When you start a new initiative understanding the possibility of completing the work is the key. You need to explore the ways to reach there. For a better understanding defining the goal and ways to achieve the same is mandatory.
The scope is required to define the range, possibility, and to what extent it is possible to carry out a project.
Therefore, in project management, the scope is very important. This is nothing but collection of the project prerequisites including the functionalities, specifications from the customer, stakeholder, and from the top management.
The PM is responsible for writing the statement and define the project scope. He ensures that along with this the other variables like the time, budget, and resources are adequately managed.
The nature and scope of Agile project management helps in scheming the projects in the boundary of what is within control and what is not.
Importance of scope
It guides the PM to organize and deal with the projects within the triple constraints. It defines the range and possibility it is used in the entire project life cycle until the project achieves the successful completion.
It is important for the following reasons,
- The requirements keep changing constantly
- The project falls behind the actual schedule
- The cost is overrun and exceeds the stated budget
- The requirements change needs to rethink in the middle of the project
- The outcome shortfalls of the expectations of the customer
- The desired level of quality is not what is expected
So it is important to document, discuss, and communicate very often to all the stakeholders for better understanding and monitoring the progress made in the project. This is needed to control the factors which may affect the project's progress or the deliverables during the entire project life cycle.
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Types of scope in project management
1. Product scope – It is nothing but features and functionality that goes in the making of the product or service
2. Project scope - It delineates what is within and outside of the project. It helps in taking decisions down the line during the rest of the project phases. It is the work that is done to achieve and complete the project successfully according to the product's scope including its features and functionalities. This consists of a set of statements written in the project plan.
Out of scope means, what is not in the functionality and specifications as agreed to the customer for completing the project successfully as per the expectations of the customer.
Also Read: Importance of Project Management
Building blocks of project scope definition and project scope management
High-level statements are the building blocks of the project scope definition that describes the requirements and specifications of the project for the successful completion, to achieve the business objectives and meet the customer’s expectations.
The project scope statement in the project management Framework is the process of writing the possibility statements from the requirements, functionality, and specifications of what is in the project for its successful completion and to achieve the customer’s expectations in the project.
With the help of project management certification training, you can learn to write the project scope statement in 2 days.
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To write this statement we need to address these 7 items,
1) Needs Justification - The project justification arrives from the need for the project in the first place. Explaining the need for the project and how the result will achieve the need is the first step towards making a statement.
Project Scope example
- There is a need to be competitive as the competitor has come with the new product without currently having a competitor
- The earlier project has been extended by the customer for building a new tool
- A constant revenue generation has been added as there is an opportunity for vertical integration
2) Describing the span - We need to analyze the requirements from the customer inputs to come up with what is within range and what is not, this limits the projects with a definite boundary.
3) Business objectives - We need to add the business objectives and whether the business goals are being addressed in this project. This can be like higher customer satisfaction, a new business model for constant revenue generation, increase first-time buyers, increase sales of the old product with enhancements, and new product launch, etc.
Read More: Resources in Project Management
4) Deliverables - The list of the deliverables must be prepared such as the product or the services, advertising campaigns, marketing materials, press releases, instructions, and installation manuals, etc
5) Exclusions - As we have already set a boundary we need to list out the items which the project does not include for examples,
- Patching of the products
- Applications updates after the warranty period
- Plugins that are not supported
- Restricted access to certain product features etc
6) Triple Constraints - You may know the triple constraints such as the time, cost, and scope. If you alter anyone the other two are affected and will move from their locations. So you need to manage them effectively and there is a constant trade-off among the three constraints
7) Assumptions - The assumptions are always a part of the project. You need to ensure that the project assumptions are made with project insight and are data-driven rather than just assumptions based on past experiences.
Related Article: Project Planning
Scope of project management includes 6 major steps namely
1) Planning - Here the scope is defined and all the required inputs from the project plan, project charter, and from the stakeholders are collected.
2) Gathering the requirements - This is a more elaborate statement where along with stakeholders, the teams, focus group discussions, and surveys are documented.
3) Statement writing - From the requirements, functionality, and specifications collected earlier, we need to make the high-level statements.
4) Work Breakdown Structure creation - The WBS is done based on the scope statements and all the requirements collected. This made in such a way that the high-level work is broken down into smaller activities and further into smaller tasks.
5) Validation - After nearing the completion, the project deliverables are validated with the scope of the project. They are accepted as complete or further revisions are made.
6) Control - As the project is executed the statement written and the progress made are constantly compared and evaluated to control the project and the range. If any gaps are seen then the project plan is altered or modified.
Also Read: Fast Tracking in Project Management
Conclusion
A PM with skills, passion for managing must be certified which will enable them to write an effective project plan, project charter, and other documentation. They command high respect and is wanted not only in IT organization but in any industry. The PM is the key person who is responsible for many projects in the organization.
The scope of the project plays an important role in the project management life cycle. In this blog, we have discussed in detail the scope statement, its definition and project scope need, and its importance. Learn more by applying for the PMP Online Training.
