What Are The 5 Items To Include In The Project Scope Statement?
In the world of project management, “project scope” is a commonly used term. It belongs in the project management knowledge area of the PMP certification course, inside the scope management section. Scope management includes what will be completed during the project process. There are six processes in this knowledge area. The second process defines the scope, as the statement of what project scope includes is the primary output. In this article, we will explore what the scope statement is so that you can best prepare for your PMP exam.
What is the Project Scope Statement?
The project scope statement is the primary output of the Define Scope process, which you will find more information on in any online PMP course. This process outlines the reason for the project, the work that will be delivered throughout, and the goals and outcomes of the project. The PMP Define Scope process aims to finish the project scope after meeting the customer requirements that were documented during the Collect Requirements stage.
The project scope statement outlines the expectations that must be completed in the project. Once the scope is produced, each project stakeholder will have to agree to in-scope items. This statement outlines what will be delivered by the completion date of the project.
The scope baseline is a project baseline, while the Scope Statement, Work Breakdown Structure, and Work Breakdown Structure Dictionary contribute to the scope baseline. This structure will outline the priority of each project deliverable. The Project Scope Statement is not a management plan itself, but an essential document that outlines the scope of the project step by step.
What is Included?
Next, we will cover the 5 items in the Project Scope Statement:
- Product Scope: The product is an outcome of the project along with the specifications. The details about a project are outlined in the product scope. The product scope will be included in the Project Scope Statement.
- Deliverables: The project will produce outcomes throughout the project unit until all stages are completed.
- Product Acceptance Criteria: The product acceptance criteria outlines the conditions in which a customer will approve of the deliverable. This is typically an agreement between the project manager and the customer.
- What is not included as part of the project: This must be written in the project scope statement. Some project stakeholders may think of some out-of-scope items in the project scope. So, it is best to outline the critical points that are not included in the project plan.
- Additional risks, assumptions, and constraints: The risks that might impact the project must be included in the scope plan. The project constraints limit the capabilities of the project and make it so that planning is completed based on these assumptions and constraints. If constraints or assumptions do not go as planned, this impacts the project scope and other aspects of the project as a whole. These must be written down and agreed upon by all parties.
We hope this article helps you understand more clearly the 5 items you must include in your project scope statement. You can refer back to this article if you are starting to prep for a new project and need to be sure all of your bases are covered prior to presenting the scope to a potential customer. For more helpful insight, check out the rest of our articles featuring all things project management.
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