mission creep

mission creep
n.
The process by which a mission's methods and goals change gradually over time.
Example Citations:
As it is, the whole process has been subjected to "mission creep", with attempts to write in clauses that have more to do with consumer protection and social engineering than with hard-core ecological science.
—"The Biosafety Protocol," The Economist, January 29, 2000
Last fall, Gore campaign manager Donna Brazile slashed the vice president's bloated campaign operation, banning meals delivered to holding rooms, cutting back staff on trips, shoving traveling staff into one small minivan and ordering people to double up in hotel rooms. She also cut the number of expensive helicopter flights from the vice president's house to Andrews Air Force Base as well as the staffers who could go on them.
Some of the changes have remained in place. But it looks like there's been a bit of what the military would call "mission creep" when it comes to the chopper, which often ferries Gore and staffers such as political aide Michael Feldman, trip director David Morehouse and spokesman Chris Lehane over all that bothersome traffic down below.
—"In Concert," The Washington Post, April 19, 2000
Earliest Citation:
Operation Restore Hope, the U.S.-led military mission to halt clan warfare and get aid to the needy, has unofficially widened its role to include such tasks as rebuilding houses, digging wells and creating police forces.
Officials call it "mission creep."
—Christopher Burns, "Coalition Armies Widen Role in 'Mission Creep'," The Associated Press, February 12, 1993
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  • Mission creep — is the expansion of a project or mission beyond its original goals, often after initial successes.[1] Mission creep is usually considered undesirable due to the dangerous path of each success breeding more ambitious attempts, only stopping when a …   Wikipedia

  • mission creep — ˈmission ˌcreep noun [uncountable] HUMAN RESOURCES a series of gradual changes in the aim of the people who manage a company or organization, with the result that they do something different from what they planned to do at the beginning: • The… …   Financial and business terms

  • mission creep — noun The tendency for a military operation to exceed its initial purposes, drawing in more personnel and resources and pursuing more complex and wide reaching objectives • • • Main Entry: ↑mission …   Useful english dictionary

  • mission creep — mission .creep n [U] AmE a series of gradual changes in the aim of a group of people, with the result that they do something different from what they planned to do at the beginning …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • mission creep — noun Gradual expansion of the objectives, scope, and/or cost of a military mission without careful planning. Initially presented as a purely humanitarian mission, Operation Restore Hope gradually shifted from feeding Somalis to fighting them.… …   Wiktionary

  • mission creep — /ˈmɪʃən krip/ (say mishuhn kreep) noun the gradual shift away from the original objective of a mission (def. 14) to a new one, usually under the influence of circumstances …  

  • mission creep — noun a gradual shift in objectives during the course of a military campaign, often resulting in an unplanned long term commitment …   English new terms dictionary

  • mission creep — UK / US noun [uncountable] a tendency for military operations in foreign countries to increase gradually and for more and more soldiers to be needed …   English dictionary

  • Creep (project management) — Creep (as in functionality creep, feature creep, mission creep and scope creep) is a problem in project management where the initial objectives of the project are jeopardized by a gradual increase in overall objectives as the project progresses.… …   Wikipedia

  • creep — creep1 [kri:p] v past tense and past participle crept [krept] [I always + adverb/preposition] [: Old English; Origin: creopan] 1.) to move in a quiet, careful way, especially to avoid attracting attention creep into/over/around etc ▪ Johann would …   Dictionary of contemporary English

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