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Project Management 101: How to Manage Project Scope?

Project managers today have to deal with a barrage of changes that result in delays, budget overruns, and other problems. However, not all the changes add value to the end project deliverable. That’s why it’s essential that project managers carefully manage the project scope.

Project scope is defined in PMBOK as the work that needs to be accomplished that result in a desired product or service outcome having the required functions and features. In this blog, we will provide some tips that can help project managers to effectively manage the project scope.

1. Make a Clear Scope Statement

Before commencing work on the project, it’s essential that the project manager should make a clear scope statement. The project scope should be made to ensure that only those work that will make a positive impact on the outcome should be undertaken. It’s important that the project manager ensures the activities will help in delivery of the project as per the customer’s specification.

Making a scope statement will define boundaries of the project. It will also establish responsibilities regarding every team member. Moreover, a clear scope statement will set up processes regarding how the completed work will be approved and verified.

2. Validation of the Project Scope

Validation of the project scope does not mean getting the approval of the stakeholders. Instead, validation of the project scope refers to setting up a structure that will determine which work is approved and disapproved. There must be a gatekeeper who should analyze each work prior to commencement. It should be carried out to ensure that the work conforms to the project scope.

3. Set Acceptance Criteria

Acceptance criteria should be set to ensure that the quality expectations of the customer are met. The criteria for accepting the work should be based on capacity, major function, running cost, accuracy, and resources availability.

4. Identify Project Constraints

Identifying project constraints can also help in managing project scope. It’s important that the project manager identifies technological, resource, and physical constraints. Identifying the constraints can help in specifying a more accurate scope of the project.   

5. Make Accurate Presumptions

The project scope should be based on accurate assumptions. In other words, a project manager must ensure that the customer requirements on which the project scope is based are accurate, certain, and true. This will avoid problems related to the project later down the road.

The above important tips can help project managers to effectively set and manage the project scope. The most important responsibility of a project manager is to ensure that the project gets completed as per the expectations of the customer. Scope management is important because it affects customer satisfaction and company’s bottom line.

Without defining the scope, the project is bound to run into problems including cost overruns and delays. Apart from scope management, it’s essential to use the right work management software so that the project gets completed within the time and budget specified in the project scope.