Project Scope Management
Project scope management is one of the most important components of successfully completing any project. It is the practice of controlling, defining and managing the boundaries of a project in terms of time, cost, quality and deliverables. It involves planning, defining, verifying and monitoring a project’s scope from the outset to ensure that the desired result is completed on time and within the budgeted cost.
The first step in project scope management is to create a project charter. The charter defines the overall objective of the project, what activities will be undertaken to accomplish this objective, the roles and responsibilities of team members, the department that is responsible for executing the project and the timeline of the project. A detailed project charter will also set out the project’s performance criteria, including the deliverables, deliverables deadline and budget.
Once the charter is established, the next step is to create a Work Breakdown Structure. This is a hierarchical outline that divides the project into smaller components in order to better manage deliverables and associated costs. A Work Breakdown Structure can be organized according to the nature of the work, or the team responsible for a particular task or deliverable. Once the Structure is completed, it is important to review it to ensure that you have properly identified all project components and tasks.
Once the project team has identified their specific tasks and objectives, the project manager must create a project schedule and plan. This will include deadlines for each task, resource allocation and budgeting. It is important that the project manager accurately estimates the effort and resources required for each task. If a task takes longer than expected, or resources are inadequate, the manager must have the ability to quickly adjust the timeline or allocate additional resources.
Once the Work Breakdown Structure and project plan have been created, the project manager must perform regular monitoring and assessment. This involves checking that the actual performance of the project matches the expectations set out in the charter and project plan. Problems and issues should be reported and resolved before they become unmanageable.
Finally, once the project is complete, the project manager must conduct a review and analysis. This will help to identify any weaknesses in the process, and identify areas that can be improved upon in the future.
Project scope management is essential for successful project completion. While it requires significant planning and management, implementing these practices will help to keep projects on track and ensure that deliverables are completed on time and within the allocated budget.
