The Process of Project Management; section 6.2; Project Scope Definition

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The Process of Project Management

6. Core Planning Processes

6.2	Project Scope Definition
If you haven't already done so, please read the preamble. It contains important background information to help you understand the content of this webpage. Project scope definition is a core project planning process (see figure 6.x). It involves identifying and describing the work that is needed to produce the product of the project in sufficient detail to ensure that: The project team understands what it must do. All of the reasonably knowable project work has been identified. Appropriate management controls can be applied. What constitutes "sufficient detail" will vary by project: too much detail can be as troublesome as too little detail. In addition, control may often be exercised at a level higher than that needed for understanding. Project scope definition is normally the first step in the project planning process and thus sets the tone for much of the remaining planning effort. If this process is poorly done, it is unlikely that the rest of the project planning will be well-done. Special Considerations. In performing this process, the following factors will often have to be given special consideration: Product scope. If the product of the project is well-defined and well-understood (e.g., when constructing a typical office building), it is usually possible to prepare a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS, see Section 6.2.3.1 below) that is complete to the end of the project. When the requirements for the product of the project are less certain, the reach of the WBS should limited to the work that is reasonably knowable. This means that some project management teams will have to revisit the WBS on a regular basis. Often, a well-designed project life cycle (see Section 2.3) can be used to compensate for these uncertainties. Contractual requirements. For a project done under contract, the contract may specify a particular approach to project scope definition. For example, the US Department of Defense has explicit standards for a product-oriented WBS that differs in many respects from the approach described here. Number of levels. There is no pre-set number of levels for a well-done WBS. Smaller projects may do fine with only one or two levels while a complex aerospace project could easily have 20 or more if all of the levels in the subcontractors' WBSs were counted. In addition, different branches of the WBS may have different numbers of levels even on the same project.
6.2.1	Inputs to Project Scope Definition
	.1	Project definition document. The project definition document is described in Section 5.2.
	.2	Facilitative planning process outputs. The outputs of the facilitative planning processes should be reviewed for possible impact on project scope definition.
	.3	Generic process inputs. See Section 4.2 for a discussion of generic process inputs.

6.2.2	Mechanisms for Project Scope Definition
	.1	Work breakdown structure templates. Although each project is unique, many projects will resemble another project to some extent. For example, most projects within a given organization will have the same or similar project life cycles and will thus have the same or similar deliverables required from each phase. These common elements can be put into a template that serves as the starting point for development of a WBS.
	.2	Decomposition. Decomposition involves subdividing the major project deliverables into smaller, more manageable elements until the deliverables are defined in sufficient detail to support future project activities. See detail on decomposition .
	.3	Generic process mechanisms. See Section 4.2 for a discussion of generic process mechanisms.

6.2.3	Outputs from Project Scope Definition
	.1	Work breakdown structure. A work breakdown structure is a deliverable-oriented grouping of project elements that organizes and defines the total scope of the project: work not in the WBS is outside the scope of the project. As with the project definition document, the WBS is often used to develop or confirm a common understanding of project scope. A WBS is normally presented in chart form; however, the WBS should not be confused with the method of presentation—drawing an unstructured activity list in chart form does not make it a WBS.
Draft for review. Please send your comments and suggestions to wrd@pmpartners.com

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