Most advice about scope creep tells you how to manage it. How to have the difficult conversation when a client asks for something extra. How to send a change request. How to get approval before doing additional work. How to track what's in scope and what isn't. All of that advice is useful. But it's treating the symptom, not the cause. By the time you're managing scope creep, you've already lost ground. The client already believes the extra work is included. The relationship already has tension. You're already on the defensive. The better approach is to make scope creep structurally impossible before the project starts. Why Scope Creep Happens in the First Place Scope creep isn't usually malicious. Clients aren't typically trying to take advantage of you. They just don't know what they don't know. When a client hires a web designer, they picture a complete working website — with copy, images, SEO setup, maybe a logo refresh, definitely some tweaks after launch.…