|
Definition: The scope statement provides a documented basis for making future project decisions and for confirming or developing common understanding of project scope among the stakeholders.
As the project progresses, the scope statement may need to be revised or refined to reflect approved changes to the scope of the project. The scope statement should include, either directly or by reference to other documents:
• Project justification—the business need that the project was undertaken to address. The project justification provides the
basis for evaluating future tradeoffs
• Project's product—a brief summary of the product description
• Project deliverables—a list of the summary-level sub products whose full and satisfactory delivery marks completion of the project. For example, the major deliverables for a software development project might include the working computer code, a user manual, and an interactive tutorial. When known, exclusions should be identified, but anything not explicitly
included is implicitly excluded
• Project objectives—the quantifiable criteria that must be met for the project to be considered successful. Project objectives must include at least cost, schedule, and quality measures.
Project objectives should have an attribute (e.g., cost), a metric (e.g., United States [U.S.] dollars), and an absolute or relative value (e.g., less than 1.5 million). Unquantified objectives (e.g., “customer satisfaction”) entail high risk to successful accomplishment.
Acceptance Level: Generally accepted
Alternative or Related Terms: None
Application Areas/Intended Uses: All complex or major projects
Chief Advantages: Provides essential input to the scope management process and supports development of the work breakdown structure.
Additional Reading:
Climbing Out of the Scope Definition Tar Pit. Lois Zells. PMI 2000
Seminars & Symposium Proceedings, Houston, Texas USA.
|
