Find Out How To Determine Scope in Project Management

As organisations become more project-driven, it’s important to grasp the key principles of project management before the start of a multilayered project. The first step towards success is to determine exactly what the business requirements are and set clear objectives. This will influence the project cost, its completion time frame, and at what quality standard.

Find out more about the importance of setting precise business objectives from Derek Smith, Guest Lecturer on the Advanced Project Management online short course from the University of Cape Town.

Transcript

The transition, from the often-vague business requirements, to the specific details of the product being created is not always easy to do. It requires considerable effort by the project manager and the key stakeholders. My initial project objective for my project is to decorate a room.

So, let’s be more precise at this stage, if we can be and let’s produce a better objective, which is to redecorate my lounge. It’s important to be as precise as possible in stating your project objectives using all the known facts.

In project scope management, the challenge is to determine, agree, and document what the scope is and what it isn’t.

Okay, so let’s think about the project objectives and the lounge I’m in. Where do we start with scoping? Remember the iron triangle includes scope, time, cost, and quality. Changes in one will affect the others. So, scope planning will be iterative and not linear. So, from the business case, what is a reasonable budget for my lounge redecoration? What is the timeline? What quality issues are involved?

When considering these issues, we might make some detailed observations. For example, we’re going to paint the walls and we’re going to use cheap paint. Or perhaps are we going to use more expensive paint that’s washable? What colour will the paint be? Who will be doing the painting? Me? My spouse? A professional? These all need to be considered.

Once we’ve made decisions like this, we will document them. They are project assumptions and at some stage they should be discussed and agreed on with the key stakeholders. So, let’s take a closer look at the project example. This lounge has a carpet, white walls, a high wooden ceiling, wooden windows, and several doors.

One of the biggest concerns in scoping is determining what is in scope and what is out of scope. The issue here, for me anyway, is about boundaries and interfaces. The products we produce do not work in isolation. So, we need to consider how they connect to other products and services.

Inside the room, we have many sockets and light switches. So, do we take off the covers of these when painting? Or do we merely paint around them?

The room is a natural boundary, but the doors and windows are interfaces to other areas. We need to consider these carefully. First of all, one door doesn’t work particularly well. Do we have to fix this door as part of the project? Can we do it ourselves? Will we need a professional joiner? What is the impact on the budget?

So, boundaries and interfaces must be clearly delineated, and decisions have to be made, and communicated, and agreed on, and documented.

So, scoping what’s in and what’s not in? Along with the interfaces, this is all vital information that you, the project manager, need to analyze and understand with your project team, of course.

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