What is Project Scope Management? A Brief Guide

Project Scope Management typically refers to the extensive collection of processes that ensure the exact description and visualization of the ample scope of a project.

To counter with understanding the project management knowledge areas, the scope management especially in big projects control factors with the modifications.

The project scope is very critical as it counts the estimation of time, budget, and resources.

The strategies of project scope planning and scope management allow the project managers to assign the recommended amount of work needed to complete a project effectively.

This article is particularly concerned with the management of project scope, the insight of the determination of what is included in the project, and what is altered.

What is the Scope of a Project?

Project scope refers to a comprehensive set of deliverables of the project and it comes from the requirement of a project. Below we list the three Processes of Project Scope Management:

• Proper Project Planning - It is an attempt carried out to identify, capture, and define the work that needs to be performed.
• Proper Project Control - The control and monitoring process of a project focuses on the tracking of documents and approves or disapproves of the project changes.
• Proper Project Closure - In the last process, the closing covers the audit of the project deliverables and the assessment of outcomes against the proposed project's initial plan.

As projects are taken up to deliver a good, it is almost impossible to achieve the desired outcome of the specific project if the project and the scope are unexplained and project scope planning is inefficient.

The commonly used terms in Project scope Management are,

Product Scope and Project Scope

1) Product Scope in Project Management

The product scope in project management represents the product characteristics regardless of its functions, nature, parts, etc.

The crucial point is the project scope which refers to the tangible product which is itself finally created.

2) Project Scope in Project Management

Unlike the reach of the product, the project scope focuses on the various measures undertaken to produce a product.

The project’s complexity might include possible elements such as a budget, assembly lines, training of staff, supply chain, and allocations of personnel.

Importance of Project Scope Management for Project Managers

Efficient project scope planning requires explicit communication for ensuring that there is a unanimous understanding of the project's scope between the stakeholders and team members.

The usage of project scope templates, project scope documentation, and project scope report helps achieve the project goal. They should also properly understand how to achieve the project’s objectives.

• Avoidance of challenges - Project scope management helps to avoid the challenges that a project may experience with an extensive scope and requirement list being unruly.

The project design sets out explicitly what is included or un-included in the project. This governs what is inserted or omitted when the project is performed.

• Monitoring Structures - Project scope planning creates monitoring structures for the management of variables resulting in changes over the project lifecycle.

Without properly defining the project scope, it is almost impossible to estimate the time and cost, the project will take.

• Estimation of time and cost - Estimating the time and expense needed for the project without accurately identifying the nature of the project is extremely difficult.

Often, because of communication lack, the project’s scope can change drastically, which in turn can affect the cost and also cause variations in the project's schedule, resulting in losses. A scope management plan helps in the determination of time and cost needed by the project.

• Proper communication - Communication is considered to be the primary resource for both stakeholders and team leaders to effectively identify the value of project scope planning.

This process is performed to ensure and agree on how the goals of the project are being met.

At times, the scope may need to be changed due to a lack of communication, this in turn, directly affects the costs and disrupts the project's timetable, thereby causing losses.

What is a Project Scope Statement?

The scope of a project is a classic description of the extensive research needed for the successful completion or effective delivery of a project.

One of the duties of the project manager is to ensure the necessary work i.e., the scope is carried out so that each deliverable can be delivered within the assigned period and budget.

The project scope report should clarify the project objectives, define the roles of each team member, and develop processes for reviewing and authorizing a work that is completed.

The report can be addressed as per the scope statement, research statement, or terms of reference.

Steps Involved in the Process of Scope Management Plan 

The project manager needs to define the project scope no matter what methodology they choose. The steps involved include -

1) Defining the project needs

It is the first step in establishing deadlines for a project, allocating project resources, and setting targets for the project.

With the specified steps, a manager can easily acknowledge the work to be done, that is, the scope of the project needs to be defined. On completion, team members may be assigned tasks in the specified time and budget to provide guidance to execute a project.

2) Understanding the project objectives

In order to determine the scope of the project, it is necessary first to set the project's goals, which could include a unique product, building a recent service within the company, or developing a fresh piece of software.

There can be many objectives that can be central to a project; a project manager must ensure that the team delivers results according to the specified metrics.

3) Defining the project scope

The resources and methods which consider product creation are generally what defines the project scope. This scope majorly outlines the objectives that need to be met to achieve a satisfactory result.

To define the project scope, it is required to identify the project objectives, tasks, resources allocated, schedules, and the overall budget. When these criteria have been defined, the project limitations need to be explained, as well as the aspects not to be included in the identified project.

The scope of the project will make clear to stakeholders, senior management, and team members in the ultimate product or service decision-making.

In addition, the project scope will include a concrete goal for the company conducting the project. It is crucial to the project's reach as it will carry out a critical role in how project methodologies are used to complete the project.

4) Create a WBS

To create a work breakdown structure in Project Management with project scope baseline and document updates so that steps and deliverables are on track.

5) Validate the Scope

Project managers, stakeholders, and others ensure to define of accepted deliverables, changes, updates of work performance, and project documents.

5) Control Scope

Monitors project status, details of work performance, agreed requests or additional requirements, organizational process, and more, to ensure project management success.

Tips for Project Scope Management

There are always some common issues that arise while performing the Scope Management Plan for Projects. These can cause problems once the project has started, thus it is recommended to review all the Scope Management documentations considering  -

 • A possible ambiguity

Ambiguity in scope frequently leads to unnecessary confusion and additional work. To prevent this, the project scope needs to be precise and clearly defined.

 • The definitions that are Incomplete

Incomplete scopes often lead to schedule slips, which lead to wastage of time and also huge cost overruns. To escape this, the project scope has to be properly defined,  complete, and accurate.

 • Transient scope

Scope creep is caused by a transient scope and is a major cause of delayed deliveries and never-ending projects. It is required that the scope document should be finalized and remains unaltered throughout the project duration.

 • Distinctive Scope

An undefined project scope causes misinterpretations of the project’s unique designs and requirements. Therefore, the scope document needs to be shared with all the stakeholders and all others involved at every step of the defining process.

Conclusion

Project scope management is considered essential to implement the scope of management in a project and it is never a very challenging task; however, it requires effort, time, and patience.

It’s worth the investment because a proper Scope Management plan will support the project manager to specify a clear scope and deliver the project with minimal overruns.

With the aid of project scope planning, a project manager can effectively identify, monitor, and ensure the project deliverables are achieved, without any risk over the life cycle of the project and the stakeholders are satisfied with the investment they have.

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