Scope Creep

Scope creep fires when adding a new task would push the total allocated scope beyond the project's budget. This is about planned work (task estimates), not logged time.

The check

Every time a task is created or its estimate is increased, PayMe checks whether total task estimates now exceed the allocation budget. If so, a warning banner appears in the task creation UI.

Inline hook

The scope creep check is an inline hook on task creation. It doesn't block the action — it surfaces a warning so the PM can make an informed decision.

The hook triggers when:

1. A task is created with estimatedHours > 0
2. The project is fixed billing type
3. The total would exceed the allocation's budgetHours

Responding to scope creep

When you see a scope creep warning, your options:

1. Accept — proceed anyway (useful if the extra hours are approved or billable)
2. Reduce estimate — trim the task scope
3. Increase allocation budget — if the PM has approved more hours
4. Split to a new project — if the work is a true scope extension

Distinction from budget health

Scope creep is a forward-looking forecast. Budget health is a backward-looking measurement.