Project Scope
Project scope is the combination of both product and non-product scope.
Product Scope + Non-Product Scope = Project Scope
‘Non-Product Scope’
(‘HOW’ of the Product)
How to achieve the Product: Planning, Execution, Management, Logistics etc.)
Product Scope
(‘WHAT’ & ‘WHAT NOT’ of the Product)
Note: Scope ‘Exclusions’ must be in context & realistic
Scope Statement
Scope Statement is the Description of the Project Scope, Major Deliverables, Acceptance Criteria and Exclusions. The basic question any scope statement answers is “what do we produce in this project?”. And the answer creates a bigger picture view of what the project is all about.
Scope Statement Example
Project Scope
Pathways Event Managers will plan, organize and implement an eastern-themed wedding for Mr. Faraz. The project starts with Invitations and culminate in Valima. The wedding will be subject to Govt of Pakistan laws on holding such events. Menus will be one-dish and there shall be no fireworks or aerial firing
Major Deliverables
- Invitation Cards includes their dispatch and RSVP
- Mehndi at home. Pathways will provide complete furnishing, catering and full media (music, still and video photography, both from ground and drone)
Barat
- Decorated car plus two air-conditioned buses.
- Military band.
- Media (Surface photography).
4.Valima
- Catering & Furnishing.
- One decorated car plus one air-conditioned bus
- Full Media.
Acceptance Criteria
- Design of Invitation Cards, and Valima Venue & Menu to be approved by the customer
- Food will be sampled by the customer at a mutually agreed time
Exclusions
- Bride and Groom’s dresses.
- Customs and rites, including any arrangement required
Elements of a Scope Statement Examples
The ‘sewerage water treatment’ plant at Lahore has following scope elements. We must identify these elements in the scope statement according to their situations.
- Quality of treated water to be according to the World Health Organization Standards. (Constraint)
- Plants to be imported from Germany. (constraints)
- Plant operators will be trained by the German manufacturer. (Tactical Goals)
- Kits and Labs for testing the treated water not part of this project. (Excluded Scope)
- Reduction in Lahore City’s contaminated water to 0% by 2025. (Strategic Goals)
- Land and utilities will be provided by Lahore Development Authority. (Key Assumptions)
- Establishment of sewerage water treatment plant at a cost of Rs 1 billion. (Strategic Goal)
- The Chief Minister would like to inaugurate the plant in the last week of June. (Milestone, Key Assumptions)
Scope Planning
We say, “The Scope has been Baselined”. The Scope Statement, the WBS and the WBS Dictionary together are called the Scope Baseline. Scope is baseline only after it has been approved and signed by the Project Sponsor
Controlling the Scope
When the Project starts executing, its Scope is controlled; i.e. the Deliverable(s) is(are) created exactly as per Scope, NEITHER LESS, NOR MORE
Changes to the Scope
Good Changes to Scope make the product better with very little downside.
Bad Changes to Scope are uncontrolled changes that make the product costlier and/or take longer, though they may seem like a good idea from the outside. Examples of such changes are the Scope Creep and Gold Plating
Scope Creep
Scope creep is expansion of Project Scope as the Customer or Stakeholder add more Requirements; go for Scope Change.
Gold Plating
Gold plating is giving extras to the Customers to please him; reduced profit margin or offsetting the cost of gold plating by cutting on Quality or making cuts on Scope elsewhere.