Pmbok Integration and Scope Management

The article Scope Management in Agile Versus Traditional Software Development Methods (Israr Ur Rehman, et al, October 2010, NSEC ’10: Proceeding for the 2010 National Software Engineering Conference) discusses the importance of scope management, it’s role and impact on a project, and how it alone can lead projects toward failure. “A well-defined and well managed scope is very important for a qualitative, cost effective and timely completion of the project (page 1). The replacement of traditional software development (Waterfall) by agile software development methods is very apparent in cost, resources and time for the work.

The required work to be performed and goals that define and bind the project by doing the following:

The purpose of defining this project is to make the deliverables of the project clear to the client and to place more focus on project plans.

The Project Charter defines the scope, objectives, deliverables and overall approach for the work to be completed. It is a critical element for initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and

GenRays Matrix Template Project Management Knowledge Areas|Recommended Tool(s)|Justification for Tool| Project Integration Management | Expert Judgment|-PM Plan is Formal, single document, approved (becomes officially the project plan. It defines how project is executed and controlled. Scope, schedule, and Cost, Change, and Configuration Management plans are created in this process and are part of the PM plan- Scope Management plan is developed here as well.| Project Scope Management | -Interviews -Focus Groups -Facilitated Workshops -Group Creativity Technique -Group decision making techniques -Questionnaires and Surveys -Observation(Job Shadowing) -Prototypes| Facilitated Workshops examples: JAD and Quality Function Deployment Group

It involves assembling and developing the project team and training them. It also involves implementing the approved changes to the project. The main outputs of the execution process group are progress reports and quality reports. Monitoring and Controlling The monitoring and controlling process group is one of the process groups that overlaps with other process groups or is working simultaneously with other process groups. The basic function of this process group is to observe, identify the problem and correct the problem. It ensures that the other processes are functioning correctly such as, the execution process group follows the outputs and the functions planned in the planning process group. This is an ongoing process. Quality is one of the important aspects of this process group. Closing This is the last process group of the project management lifecycle, it closes the project. It involves ensuring that the stakeholder’s requirements are satisfied and gaining stakeholders acceptance for the delivered project. It also involves creating the lessons-learned report.4 Triple Constraint of Project Management All projects have three objectives to meet the requirements of the end-users needs. These objectives are scope, time and cost, also known as the Triple Constraint. Project scope refers to the deliverables and the boundaries of the project. Time signifies the schedule of the project and the date of delivery

Scope management involves converting the owners or sponsors requirements into a definition of the asset and identify the work that is required to complete the project (Turner 2014, p.131). The vegetation elimination project manages scope primarily from the implementation business case, Project Scope Document (Table 1) and Work Breakdown Structure (Table 2).

The project scope document is valuable for establishing a common understanding among project stakeholders regarding the scope of the project.

Scoping the project is so critical. Having a well define scope the project is better suited to be completed on time and within budget. A defined scope also allows for the project manager to handle scope creep while the project moves forward. This is critical because scope creep brings delays and cost to a project. The scope also assures that the cost of the project is well understood from

Project Scope will also include project risks – such as shortage of material, labor, and scheduling problems. Assumptions on information that is currently missing, but will be available as the project progresses should be included in the Project Scope as well. For instance, improvements in the motorcycle performance as changes are made to its engine or motor design could negatively affect comfort for the rider. Scope should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. Project Scope is a component of the Project Management Plan (Project Management Insitute, Inc.).

The scope of the project gets defined in the work breakdown structure (WBS), where the schedules are planned, and resources are assigned; at which the project manager are more familiar and can estimate more precisely to an agreeable point with the customers. “Project scope has a great influence on the accuracy of cost estimates” (Ciraci & Polat, 2009).

It is important to know the organization’s business model and value proposition clearly, and to align the project scope changes accordingly. I must add the caveat here, that any scope changes should be carefully documented, tracked, assigned specific costs (financial and otherwise) and analyzed in order to

Within the Initiating processes, the initial scope is defined and initial financial resources are committed. Internal and external stakeholders who will interact and influence the overall outcome of the project are identified. If not already assigned, the project manager will be selected. This information is captured in the project charter and stakeholder register. When the project charter is approved, the project becomes officially authorized. Although the project management team may help write the project charter, this standard assumes that business case assessment, approval, and funding are handled externally to the project boundaries (Figure 3-4). A project boundary is defined as the point in time that a project or project phase is authorized to its completion. The key purpose of this Process Group is to align the stakeholders’ expectations with the project’s purpose, give them visibility about the scope and objectives, show how their participation in the project and it associated phases can ensure that their expectations are

All of subjects in project management are very important. However, there are several of them that I personally really keen on including defining project approach and scope, managing project stakeholders, dealing with uncertainty and managing project execution. Looking in more detail at all of those aspects, understanding of project scope is necessary because it require us to understand scope planning which is a critical step in defining project scope including requirement and deliverables called work break structure (WBS) to establish project based line. The establishment of work break down structures (WBS) can minimize the scope creep during the project execution. In term of managing stakeholders, the identification of stakeholders who directly and indirectly influenced by the project and assessing their interest through an active and an effective communication is crucial in the project. Furthermore, the term dealing with uncertainty also help us to evaluate whether scope of the project have been completely understood or not. Indeed, building team and managing human resources in the project are equally essential as well as managing conflicts.

The Scope for work is critically important for a project or a product development to understand the dynamics involved, and the outcome that is expected and to be delivered from a project or a product development. The scope is to be addressed at two diverse levels one is the project scope and the other is solution scope.