It is the goal of project managers to run the project smoothly from initiation to completion without delays and exceeding budgets. It is impacted when the project’s scope is altered. If project managers do not keep an eye on the scope of the project, it might derail the project by disrupting the timeline and depleting the necessary resources. Project managers are necessitated to master Scope Management to execute effective projects. It helps them in documenting everything required to accomplish the project goal.
What Is Project Scope Management?
The Project Scope Management process entails the activities needed to successfully complete a project. It assists in determining and documenting all project goals, tasks, deliverables, timelines, and budgets required to execute the project. Furthermore, it ensures that only tasks required for the completion of a project are included in that project and eliminates redundant or unnecessary activity. Defining scope, in the beginning, enables project managers in handling and making necessary changes to the project.
Project Scope Management Process
The following are six processes involved in Project Scope Management:
Plan scope management
Project managers collect all input from project stakeholders during the planning phase. They create a document using these inputs to assist them in defining, managing, validating, and regulating the project’s scope. Scope management comprises a detailed project scope statement, a breakdown of all project requirements, expected project deliverables, and a process for managing project changes. The document does not need to be complex, lengthy, or formal; it only has to serve the goal.
Collect requirements
During this stage, project managers document all the project requirements, expectations, budgets, and deliverables in accordance with the expectations and requirements of the stakeholders. They use focus groups, interviews, surveys, and prototypes to obtain that information. Collecting project requirements helps in avoiding confusion, mistakes, and unpleasant circumstances as the project progresses through its completion stages. At the end of this stage, project managers have documentation comprising functional and non-functional requirements, stakeholder requirements, business requirements, support and training needs, and project requirements.
Define scope
After collecting the requirements, project managers develop a project scope statement which is a detailed description of the service or product that the project is striving to deliver. It clearly defines what is within the scope of the project and what is outside of it. In addition, it serves as a guide throughout the project. It is equally vital to highlight what is outside of the project scope in addition to outlining the project scope. This additionally helps to avoid doing unnecessary or irrelevant work as the statement explains why activities outside of scope should not be pursued.
Create a work breakdown structure
Project managers develop a project breakdown structure to break down entire project tasks into smaller individual tasks. It outlines all deliverables and their deadlines to all the team members involved in the project. Moreover, this aids in improved coordination and understanding of the process. Project managers also utilize project management software to allocate and prioritize project activities, making it easier to track the project’s overall progress and avoid unwanted roadblocks.
Validate scope
In this stage, project managers send the scope and deliverables they have documented to project executives, customers, and stakeholders for approval. It is critical to have scope verified so that if something goes wrong, project managers can easily pinpoint where it went wrong.
Control scope
Project managers constantly monitor project status to ensure that it remains within the defined scope. If something has to be changed, the project manager conducts a meeting with stakeholders and alters the scope accordingly.
PMBOK update
Initially, PMBOK covered project management knowledge domains, with each knowledge area followed by processes, inputs, tools, techniques, and outputs. However, PMBOK 7 focuses on tailoring, models, methods, artifacts, and performance domains. The eight performance domains are concerned with overall performance rather than the methods and techniques.
In PMBOK 6, there were five comprehensive domains for managing projects: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and controlling. These domains describe the procedures that project managers should follow for successfully completing a project. These standards, however, shift from project management procedures to project delivery principles in PMBOK 7th edition. These value delivery principles help project managers in delivering valuable outcomes.
Conclusion
One of the most difficult tasks for a project manager is managing the expectations of stakeholders and customers. However, defining the project scope, helps them to track and ensure that all the deadlines are met throughout the project life cycle. It also enables teams to manage their overall workload more efficiently. Implementing Scope Management requires a significant amount of time and effort as it ensures that only the essential processes are executed thereby managing time and resources.
