OBS 220
Chapter 7: Scope Planning
Scope planning process:
1. Plan scope management
Plan scope management- process of developing a plan that includes
the total scope of what needs to be done and what is excluded from the
project, implementation and validation of the scope, and control
deviations from the scope statement
TOTAL SCOPE= PRODUCT SCOPE + PROJECT SCOPE
Product scope- outputs the team will deliver to its customers
Project scope- work needed to be performed in order to deliver the
project’s outputs
Exclusions, constraints, and assumptions- anything that will limit or
influence the project work
2. Collect project requirements
Requirement- condition or capability needed by a user to solve a
problem or achieve an objective that satisfies a standard, a
specification, or any other formally documented need.
Functional/technical- focus on the needs assessment exercises and on
the performance of the deliverable. Non-functional requirements
include requirements such as scalability, reliability, maintainability, and
testability. Once captured, these customer wants and needs are then
stated in operational terms that the people performing the project work
can use to plan that work.
Collect requirements- systematic effort to understand and analyse
stakeholder needs to define and document these needs and
requirements with a focus on meeting project objectives
Ensure that the project team is clear on the project objectives
Accomplished by reviewing project charter
Project team members describe expected project benefits and
what problems the project is attempting to overcome
Complex projects; project manager may choose to use idea
generation, grouping, and/or cause-and-effect techniques,
making sure everyone knows why project is conducted
Understanding broad project objectives is especially useful with
multifunctional, virtual, and global project teams
Gather stakeholder input and needs
Megan Meiring
, traditional methods of obtaining and documenting requirements:
meetings with key stakeholders, interviews, focus groups,
questionnaires, surveys, observations, prototypes, industry
standards
new project development projects; VOC (voice of the customer)-
elicit the benefits and features the customers want out of the
project expressed in the customer’s language. Understand the
customer by not only asking questions but also by placing
themselves in the customer’s situation.
When requirements are complete, each requirement needs to be:
a. Traceable back to the business reason for it
b. Identified with the stakeholder(s) who need it
c. Unambiguous
d. Qualified by measurable conditions
e. Validated for its value and completion
f. Bounded by constraints
g. Prioritized according to value, cost, time risk, or mandate so trade-off
decisions can be made if needed
Once these requirements are developed, they are translated into
specifications:
3. Define project scope
Scope- process of translating stakeholder needs and requirements into
detailed specifications of the project outcomes and products
Reasons to define scope: all other planning is based on the project
scope. definition also is vital in preventing scope creep
Scope creep happens: if the scope is not clearly defined and agreed
upon, it is easy to add additional work to the project without realizing
that more time and resources will be required, and when the project is
going well and as planned and so the customer asks for additional
project outputs
Define scope:
1. List deliverables and acceptance criteria
2. Establish project boundaries – The first part of the boundary
definition is to decide which features and work elements are
included and which are excluded. The second part is to manage
expectations with regards to the project.
Megan Meiring
, 3. Create a scope description – This description briefly states the work
that needs to be accomplished to create the project deliverables.
Scope in Agile projects- Agile scope definition is a complex process as
the scope is not clear to either the project team or the client. The
project manager and the project team must demonstrate greater
adaptability to frequently changing scope and employ iterative or
phased planning of scope. Agile projects are more flexible. The Agile
method for defining scope is primarily applicable when the project
scope is unclear or poorly defined.
4. Create Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
WBS- uniform, consistent, and logical method for dividing the project
into small, manageable components to manage project scope and for
planning, estimating, and monitoring. Normally developed by listing
deliverables.
Activity- project planning process that identifies and determines specific
actions to develop and deliver the project outcomes, such as products,
services, or results
WBS formats:
Levels:
(1) first level – overall project
(2) second level – major deliverables
(3) intermediate level – interim deliverables (items that need to be
created to produce the final deliverables such as drafts, prototypes,
and designs)
(4) summary level – any level that has at least one level below it
(5) lowest level – work package
Megan Meiring
Chapter 7: Scope Planning
Scope planning process:
1. Plan scope management
Plan scope management- process of developing a plan that includes
the total scope of what needs to be done and what is excluded from the
project, implementation and validation of the scope, and control
deviations from the scope statement
TOTAL SCOPE= PRODUCT SCOPE + PROJECT SCOPE
Product scope- outputs the team will deliver to its customers
Project scope- work needed to be performed in order to deliver the
project’s outputs
Exclusions, constraints, and assumptions- anything that will limit or
influence the project work
2. Collect project requirements
Requirement- condition or capability needed by a user to solve a
problem or achieve an objective that satisfies a standard, a
specification, or any other formally documented need.
Functional/technical- focus on the needs assessment exercises and on
the performance of the deliverable. Non-functional requirements
include requirements such as scalability, reliability, maintainability, and
testability. Once captured, these customer wants and needs are then
stated in operational terms that the people performing the project work
can use to plan that work.
Collect requirements- systematic effort to understand and analyse
stakeholder needs to define and document these needs and
requirements with a focus on meeting project objectives
Ensure that the project team is clear on the project objectives
Accomplished by reviewing project charter
Project team members describe expected project benefits and
what problems the project is attempting to overcome
Complex projects; project manager may choose to use idea
generation, grouping, and/or cause-and-effect techniques,
making sure everyone knows why project is conducted
Understanding broad project objectives is especially useful with
multifunctional, virtual, and global project teams
Gather stakeholder input and needs
Megan Meiring
, traditional methods of obtaining and documenting requirements:
meetings with key stakeholders, interviews, focus groups,
questionnaires, surveys, observations, prototypes, industry
standards
new project development projects; VOC (voice of the customer)-
elicit the benefits and features the customers want out of the
project expressed in the customer’s language. Understand the
customer by not only asking questions but also by placing
themselves in the customer’s situation.
When requirements are complete, each requirement needs to be:
a. Traceable back to the business reason for it
b. Identified with the stakeholder(s) who need it
c. Unambiguous
d. Qualified by measurable conditions
e. Validated for its value and completion
f. Bounded by constraints
g. Prioritized according to value, cost, time risk, or mandate so trade-off
decisions can be made if needed
Once these requirements are developed, they are translated into
specifications:
3. Define project scope
Scope- process of translating stakeholder needs and requirements into
detailed specifications of the project outcomes and products
Reasons to define scope: all other planning is based on the project
scope. definition also is vital in preventing scope creep
Scope creep happens: if the scope is not clearly defined and agreed
upon, it is easy to add additional work to the project without realizing
that more time and resources will be required, and when the project is
going well and as planned and so the customer asks for additional
project outputs
Define scope:
1. List deliverables and acceptance criteria
2. Establish project boundaries – The first part of the boundary
definition is to decide which features and work elements are
included and which are excluded. The second part is to manage
expectations with regards to the project.
Megan Meiring
, 3. Create a scope description – This description briefly states the work
that needs to be accomplished to create the project deliverables.
Scope in Agile projects- Agile scope definition is a complex process as
the scope is not clear to either the project team or the client. The
project manager and the project team must demonstrate greater
adaptability to frequently changing scope and employ iterative or
phased planning of scope. Agile projects are more flexible. The Agile
method for defining scope is primarily applicable when the project
scope is unclear or poorly defined.
4. Create Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
WBS- uniform, consistent, and logical method for dividing the project
into small, manageable components to manage project scope and for
planning, estimating, and monitoring. Normally developed by listing
deliverables.
Activity- project planning process that identifies and determines specific
actions to develop and deliver the project outcomes, such as products,
services, or results
WBS formats:
Levels:
(1) first level – overall project
(2) second level – major deliverables
(3) intermediate level – interim deliverables (items that need to be
created to produce the final deliverables such as drafts, prototypes,
and designs)
(4) summary level – any level that has at least one level below it
(5) lowest level – work package
Megan Meiring
