MANAGING SCOPE CREEP IN INTEGRATED TOURISM PROJECTS: A GOVERNANCE PERSPECTIVE

Authors

  • Norhanim Zakaria Faculty of Built Environment, UNIVERSITI MALAYA
  • Umi Kalsum Zolkafli Faculty of Built Environment, UNIVERSITI MALAYA
  • Loo Siaw Chuing Faculty of Built Environment, UNIVERSITI MALAYA
  • Tang Xioa Faculty of Built Environment, UNIVERSITI MALAYA
  • Tantish Kamaruddin Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying, UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v24i43.2109

Keywords:

scope creep, governance, institutional logics, tourism resort development

Abstract

Scope creep is traditionally framed as a technical failure in project management; however, in complex urban development projects, it is often shaped by governance and institutional dynamics. This study examines scope evolution in large-scale integrated tourism resort projects through a multi-site qualitative case study of five resorts in China. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, document analysis and thematic analysis. The findings reveal three distinct scope outcomes: rational scope increase, irrational scope creep, and scope suspension. These outcomes are influenced by governance configurations, power distribution, and competing institutional logics, particularly the interaction between administrative, market, and professional perspectives. The results highlight that scope changes are not merely technical deviations but are embedded within broader governance structures and stakeholder dynamics. This study contributes to the literature on project planning and governance by introducing a governance-based perspective to understand the dynamics of scope changes in complex development projects. It extends scope management theory by introducing a more detailed typology of scope outcomes and by integrating institutional and stakeholder perspectives into project management. Furthermore, empirical evidence from an integrated tourism resort project in China strengthens the understanding of how governance structures and power relations influence scope evolution in large-scale projects involving multiple stakeholders.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abdul Latip, N., Jaafar, M., Marzuki, A., Roufechaei, K. M., & Umar, M.U. (2020). Spectacle of Conservation and Tourism in Protected Areas: Analysis of Management, Issues and Tourist Satisfaction. Planning Malaysia, 18(14). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v18i14.847

Ahmed, R., & Jawad, M. (2022). Avoiding or disregarding: Exploring the relationship between scope creep, project complexity, and the success of construction projects. Project Leadership and Society, 3, 100064. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plas.2022.100064

Amoatey, C. T., & Anson, M. (2017). Investigating the causes and effects of scope creep in construction projects in Ghana. International Journal of Construction Management, 17(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/15623599.2016.1218538

Bourne, L., & Walker, D. H. T. (2008). Project relationship management and the stakeholder circle™. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 1(1), 125–130. https://doi.org/10.1108/17538370810846450

Butler, R. W. (1980). The concept of a tourist area cycle of evolution: Implications for management of resources. The Canadian Geographer, 24(1), 5–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1541-0064.1980.tb00970.x

Dumont, P. R., Gibson, G. E., & Fish, J. R. (1997). Scope management using project definition rating index. Journal of Management in Engineering, 13(5), 54–60. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0742-597X(1997)13:5(54)

Flyvbjerg, B. (2014). What you should know about megaprojects and why: An overview. Project Management Journal, 45(2), 6–19. https://doi.org/10.1002/pmj.21409

Faulkner, B., Oppermann, M., & Fredline, L. (2003). Destination marketing: An integrated approach. Pearson Education.

Getz, D. (1986). Models in tourism planning: Towards integration of theory and practice. Tourism Management, 7(1), 21–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/0261-5177(86)90054-3

Guest, G., Bunce, A., & Johnson, L. (2006). How many interviews are enough? An experiment with data saturation and variability. Field Methods, 18(1), 59–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X05279903

Khan, K. K. (2006). Managing project risks in complex projects. Cost Engineering, 48(6), 31–36.

Kerzner, H. (2017). Project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling (12th ed.). Wiley.

Marnada, P., Raharjo, T., Hardian, B., & Prasetyo, A. (2022b). Agile project management challenge in handling scope and change: A systematic literaturereview. Procedia Computer Science, 197, 290–300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2021.12.143

Marzuki, A. (2010). Tourism development in Malaysia: A review on federal government policies. Theoretical and Empirical Researches in Urban Management, 5(17), 85–97

McAdam, R. (1999). The organizational change process in construction: An empirical study. International Journal of Project Management, 17(2), 93–99. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0263-7863(98)00016-1

Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia. (2020). National Tourism Policy 2020–2030. Putrajaya, Malaysia: Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia.

Mohamad, D., & Mohamed, B. (2018). Acceptance Towards Tourism Development: The Case of Perhentian Island. Planning Malaysia, 16(8). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v16i8.543

Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). Sage Publications.

Potashova, I. (2015). Resort service design: A methodological approach to improving service quality in tourism development. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 214, 933–940. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.11.684

Project Management Institute. (2021). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (7th ed.). PMI.

Sharma, S. (2006). Stakeholder management and its impact on project success. International Journal of Project Management, 24(2), 180–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2005.11.002

Too, E. G., & Weaver, P. (2014). The management of project management: A conceptual framework for project governance. International Journal of Project Management, 32(8), 1382–1394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2013.07.006

Walker, D. H. T. (2010). Project governance. Farnham, England: Gower Publishing.

World Tourism Organization. (2018). Tourism and the Sustainable Development Goals – Journey to 2030. UNWTO.

Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Sage Publications.

Zulkefli, N. S., Jaafar, M., & Marzuki, A. (2022). The issues of tourism policy implementation among insider perspectives in Perhentian Island. International Journal of Tourism Policy, 12(1), 107–125.

Downloads

Published

2026-08-09

How to Cite

Zakaria, N., Zolkafli, U. K., Chuing, L. S., Xioa, T., & Kamaruddin, T. (2026). MANAGING SCOPE CREEP IN INTEGRATED TOURISM PROJECTS: A GOVERNANCE PERSPECTIVE. PLANNING MALAYSIA, 24(43). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v24i43.2109

Issue

Vol. 24 (2026): PLANNING MALAYSIA JOURNAL : Volume 24, Issue 4, 2026

Section

Article

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Unported License.

Copyright & Creative Commons Licence

eISSN: 0128-0945 © Year. The Authors. Published for Malaysian Institute of Planners. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.

The authors hold the copyright without restrictions and also retain publishing rights without restrictions.

Most read articles by the same author(s)