Project Management Chapter 5

Scope Management Plan

The scope management plan is a document that includes descriptions of how the team will prepare the project scope statement, create the WBS, verify completion of the project deliverables, and control requests for changes to the project scope. Key inputs include the project charter, preliminary scope statement, and project management plan.

The Scope Boundary

"Failure to define what is part of the project, as well as what is not, may result in work being performed that was unnecessary to create the product of the project and thus lead to both schedule and budget overruns." - Olde Curmudgeon, 1994

Scope Change Control •Mitigates: Scope Leap

- i.e., drastic change in project direction or the project's MOV

Scope Change Control •Mitigates: -Scope Grope

- i.e., scope poorly defined

Project Scope Definition •Project-Oriented Scope

-Deliverables that support the project management and IT development processes defined in the Information Technology Project Methodology (ITPM). - Examples •Business case, project charter and project plan, etc.

Scope Change Control •Tools:

-Scope Change Request Form -Scope Change Request Log

Best Practices for Avoiding Scope Problems

1. Keep the scope realistic. Don't make projects so large that they can't be completed. Break large projects down into a series of smaller ones 2. Involve users in project scope management. Assign key users to the project team and give them ownership of requirements definition and scope verification 3. Use off-the-shelf hardware and software whenever possible. Many IT people enjoy using the latest and greatest technology, but business needs, not technology trends, must take priority 4. Follow good project management processes. As described in this chapter and others, there are well-defined processes for managing project scope and others aspects of projects

Scope Change Control •Mitigates: -Scope Creep

i.e., increasing featurism

Scope Verification Check List

üMOV - Has the project's MOV been clearly defined and agreed upon? Failure to define and agree upon the MOV will result in scope changes later on in the project. This can lead to added work that can impact the project's schedule and budget. üDeliverables - Are the deliverables tangible and verifiable? Do they support the project's MOV? üQuality Standards - Are controls in place to ensure that the work was not only completed but also completed to meet specific standards? üMilestones - Are significant events that mark the acceptance of a deliverable and give the project manager and team the approval to begin working on the next deliverable. In short, milestones tell us that a deliverable was not only completed, but that it was also reviewed and accepted. üReview and Acceptance - Finally, the project's scope must be reviewed and accepted by the project stakeholders. The project sponsor must formally accept the boundary, product to be produced and the project-related deliverables. On the other hand, the project team must accept and be clear as to what it must deliver.

Scope

• A deliverable is a product produced as part of a project, such as hardware or software, planning documents, or meeting minutes. Project scope management includes the processes involved in defining and controlling what is or is not included in a project •The deliverables or work products that must be completed in order to achieve the project's MOV. •Provides a boundary so that what needs to get done - gets done. -Otherwise, schedule and budget are increased for no reason •Defines what is part of the project team's work and what is not. -This also sets expectations for all of the project's stakeholders •Provides a link between the project's MOV and the project plan.

Project Scope Initiation & Planning

•A beginning process that formally authorizes the project manager and team to develop the scope management plan •This entails -Conceptualizing the Scope Boundary -Developing the Scope Statement

Product-Oriented Scope Definition Tools

•Context Dataflow Diagram (DFD) •Use Case Diagram (USD)

Project-Oriented Scope Definition Tools

•Deliverable Definition Table (DDT) •Deliverable Structure Chart (DSC)

Suggestions for Improving User Input

•Develop a good project selection process and insist that sponsors are from the user organization •Have users on the project team in important roles •Have regular meetings with defined agendas, and have users sign off on key deliverables presented at meetings •Deliver something to users and sponsors on a regular basis •Don't promise to deliver when you know you can't •Co-locate users with developers

Suggestions for Reducing Incomplete and Changing Requirements

•Develop and follow a requirements management process •Use techniques such as prototyping, use case modeling, and JAD to get more user involvement •Put requirements in writing and keep them current •Create a requirements management database for documenting and controlling requirements

Scope Change Control

•Ensures that any changes to the project's scope will help the project achieve its MOV. •Keeps the "triple constraint" in balance. -i.e., an increase in scope will require an increase in the project's schedule and budget.

Collecting Requirements

•For some IT projects, it is helpful to divide requirements development into categories called elicitation, analysis, specification, and validation •It is important to use an iterative approach to defining requirements since they are often unclear early in a project

Scope Management Plan Contents

•How to prepare a detailed project scope statement •How to create a WBS •How to maintain and approve the WBS •How to obtain formal acceptance of the completed project deliverables •How to control requests for changes to the project scope

Methods for Collecting Requirements

•Interviewing •Focus groups and facilitated workshops •Using group creativity and decision-making techniques •Questionnaires and surveys •Observation •Prototyping •Benchmarking, or generating ideas by comparing specific project practices or product characteristics to those of other projects or products inside or outside the performing organization, can also be used to collect requirements

Benefits of Scope Control

•Keeps the project manager in control of the project. -Gives the project manager the authority to manage and control the project's schedule and budget. Otherwise she or he may 'feel" pressured by the client or upper management to accept scope changes •Allows the project team to stay focused and on track - Do not have to perform unnecessary work

Project Scope Definition Product Scope Definition

•Product-Oriented Scope -High-level features and functionality of the application system -First cut for requirements definition that will be defined in greater detail during the systems development life cycle (SDLC) -Examples Add new customer, look up customer balance, print daily sales

Chapter Summary

•Project scope management includes the processes required to ensure that the project addresses all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully •Main processes include -Define scope management -Collect requirements -Define scope -Create WBS -Validate scope Control scope

The Scope Statement

•Provides a way to define the scope boundary. •A narrative of what deliverables or work-products the project team will and will not provide throughout the project. •A first step that provides a high-level abstraction of the project's scope that will be defined in greater detail as the project progresses.

Planning Scope Management

•The project team uses expert judgment and meetings to develop two important outputs: the scope management plan and the requirements management plan •The scope management plan is a subsidiary part of the project management plan

Using Software to Assist in Project Scope Management

•Word-processing software helps create several scope-related documents •Spreadsheets help to perform financial calculations, weighed scoring models, and develop charts and graphs •Communication software like e-mail and the Web help clarify and communicate scope information •Project management software helps in creating a WBS, the basis for tasks on a Gantt chart •Specialized software is available to assist in project scope management