5.0 Project Scope Management

Project Scope Management includes the processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully5. Project scope management is primarily concerned with defining and controlling what is and is not included in the project. Figure 5-1 provides an overview of the Project Scope Management processes, and Figure 5-2 provides a process flow diagram of those processes and their inputs, outputs, and other related Knowledge Area processes.

5.1 Scope Planning – creating a project scope management plan that documents how the project scope will be defined, verified, controlled, and how the work breakdown structure (WBS) will be created and defined.

5.2 Scope Definition – developing a detailed project scope statement as the basis for future project decisions.

5.3 Create WBS – subdividing the major project deliverables and project work into smaller, more manageable components.

5.4 Scope Verification – formalizing acceptance of the completed project deliverables.

5.5 Scope Control – controlling changes to the project scope.

These processes interact with each other and with processes in the other Knowledge Areas as well. Each process can involve effort from one or more persons or groups of persons, based on the needs of the project. Each process occurs at least once in every project and occurs in one or more project phases, if the project is divided into phases. Although the processes are presented here as discrete components with well-defined interfaces, in practice they can overlap and interact in ways not detailed here. Process interactions are discussed in detail in Chapter 3.

In the project context, the term scope can refer to:

This chapter focuses on the processes used to manage the project scope. These project scope management processes, and their associated tools and techniques, vary by application area, are usually defined as part of the project life cycle (Section 2.1), and are documented in the project scope management plan. The approved detailed project scope statement and its associated WBS and WBS dictionary are the scope baseline for the project.

A project generally results in a single product, but that product can include subsidiary components, each with its own separate, but interdependent, product scope. For example, a new telephone system would generally include four subsidiary components—hardware, software, training, and implementation.

Completion of the project scope is measured against the project management plan (Section 4.3), the project scope statement, and its associated WBS and WBS dictionary, but completion of the product scope is measured against the product requirements. Project scope management needs to be well integrated with the other Knowledge Area processes, so that the work of the project will result in delivery of the specified product scope.

Figure 5-1. Project Scope Management Overview

Note: Not all process interactions and data flow among the processes are shown.

Figure 5-2. Project Scope Management Process Flow Diagram

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