What is Project Scope?

Definitions, Explanations, and Everything Else You Need to Create a Credible Project Scope

Uh oh. Someone in your meeting mentions something about “project scope.” You freeze. You think you know what it means, but do you really?

Well, you can relax. Here’s all the information you need:

Project scope determines and documents the deliverables, tasks, costs, deadlines, and overall goals of a specific project. Essentially, it defines the boundaries of a project and all the things included within those boundaries. As you can imagine, there are lots of reasons why defining project scope at the outset is essential. Project scope helps to distinguish what is and is not involved in the project and controls what is allowed or removed during its execution.

Here are some other important reasons why project scope is important:

It ensures that your project stays on the right track, that it meets its deadlines, and that it stays within budget. It also clarifies the expectations of project stakeholders by helping them to understand exactly what is needed—time, resources, budget—to achieve its objectives.

By nature, projects are subject to change. So defining the scope helps to avoid or at least limit those changes. Project scope also helps the client—who is the beneficiary of the project itself—clearly understand the project’s ultimate objectives. By defining those objectives and agreeing on them with the client, you’ll avoid disappointment or unmet expectations, not to mention (gulp!) cost overruns.

Finally, defining project scope empowers project managers with the understanding of what needs to be done. Without that understanding, they would have no idea how to schedule the proper time and adequate resources necessary to achieve the project’s goals.

So, how would you go about defining a project’s scope?

Here Are Key Steps to Defining Project Scope

1. First, you need to identify and agree on, the project’s objectives, and by objectives, that could also mean “” These are the assets you’ve agreed to deliver.
2. Define the resources you’ll need to achieve your objectives. This can be referred to as your Resource Plan. If your team can’t supply adequate bandwidth, you won’t be able to get the job done, plain and simple.
3. After you’ve compiled your information related to budget, resources, scheduling, and project objectives, you’re ready to create a Project Scope Statement. This statement outlines everything everyone agreed to as being mission-critical. More on this here.
4. Get buy in! Every project is driven by stakeholders, and these stakeholders have a keen interest in ensuring their objectives are realized. The key is to make certain everyone—project managers, project team, and stakeholders—is on the same page and agrees on the deliverables.
5. With complex projects that include multiple stakeholders, many of whom might have a different view of its objectives, change is inevitable. Timelines change frequently. Be prepared by establishing a Change Control Process. This is a formal process helpful for getting change approvals.
6. Once your stakeholders have signed off on the scope, then it’s time to share it with your team; those folks responsible for executing the project. Are they all in alignment with those deliverables? Are there scheduling conflicts? If so, you’ll hear about it!

What Is a Project Scope Statement?

Project scope is just something people talk about in meetings until it’s codified into a meaningful document. In this case, the project manager’s responsibility is to ensure that the work—and only the work required to meet the project’s goals—will be performed and that each of the deliverables will be completed in the allotted time and within budget.

Here’s what a Project Scope Statement could include:

• Introduction/Explanation of the Project: This is critical background information that details why this project is important. What are the major benefits? What is going to be accomplished and what issues will it help resolve?
• Description: Here’s where the project manager comprehensively defines the set of products, components, or features required by the project.
• Stakeholders: These are the people responsible for rationalizing and illustrating the project’s objectives and why these objectives are important to the company.
• Objectives/Deliverables: It is the project manager’s role to consult with the various stakeholders to come up with an agreed-upon summary of goals.
• Limitations/Exclusions: In a complex project with multiple stakeholders, it is useful to define what is NOT included in the project, to avoid confusion. This would be a good place to identify potential roadblocks as well.
• Project Team: This would, of course, be a description of the people responsible for doing the actual work, and the roles they play in its execution.

Here’s a quick outline of a Project Scope Statement:

 Introduction

Website, commissioned by (Client), represented by Manager/Stakeholder Name, will be created for the client’s online store. 

Main Project’s Description

The main objective of this project is to create a fully functional website with an online store capable of supporting extensive traffic. The operation will include:

• Task 1 Research…
• Task 2 Write…
• Task 3Design…
• Task 4 Implement…
• Task 5 Identify security protocol…
• Task 6 Prepare for launch…

Stakeholders: Listing of the people with a focused interest in this project.

Project Deliverables 

Based on the project’s scope, the main project deliverables will include:

• Research report, due in 7 days
• Website back end, within 3 months after the research results have been accepted
• Website front end, within 3 months after the report results have been accepted.

Project Exclusions 

The project will not include further maintenance of the website or any further updates to its code.

Project Constraints

The project may include some changes to the scope, provided it won’t impact its main objective. The project must not exceed the budget.

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Scope Creep and How to Avoid It

It’s bound to happen. The project scope you worked so hard on, that was so neat and tidy (not to mention greenlighted), is feeling the pressure. People are already asking for changes and it hasn’t even begun! This phenomenon is called scope creep and, for project managers, it’s wicked stressful. Here are a few ways that your scope can “creep.”

• Objectives: It’s not uncommon for stakeholders to request changes to a project’s scope, even when it’s been agreed on.
• Budget: Money goes fast and what once seemed like a good estimate is now feeling paltry.
• Time: All of a sudden, your chief content writer, the one everyone likes, got pulled into an executive project, delaying the deadline.

You can do your best to avoid these creepy things by making sure all stakeholders are 100% on board at the outset, by highlighting potential limitations or roadblocks in your project scope statement, and by having the foresight to identify (and resolve) problems before they arise.

Project Scope vs. Product Scope

Are you confusing these terms? Understandable. They kinda look alike. Here’s the difference: Product scope includes the features, functions, and characteristics of a product or a service. Project scope is, as we’ve discussed, those tasks required to deliver that product or service.

Project Scope in the L&D Space

Of course, defining project scope in L&D initiatives like training programs or learning modules is critical. Why? Because it’s essential to establish boundaries regarding what is being taught and what is being learned. When a corporation agrees to a training program it is for a specific purpose, to enhance a specific skill, or to fill a gap that exists in the workplace. Agreeing beforehand on the scope of an L&D project helps to avoid confusion or disappointment.

The way to make sure the scope is agreed upon in this scenario is the same as in other corporate scenarios. Educators, program developers, and stakeholders come together to outline the specific goals of the project, decide on its takeaways, and how the information will be delivered. This concensus should prevent the kind of scope creep that frequently accompanies vaguely defined projects, and ensure that the training remains focused and effective.

Training objectives must align with organizational goals so that everyone comes away thinking the same thing: that this educational/training/development program will result in a win for the client.

Conclusion

It takes time to understand and manage the scope of a project skillfully, which is why project management is such a critical business function. Not everyone can jump into project management and figure this out on the fly without taking a few lumps. Getting a jump on managing projects by putting a little extra time in envisioning scope and developing a project scope statement will go a long way towards achieving consistently successful projects.