The scope statement itself can be a very short document and as little as one sentence. It can also be several paragraphs long with definitions, not only of the scope, but the major deliverables within it. On a larger project for a client or a project involving multiple functional areas, the scope can be a substantial document. The most foolish mistake of all is to begin work on the project without having a clear scope statement. Then the project drifts from objective to objective with no one really understanding what we expect of them or what they will get from the project.
Another common mistake is to avoid all of the conflict that should accompany the definition of a project scope. That conflict is necessary to resolve differences between executives and stakeholders as to what the project should deliver. It is far better to have this conflict during the initiation phase than to start work and argue about it every week. A common way that people avoid this conflict is to produce a scope statement that no one objects to because it is vague and wishy-washy. Unfortunately having avoided the first conflict we have conflicts every week as people argue about the scope.
The video discusses the common practices project managers follow control scope and show you an example meeting between a project manager and two stakeholders that ends in conflict and complaints to the project sponsor. Then after an analysis by Dick Billows, PMP, of why the meeting failed, we see the same PM handle the stockholders using best practice techniques which leads to a positive result.
How to Define the Project Scope |
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Step number |
Responsibility of |
Actions to take |
1 |
Project manager-during initial scope discussion |
Project manager explains what the scope statement is, clarifying that the scope is not a vague mission statement. Rather, the scope statement defines the product, what the project will produce. In other words, the scope defines the deliverable of the project. That deliverable has metrics associated with it so that we can objectively measure whether the project has delivered what was promised. |
2 |
Project manager-during the scope discussion |
It’s best to come prepared with examples of good scope statements. As an example, a scope statement of “world-class customer service,” would be disastrous for a project because everybody has different interpretations of what excellent means. In addition, it’s very hard to say what should be included in a project aimed at excellent customer service. On the other hand, a project with the scope of, “less than 1% of the customers complain about our service,” is crystal clear in defining success. We can use it to exclude unnecessary items. If someone suggests a requirement that we do not need to lower the complaint rate to 1%, it should not be included in the project. |
3 |
Project manager-during discussion about planning as we go |
Has to explain to the sponsor that the project team will wander if they don’t have the objective of the whole project clearly in sight. They can certainly start working on things but many of those things will be wrong in the sense that they do not contribute to the eventual scope the executive wants. |
4 |
Project manager when dealing with requests to change the scope of the project. |
Once we begin to execute the plan, any changes to the scope are almost certain to increase duration and cost. The reason for this is that team member assignments will have to be changed and some of the work that’s already been done may be wasted. |
Deep Dive on This Topic with Additional Articles:
Getting a New Project Assignment & Planning it Properly
Project Planning & Achievements
Project Planning: Using the Project Charter to Solve Problems
