Naturally, every Project Manager will be interested in making sure that the project they handle goes on smoothly without any hindrance right from the initiation to the completion. Also, almost all of them wish that there should not be any delays and instances of projects going beyond the budget. But, this desire of Project Managers rarely becomes a reality. 

Even, if the Project Manager discusses everything in detail with the stakeholders, there is always something that modifies the scope of the project when the project moves on. Most Project Managers feel that scope creep is a big concern that they face in almost half of the projects they handle. When the scope of the project is rightly managed, it will be possible and easier to document everything needed to achieve the goal of the project and hindrances like scope creep.

Project Scope – Meaning:

What is scope in Project Management? In any project, the term scope is used for denoting the detailed set of features or deliverables of the project. The Project Management arrives at these deliverables from the requirements of the project. In short, the project scope is nothing but the work that should be accomplished for delivering an outcome, a service or a product with a particular set of functions or features.

In the project planning process, developing the project scope is the first step. Typically, it involves drawing up a list of everything required for creating a project framework. In other words, the project scope should talk about the tasks, functions, features, deliverables and goals of a project. Even, it will talk about the costs and deadlines associated with the project. 

For any project, there should be a statement that describes the project goals. This statement should talk about limitations, dependencies and assumptions. It is called a scope statement and preparing this statement is the first step when planning any project.

Project Scope Management – The Meaning:

Project scope management denotes the total amount of work that should be done to deliver the product or service with the particular features and functions expected. It encompasses everything that must get into the project. Even it decides what defines the success of the project. When a Project Manager does not have a proper project scope management plan in place, there is a good chance that the team is engaged in doing unnecessary things to complete the project at hand. Also, there is a chance that the team members will waste most of their time planning what to do next. So, effective Project Management is essential for the success of a project.

Importance of Project Scope:

As a Project Manager, you should know what is project scope. It is equally important for you to be aware of what is scope management. Also, it is crucial to know the importance of project scope. But, before understanding the importance, it is better to know what should be part of the scope statement for any project.

• Assumptions: Any assumptions made for the project and the effects of these assumptions on the outcome of the project.

• Restrictions: Any issues related to technology or resources that can restrict the smooth moving forward of the project.

• Success Criteria: It is nothing but the key components that will help with the success of the project. This criterion should be decided based on the things agreed upon with stakeholders and clients after discussions.

• Project Description: It gives an overview of the project outcome.

• Business Case: The business case should say why is the project important and what are the outcomes expected from the project on its successful completion.

Once the manager of a project defines these factors within the framework of a project, it will be easier to manage the scope of the project. A Project Manager should always keep track of the scope statement. The reason is that losing track of the project scope is one of the important reasons for a project to fail.

Coming back to the importance of project scope, it is crucial for many valid reasons. One of the biggest challenges faced by Project Managers is to meet the expectations and demands of stakeholders and clients. With the presence of distinct project scope, it will be possible for every team member of a project to stay on the same page with other members of the project team. Particularly, the scope statement can ensure that this happens all through the cycle of the project. Above all, it is important to have a proper project scope statement for the reasons listed below:

The project scope statement helps to avoid problems caused by:

• Constantly changing requirements

• Requirements that should be rethought when the project has already started moving forward

• The outcome is not as per the client’s requirements

• The budget goes more than planned

• The project is moving forward very slowly compared to the schedule

Effective scope management will aid in preventing some of these issues mentioned above. The scope management can do it by clearly explaining and  communicating the scope to all parties involved in the project. Also, it helps to differentiate what is and what is not part of the project. Even, it helps with controlling what is removed or allowed. The good thing about scope management is that it establishes control factors. These factors can be used for addressing elements that bring changes during the lifecycle of the project.

Project scope is crucial for any project. The reason is that without the scope, it will be hard for the Project Managers to know the labor, cost and time involved in the project. In other words, the scope of a project provides the basis for every decision a Project Manager will make on a task and when it should be changed. The Project Manager can make sure of success in every path forward with proper communication.

Importance of Proper Project Scope Management:

What is the importance of project scope management? For a Project Manager, one of the challenging tasks is to manage the expectations of clients and stakeholders as mentioned earlier. When he has a definite scope in hand, a Project Manager will be in a position to easily stay on track. He can also make sure that the deadlines are rightly followed all through the lifecycle of the project.

A well-defined project scope management is important for the reasons listed below:

• To prevent falling behind the schedules in the project

• To stop the project from going beyond the planned budget

• For spotting immediately when the project is not moving towards the desired outcome

• For pivoting the project when it has already started to move forward

• For effective management of requirements that constantly change

In short, effective project scope management will help Project Managers get a clear idea of the cost, labor and time involved in the project. It aids them to differentiate what is not required and what is required for the project to move forward as expected. Even, the scope in Project Management establishes the control factors for addressing elements that might experience changes in the lifecycle of the project.

Steps in Project Scope Management:

With the importance of project scope management known, it is better to be aware of the steps involved in project scope management:

1. Plan your Scope:

The first step in project scope management is to plan the scope properly. In this phase, you will have to gather inputs from all the stakeholders. Along with the stakeholders, a Project Manager will have to discuss, decide and should document how they want to control, validate, manage and define the scope of the project. Even, the scope management plan should encompass information on how the project will be handled when something unexpected happens. It will show how will be the deliverables accepted and how to arrive at key elements that include a work breakdown structure and a scope statement.

2. Gather Requirements:

From this step, as a Project Manager, you will get a clear idea of what your stakeholders expect and how you will be managing their expectations. In this phase, you will have to create a written statement on what is expected as the outcome of the project. You can gather the required information for this phase through surveys, interviews, focus groups or by creating prototypes. With this phase of project scope management, it will be possible to prevent many frustrations caused by hurdles coming in the way of the project.

3. Defining the Scope:

Once you decide how to create a project scope statement after understanding the expected deliverables, you are ready to explain what is in the scope. Even, you can explain what is out of the scope at this stage. The scope statement you prepare at this phase will serve as a guide all through the project. The members of your team can refer to this statement for clarifications on what is involved and what is not involved in a particular job.

The next few steps involved in the project scope management process are the creation of the work breakdown structure, validating the scope and scope controlling 

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