Chapter 11: Project Scope Management as part of Project Planning

Aim: To understand the Processes those are part of the Project Scope Management area. They are:
• Collect Requirements
• Define Scope &
• Create Work Breakdown Structure

Scope management is the set of processes that ensures that the requirements of the customer are captured in a specification of work that ensures the delivery of the project’s deliverables, that all the project work is done, and that only the work required to complete the project is done. In other words, scope management makes sure that the project is completed without expending any unnecessary effort.

The collect requirements process seeks to use multiple tools and techniques to collect all of the project requirements from all of the stakeholders. This process attempts to leave no stone unturned and results in a complete list of project requirements. When properly performed, the collect requirements process dramatically reduces surprises as the project progresses toward completion.

The table below shows the inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs for the collect requirements process.

Collect Requirements
Inputs	Tools & Techniques	Outputs
Project charter Stakeholder Register	Interviews Focus groups Facilitated workshops Group creativity techniques Group decision-making techniques Questionnaires and surveys Observations Prototypes	Requirements documentation Requirements management plan Requirements traceability matrix

You can learn more about the Collect Requirements Process by Clicking Here

The next process, define scope, is the process that clearly states what the project will and will not accomplish. The supporting documents are reviewed to ensure the project will satisfy the stated goals and the resulting scope should state the stakeholders’ needs and clearly communicate the expectations for the performance of the project.

The table below shows the inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs for the scope planning process.

Define Project Scope
Inputs	Tools & Techniques	Outputs
Project charter Requirements documentation Organizational process assets	Expert judgment Product analysis Alternatives identification Facilitated workshops	Project scope statement Project document updates

You cal learn more about the Define Project Scope process by Clicking Here

Work Breakdown Structure

Many inexperienced project managers move too quickly from the scope statement to the activity sequencing processes. This practice is a mistake and often leads to activity omissions and inaccurate plans. PMI stresses the importance of creating a work breakdown structure (WBS) before moving to activity management processes.
The WBS provides the project manager and project team with the opportunity to decompose the high-level scope statement into much smaller, more manageable units of work, called work packages. The resulting WBS should provide a complete list of all work packages required to complete the project (and most importantly nothing more).

The table below shows the inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs for the create WBS process.

Create WBS
Inputs	Tools & Techniques	Outputs
Project charter Requirements documentation Organizational process assets	Decomposition	WBS WBS dictionary Scope Baseline Project document updates

In creating the WBS, the project team repeatedly decomposes the work of the project into smaller and smaller units of work, resulting in a collection of small work packages. The process continues until the resulting work packages are simple enough to reliably estimate duration and required resources. Don’t go overboard, though. When you have work packages that are manageable and represent a single work effort, stop the process. Each project is different, so this process results in different levels of detail for each project.

Exam Watch:
The term “work package” refers to an individual project activity. The work package is the lowest level WBS component. According to the PMBOK, “A work package can be individually scheduled, cost estimated, monitored, and controlled.”

The last main feature of the WBS is that it is organized in a hierarchical fashion. The highest level is the project. The children that represent project phases, divisions, or main deliverables are listed under the project. Each child process or task is divided into further levels of detail until the lowest level, the work package, is reached. Below is a sample WBS with multiple levels.

In addition to the WBS itself, another output of the create WBS process is the WBS dictionary. The WBS dictionary is a document that supports the WBS by providing detailed information for each work package. The WBS dictionary can contain many types of information, including
• Work package name or identifier
• Accounting code identifier
• Description of work
• Technical specifications
• Quality requirements
• Owner or responsible party assignment
• Required resources
• List of schedule milestones
• Associated schedule activities
• Cost estimates
• Acceptance criteria
• Contract information

You can learn more about the Create WBS process by Clicking Here

Prev: Chapter 10

Next: Chapter 12