Scope Management

What is scope management?

Scope management, or project scope management, is the total amount of work that needs to be done to deliver a specific product, result, or service, with particular features and functionality. It’s typically the initial phase of the project planning process. 

The scope management process details everything a project needs and defines the project’s success. It’s primary goal is to define and control what is and what is not included in the project. 

Without a comprehensive scope management plan, teams are more likely to spend time doing work that may not be necessary to complete the project. When done correctly and with effective project management software, scope management ensures the scope of a project is clearly defined and mapped out.

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Scope management steps

There are five processes involved in effective scope management. These are:

1. Planning: Plans are created based on input from the project planner and key project stakeholders. The plan also includes details of how to handle unforeseen circumstances throughout the project.
2. Collecting: After planning, project requirements should be defined by having conversations with stakeholders, conducting interviews, surveys, and more to help manage expectations. This document details exactly what is expected and can help avoid hurdles throughout the project.
3. Defining: Next, create a project scope statement based on the requirements and develop a basis for all project activity. This statement serves as a guide throughout the project, and team members should be able to refer to it for reminders of what is and is not included. This should be used to create a work breakdown structure (WBS), which breaks the entire project down into smaller tasks.
4. Controlling: Take the time to document, track, and either approve or disapprove any changes that need to occur based on existing gaps within an organization. Deliverables are then reviewed for approval by a customer, manager, or stakeholder.
5. Closing: Finally, conduct an audit of the deliverables and accessing the outcomes of the original developed plan and seeing what can be improved upon for future projects.

Benefits of scope management

When proper time and effort are put into creating a well-defined project scope management plan, organizations and project planners can avoid common issues.

These issues include:

• Constantly changing the requirements needed for the project to be a success
• Pivoting the direction of the project, even when the team is already mid-way through the work
• Realizing the final outcome isn’t what was expected or promised to the customer
• Going over the agreed upon or estimated budget
• Falling far behind on project milestones and deadlines

Teams see the benefit of effective scope management by having a clear idea of the time, labor, and cost involved in completing a project. 

Basic elements of scope management

A critical part of effective scope management is creating an accurate scope statement. This document outlines goals, deadlines, and relationships that will shape the project from onboarding to finish. The more comprehensive this document is, the less risk and disruptions the team will encounter along the way.

The core elements of this document include:

• Business case: Why an organization requires this specific project and the expected benefits.

• Project description: A detailed overview of the project’s final deliverable.

• Success criteria: The must-have components that will make the project a success, agreed upon by clients, stakeholders, and customers.

• Limitations: An explanation of resources or issues that may limit the project, delay the final result, or cause the team to go over budget.

• Assumptions: Anything believed to affect the final outcome of the project.

Scope management best practices

When conducting scope management, follow these tips and best practices to ensure success.

• Develop a work breakdown structure to provide the team with a breakdown of the scope statement into smaller and more manageable tasks.
• Define the scope as clearly as possible to avoid unnecessary work and stress.
• Create a collaborative process when defining the scope to prevent any misinterpretations, overpromising, or confusion with the requirements.
• Consult all relevant and essential stakeholders regarding the project scope.
• Ensure that the actual scope document isn’t altered, changed, or edited during the project execution to avoid any confusion as to what was initially discussed or promised.