GBADE PRAISE OLUWATOSIN

PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT, November 28th, 2018

WHAT DO YOU UNDERSTAND BY SCOPE IN PROJECT

MANAGEMENT?
For a project to be successful, there must be a simultaneous balance among the parameter or
elements of the project. These elements are interrelated. Most of the elements are:
• the Objective
• fix-time scale
• teamwork
• no practices, no rehearsal
• Occurrence of Change
• Scope
• complexity
• risk and uncertainty
• competition
• consumer relationship
• tight constraint

WHAT IS SCOPE?

According to PMBOK® ‘Project Scope’ is defined as the “The work that needs to be
accomplished to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions.”
The project scope is a document that defines the parameters and factors that define a system and
determine the behaviour of the project, what work is done within the boundaries of the project
and the work that is outside the project boundaries.
It is a detailed set of deliverables or features of a project. These deliverables are derived from a
project’s requirements. This is, what will fit within the specific project and what will be done.
The project execution plan defines how the work will be accomplished. Getting the right
information required to start a project, and the features of the product, would meet its owner or
stakeholders’ requirements.
When a project starts, there is a need to have a clear picture of all the work that needs to happen
on the project. Once a project scope is completed and approved, tasks are effectively allocated
and given to each team with directions on what they each need to do to meet the target timelines
and costs. To also ensure the project progresses, there is a need to keep that scope up to date and
written down in the project’s scope management plan. The documentation of a project's scope is
called a scope statement.
The Scope can be referred as either ‘Product Scope’ or ‘Project Scope.’ It is important to know
the difference.
‘Product scope’ are the features and functions that characterise a product, service, or result It
deals with more oriented toward functional requirements (the whats).
‘Project scope’ however, is all the work needed to deliver a product, service, or result as defined
in product scope. It deals with more work-oriented (the hows),
A project scope is the common understanding among stakeholders about what goes into a project
and what factors defines its success. it is made up of the functionalities or specifications outlined
in the requirements.

SCOPE STATEMENT
The scope of work (SOW) is typically a written document that defines what work will be
accomplished by the end of the project, that is, the deliverables of the project. The project scope
defines what will be done, and the project execution plan defines, how the work will be
accomplished.
No template works for all projects. Some projects have a very detailed scope of work, and some
have a short summary document. The quality of the scope is measured by the ability of the
project manager and project stakeholders to develop and maintain a common understanding of
what products or services the project will deliver. The size and detail of the project scope is
related to the complexity profile of the project. A more complex project often requires a more
detailed and comprehensive scope document.
According to the PMI, the scope statement should include the following:
• Description of the scope
• Product acceptance criteria
• Project deliverables
• Project exclusions
• Project constraints
• Project assumptions

The scope document is the basis for agreement by all parties. A clear project scope document is
also critical to managing changes on a project. Since the project scope reflects what work will be
accomplished on the project, any change in expectations that is not captured and documented
creates the opportunity for confusion. One of the most common trends on projects is the
incremental expansion in the project scope. This trend is labelled “scope creep.” Scope creep
threatens the success of a project because the small increases in scope require additional
resources that were not in the plan. Increasing the scope of the project is a common occurrence,
and adjustments are made to the project budget and schedule to account for these changes. Scope
creep occurs when these changes are not recognized or not managed. The ability of a project
manager to identify potential changes is often related to the quality of the scope documents.
Events do occur that require the scope of the project to change. Changes in the marketplace may
require change in a product design or the timing of the product delivery. Changes in the client’s
management team or the financial health of the client may also result in changes in the project
scope. Changes in the project schedule, budget, or product quality will have an effect on the
project plan. Generally, the later in the project the change occurs, the greater the increase to the
project costs. Establishing a change management system for the project that captures changes to
the project scope and assures that these changes are authorized by the appropriate level of
management in the client’s organization is the responsibility of the project manager. The project
manager also analyses the cost and schedule impact of these changes and adjusts the project plan
to reflect the changes authorized by the client. Changes to the scope can cause costs to increase
or decrease.

THE IMPORTANCE OF DEFINING SCOPE IN A PROJECT

Here are the benefits of a Scope in a project to any organization undertaking a new initiative.
• It articulates what the project entails so that all stakeholders can understand what's
involved.
 • It provides a roadmap that managers can use to assign tasks, schedule work and budget
appropriately.
• It helps focus team members on common objectives.
• It prevents projects, particularly complex ones, from expanding beyond the established
vision.
• Establishing scope, to ensures projects are focused and executed to expectations. The
scope provides a strong foundation for managing a project as it moves forward and helps
ensure that resources aren't diverted or wasted on out-of-scope elements

STEPS FOR DEFINING THE SCOPE OF A PROJECT

To define the scope of the project, identify the following:
• Project objectives
• Goals
• Sub-phases
• Tasks
• Resources
• Budget
• Schedule

PROCESS INVOLVED IN SCOPE TO DEFINE A PROJECT PARAMETER

The PMBOK recognizes 6 major scope management processes involved in managing and
defining a project’s parameters. These are:
1. Planning scope management: A scope management plan is created based on input from the
project plan, the project charter, and consultation with stakeholders.
2. Collecting requirements: A requirements management plan is created based on the scope
management plan plus stakeholder input. Interviews focus group discussions, surveys, and more
will be used to understand requirements. This will all be documented.
3. Defining scope: A project scope statement is produced based on all the requirements
documentation plus the project charter and the scope management plan. This definition will be
the basis for all project activity.
4. Creating the Work Breakdown Structure: A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is built after
analysing the project scope statement and the requirements documentation. The WBS is basically
the entire project broken down into individual tasks, and deliverables are clearly defined.
5. Validating scope: Here, deliverables are inspected and reviewed. Either they’re accepted as
complete or further revisions are requested.
6. Controlling scope: As the project is executed, scope must be controlled. Performance reports
are compared against project requirements to see where gaps exist, which may result in changes
to the project plan.

SORCES
https://opentextbc.ca/projectmanagement/chapter/chapter-9-scope-planning-project-
management/
https://www.simplilearn.com/project-scope-management-importance-rar89-article
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scope_(project_management)
https://www.wrike.com/project-management-guide/faq/what-is-scope-in-project-management/