If you want to set up a solid foundation for the entire project, defining a clear scope is the first step to take. Project success is almost guaranteed when you identify the necessary factors for starting the project, outline goals, and define ways to measure them.
The tendency to change project goals while it’s under development can cause a loss of direction, productivity, and morale.
Keep reading to discover what exactly the project scope is and how to write it. We’ve also prepared a template you can use to easily define your scope and keep your projects on track!
- Project managers define the scope in agreement with the stakeholders during the project’s planning phase.
- The scope is usually outlined in a document called the project scope statement of work.
- A well-written project scope should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based.
- Stakeholders must approve the final deliverables before the project starts, while project managers have to ensure the project sticks to them.
- Scope creep happens when stakeholders change the initial goals and deliverables throughout the project.
What is the project scope?
The project scope is an agreement between the project team and the stakeholders that sets the boundaries and expectations from the beginning of the project to its end.
The project scope is determined during the planning phase of the project and includes a clear definition of the project’s:
- Goal,
- Budget,
- Deliverables, and
- Due dates.
Experienced project managers know how to outline the project precisely so that there’s no misunderstanding during the development or once the final result is delivered.
In a way, that outline is the first line of defense from additional requests and project failure. So, managers create a detailed document at the beginning of the project’s development.
What is a project scope statement of work (SOW)?
The scope statement of work (SOW) is a document in which project managers define the project scope.
The scope statement defines all the work and criteria needed to complete a project. Therefore, it should include the following:
- Justification — identifies the need for the project,
- Goals — identifies what the project aims to achieve,
- Deliverables — includes a list and description of everything that the client will receive upon project completion,
- Limitations — all rules and guidelines that must be followed while the project is underway, including deadlines and budget constraints,
- Exceptions — a list of everything that the project won’t include, and
- Agreement — signatures of all key stakeholders as proof that all the involved parties have reviewed, understood, and approved the document.
Everything defined within the scope statement is within scope.
Everything defined in the “Exceptions” section of the document, and everything not defined in the document is considered out of scope.
A scope statement may include other elements, such as a project timeline, key milestones, or a complete list of shareholders — but the 6 elements mentioned above are necessary to successfully outline the project.
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The importance of defining the project scope
The importance of a defined scope may not be visible before the project starts, but it makes itself very clear once the team starts working, and the feedback starts coming in.
A scope statement allows project managers to stay focused only on what’s within the scope. This helps both project managers and other key shareholders stay within the previously defined and agreed boundaries.
The scope statement is important for project management because it:
- Serves as proof of the terms of the agreement,
- Serves as a reminder of all the project requirements,
- Protects the team from doing more work than necessary,
- Prevents the project requirements from spiraling out of control, and
- Prevents project failure.
How to determine and manage the project scope in 6 steps
The project scope serves to identify the actions needed to complete the project and ensure that everything goes according to plan during the project execution phase.
There are 6 steps a project manager must perform to properly manage the scope:
- Plan scope management,
- Collect requirements,
- Define the scope,
- Create the work breakdown structure (WBS),
- Validate the scope, and
- Control the scope.
Let’s get into the details of each step.
#1 Plan scope management
As the first step of scope management, scope management planning serves to create plans for how the next 5 scope management processes will be handled.
It can be performed either once, at the beginning of the project, or multiple times throughout the project. Its main goals are:
- Scope management plan — a plan that defines how the scope statement and the WBS will be created, as well as how validation will be obtained, and
- Requirements management plan — also known as the business analysis plan, which defines how the requirements will be documented, managed, and analyzed, and how the changes will be handled.
To properly plan scope management, it’s necessary to perform a detailed analysis of:
- Project charter,
- Project management plan,
- Organizational policies, and
- Enterprise environmental factors.
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#2 Collect requirements
Project managers need to collect information from clients, sponsors, and other key project stakeholders to determine and document their needs, wishes, and requirements regarding the project before defining the scope.
Requirements are often collected through:
- Interviews,
- Surveys,
- Questionnaires,
- Focus groups, and
- Benchmarking.
Similarly to scope management planning, requirements gathering can also be performed either once, at the beginning of the project planning, or at multiple agreed times throughout the project. Its main outputs are:
- Requirements documentation — a document that states the requirements and describes how they fit within the project’s business needs, and
- Requirements traceability matrix — a grid that traces requirements from the beginning until completion. It helps ensure that all of the initially defined requirements are delivered in a satisfactory way at the end of the project.
#3 Define the scope
Once the scope management plan is completed, and all the requirements are collected, it’s time to define the scope.
This is when the project manager creates the scope statement of work (SOW) — a document that will define the future development of the project.
To help you kick off your project planning, we’ve prepared a free editable scope statement template you can download below.
Get our project scope statement template
And if you prefer to fill out your templates with a pen, we’ve also prepared a print-friendly version.
Get our printable project scope statement template
A good project scope statement should be comprehensive and clearly written. According to the S.M.A.R.T. goal-setting method, project objectives should be:
- Specific,
- Measurable,
- Attainable,
- Relevant, and
- Time-based.
#4 Create a work breakdown structure (WBS)
In the fourth phase of scope management, the project manager creates the work breakdown structure, dividing larger chunks of a project into smaller sections that are easier to perform and manage. Essentially, a WBS is a thorough breakdown of the work that needs to be done to complete the project.
The main outputs of this scope management process are:
- Scope baseline — the approved versions of the scope statement, the WBS, and the WBS dictionary, and
- Project document updates — all previously created documentation that needs to be updated.
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To learn more about the scope baseline, check out our guide on the subject:
#5 Validate the scope
Scope validation refers to the approval of the final deliverables. It’s one of the most important stages in scope management as key stakeholders may request changes to the deliverables and give their official approval.
The manager should make sure this process is carried out throughout the project after each deliverable is submitted. Delaying approvals could cause bottlenecks with other related deliverables.
The main outputs of scope validation are:
- Accepted deliverables — formal documentation that contains the list of approved deliverables and the signatures of all key stakeholders,
- Work performance information — documentation explaining the project progress along with all the deliverables that were accepted or rejected,
- Change requests — documentation listing the deliverables that have not been accepted and the reasons for their rejection, along with the formal change requests, and
- Project document updates — all previously created documentation that needs to be updated.
#6 Control the scope
Finally, scope control is performed continuously throughout the project in order to monitor it and manage changes. It also ensures that all change requests are first processed through the previously established change control process.
This is an especially important step in scope management, and project management as a whole, as it helps prevent scope creep. Constant attempts to tweak or add requirements — without making corresponding adjustments to the budget and deadlines — can lead to scope creep and even project failure.
The main outputs of scope control are:
- Work performance information — describes the project’s progress, its level of adherence to the scope baseline, and all the changes and their impact on the budget and schedule,
- Change requests — a document consisting of formal, filled-out change requests,
- Project management plan updates — all changes made to the main documents in the project management plan (scope management plan, scope baseline, schedule baseline, cost baseline, performance measurement baseline, etc.), and
- Project document updates — all previously created documentation that needs to be updated.
Explore both basic and advanced project management terms in our Project Management Glossary of Terms to master managing projects efficiently!
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Feeling overwhelmed?
A project management tool like Plaky can be invaluable in helping you complete your projects while avoiding scope creep.
With its wide variety of project management features, Plaky can help you:
- Organize your workload and individual assignments in detailed items to make sure your team is working on the agreed requirements,
- Track progress and stay in the loop through comments,
- Facilitate efficient team communication — no matter where your team is working from, and
- Centralize document sharing so that it’s easier to keep an eye on project development and stay within scope.
Even better, Plaky offers a comprehensive free plan and many premium features in its affordable Pro and Enterprise plans. Plus, you can try out all of these features for 14 days for free!
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