds of respondents worked at firms of 6–50 people. Findings reflect respondents' own estimates of time and impact. This is not a peer-reviewed study — it is directional evidence from practitioners describing their own experience. We have not adjusted for recall bias or response bias.

See what LexBuild does about it

We built scope-creep detection directly into the contract review workflow.

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