| The aim of the project scope statement is to | | | | out of control, voting out all the hard work you carried |
| document the goals and deliverables of the project | | | | out to produce the scope document in the beginning. |
| along with assumptions, constraints, acceptance | | | | Once the scope document is approved, no |
| standards, and additional key components. Once | | | | modifications should be permitted without going through |
| Okayed, the project scope statement becomes the | | | | the change management process. |
| baseline for future project decisions. | | | | The scope statement also becomes a way to |
| The scope statement is the institution for the remaining | | | | manage stakeholder expectations throughout the |
| planning documents and becomes your guideline for | | | | project. Since it distinctly specifies what the project will |
| success of project. It builds the basic agreement | | | | achieve and what it will not, there is less probability for |
| among stakeholders and team members as to the | | | | the stakeholders to say, "That is not what we |
| intention of the project. It points the measures you and | | | | required" when the final deliverables are developed. |
| the stakeholders will use to ascertain if the project | | | | That Is not to say that will not happen, but you will be |
| matched its goal and was successful. It is crucial to | | | | able to help keep your stakeholders and team |
| spend the time to observe and document all the | | | | members anchored on the goal and deliverables of the |
| deliverables of the project. The deliverables will | | | | project by referring to the scope statement throughout |
| facilitate you afterwards in the Planning process to | | | | the project. |
| ascertain resource estimates, time estimates, cost | | | | The complexity and size of the project will ascertain |
| estimates, and activities and to develop a project | | | | how much information you may include in the scope |
| schedule. | | | | statement. For example, you can include roles and |
| Once project scope is decided and agreed upon, you | | | | responsibilities, organizational charts, stakeholder needs, |
| will require all the key stakeholders to sign off indicating | | | | communication plan, detailed schedule and cost |
| their approval. That method, as changes occurs, and | | | | estimates. |
| they unavoidably will, the approved scope statement | | | | Let me know your experiences of Project |
| can be used as the baseline for arriving at change | | | | Management, I Sunil Manwani, am IT Project Manager |
| decisions. And of course, you do not desire | | | | following industry practices as suggested by PMI, |
| stakeholders cooking changes at their notion as the | | | | CMMi, ITIL, ISO and Six Sigma. |
| project progresses or else the scope will quickly be | | | | |