Project SCOPE MANAGEMENT
(APM PMQ Blog)
Brought to You by Dave Litten APMP
The partnership of scope and requirements
Scope and requirements definition are the processes that ensure the project includes all the work required to complete it, and then go on to define the work.
They define the structures that enable the planning, scheduling and budgeting exercise is to be undertaken in a structured manner. This will facilitate the control of the project as it enters its implementation or execution stages.
The management of scope should rigorously prevent “scope creep”. This is the colloquial term given to any scope that is added or undertaken which is not validated and authorized by the project scope definition or change control process.
These processes control how the project scope is developed and verified, and go on to clearly define who is responsible for managing the project scope and act as a guide for controlling the scope.
A scope definition is the process of developing the description of the project and its deliverables.
A scope management should ensure that all work is specified, and later had done, is related to the project objectives. It is also important to clearly establish what is excluded from the project scope. The business plan or business case will define the breadth of the project scope.
The scope management process
A scope definition – The initial part of the process defines the requirements of the project. This will include a discussion with a range of stakeholders, such as potential suppliers, to determine what is possible, research and development areas, policy, legal and more.
To carry this out, the following techniques can be used:
- Build method
- Brainstorming
- Accurate and agreed requirements setting and capture
- Stakeholder and end user management via interviews and analysis
- Assumptions management by creating and assumptions list
- Product analysisOptions analysis
- Facilitated workshops
The project manager is responsible for carrying out refinement and agreement of the scope of the project executive, sponsor, programme manager, end user and other key stakeholders to ensure that the project delivers a relevant and appropriate solution.It is essential that these key individuals sign up to their agreement of scope and that this is recorded in the project management plan.Once the scope has been agreed it should be put under formal change control process, as scope creep and uncontrolled change our common causes of project failure.
Describing the scope – When a solution has been identified that meets the stakeholder’s criteria and requirements, the scope of work is divided into various hierarchical breakdown structures.
Such breakdown structures may include:
Product breakdown structure (PBS)
Whilst not all industries and sectors will use a PBS, it can be used as an interim step towards generating a WBS. It is developed at the start of the project when the product or outcomes have been scoped and agreed.
The PBS breaks down all necessary outcomes of a project.
Work breakdown structure (WBS)
The WBS breaks down or groups all activities within a project, and can be further broken down into work packages and planning packages.
Organisation breakdown structure (OBS)
This is a hierarchical structure showing organisational accountability for the project and does not need to reflect the organisational structure of the company, just a project accountability.
The OBS is defined down to the level of management control required in the WBS. Roles are usually used in the OBS rather than names of individuals.
Responsibility assignment matrix (RAM)
The RAM designates the responsibility of work packages to a team or individual. The RAM is a cross-reference of the WBS and OBS. The following diagram shows how the RAM is structured and used:
Cost breakdown structure (CBS)
The CBS provides a financial review of the project and spits the project scope into its individual costs components.The CBS often highlights any financial coding used for the business Accounting System and any booking codes associated with each element of the project.
Resource breakdown structure (RBS)The RBS organizes the project resources in a hierarchical list that is used to plan and control the project. The structure is not usually identical to the CBS, but there will be a relationship between them.
To summarise: a PBS does you what the product is; the WBS closure about not only the product but the supporting services and how you deliver them; the OBS tells you who has project accountability for elements of the WBS; the RAM shows you the control points for management; the CBS records the costs; and the RBS defines the type of resource and resources on the project.
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