Scope Management describes the processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully. It consists of initiation, scope planning, scope definition, scope verification, and scope change control. What does it involve? Also, what’s its true benefits? Scope Management can also be described as strategic plan used to ensure that all the required work and only the required work is performed to complete the project successfully.
This is accomplished by defining and controlling what is included in the project and what is not. What’s included in true scope management is listed as follows : 1. Collect requirements (or initiation) – Collect the requirements for the project based on the stakeholders’ needs, which will determine the project scope. 2. Define scope – Develop the description for the project and its products, which is the basis for the project scope. 3. Create the work breakdown structure – Decompose the project deliverables into smaller, more manageable work components.
The outcome of this exercise is called the work breakdown structure. 4. Verify scope – Plan how the completed deliverables of the project will be accepted. 5. Control scope – Control changes to the project scope-only the approved changes to the scope should be implemented. (Nowell,2013) The initiation phase involves the collection of the requirements for the project based on the client’s needs and as a result pretty much shapes the scope of the project. In the initiation phase the product description , the plan , the project selection criteria , historical information is acquired .
Once all that information is gathered management is able to use their project selection methods and expert judgement to place information into project charters, which are basically a document that formally recognizes the existence of a project and provides direction on the project’s objectives and management. They also identify the project manager in this phase. The next phase is the scope planning stage. This phases’ name pretty much describes everything that involves the process of documenting the project scope that produced the product of the project. its also used for future purposes.
Techniques used in this phase are product analysis, benefit and cost analysis. Also a scope statement is created in this phase. Scope statement is a document used to develop and confirm a common understanding of the project and is set to include the following: * project justification *brief description of the project products * a summary of all project deliverables The next phase is the scope verification phase which is the process of obtaining the formal acceptance of the project scope by the client. basically making sure that the work entailed and the results are all up to the clients satisfaction.
The next and final step is the scope change control phase. In this phase the basic concern is to influence the factors that create scope changes and ensure that the changes are agreeable to the client. Also this makes sure that the changes are actually managed when, or if, they occur. Project managers are assisted in this phase by scope change control systems and performance measurements. As a result, they are able to asses scope changes, make corrective actions, and adjust baselines. The benefits of scope management far outway the disadvantage personnel possibly being spread thin.
With the use of scope management knowledge and experience are pooled and amplified (Williams,2013) Project manager have the ability to pull the knowledge and experience of its entire employee staff, who are highly specialized in skill and sometimes complete projects way of ahead of schedule and also far surpass the expectation. They also create the possibility of conducting multiple projects at one time , which increases the companies production levels and also revenue. Scope management all in all , is a simple method that project management can nlist in small or large projects to make sure that everything works smoothly for their clients. In fact, it can be said that a project manager who doesn’t use scope management can be likened to a man who beats his sword into haystacks looking for blood.
Work Cited Newell. M. (2002). Preparing for Project Management Professional (2nd ed). New York: AMACOM. williams , J. (n. d. ). Advantages and disadvantages in a managing project scope development in a matrix organization. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness. chron. com/advantages-disadvantages-managing-project-scope-development-matrix-organization-34210. html
