

prevents projects, particularly complex ones, from expanding beyond the established vision.Įstablishing project scope ensures that projects are focused and executed to expectations.helps focus team members on common objectives and.provides a roadmap that managers can use to assign tasks, schedule work and budget appropriately.articulates what the project entails so that all stakeholders can understand what's involved.The benefits a project scope statement provides to any organization undertaking a new initiative include the following: Writing a project scope statement that includes information on the project deliverables is a first step in project planning.

The importance of defining a project's scope As part of scope management, the team leader should ask for approvals and signoffs from stakeholders as the project proceeds, ensuring that the proposed finished project meets everyone's needs. That ensures everyone on the team understands the extent of the project and agrees upon exactly how the project's goals will be met. Scope creep is a situation in which one or more parts of a project end up requiring more work, time or effort because of poor planning or miscommunication.Įffective scope management requires good communication. When documenting a project's scope, stakeholders should be as specific as possible to avoid scope creep. If a project has been effectively "scoped" at the beginning, then approving and managing these changes will be easier. Large projects tend to change as they progress. Note that a project's scope statement should not be confused with its charter a project's charter simply documents that the project exists. The scope statement also provides the team with guidelines for making decisions about change requests during the project. It explains the boundaries of the project, establishes responsibilities for each team member and sets up procedures for how completed work will be verified and approved.ĭuring the project, this documentation helps the project team remain focused and on task. The documentation of a project's scope is called a scope statement or terms of reference. Project scope is the part of project planning that involves determining and documenting a list of specific project goals, deliverables, tasks, costs and deadlines.
