Chapter 5:

Project Scope
Management
Information Technology Project Management, Ninth
Edition
Note: See the text itself for full citations

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Learning Objectives (1 of 2)

• List key reasons why good project scope management is

important
• Describe the process of planning scope management
• Discuss methods for collecting and documenting
requirements to meet stakeholder needs and
expectations
• Explain the scope definition process and describe the
contents of a project scope statement
• Discuss the process for creating a work breakdown
structure using the analogy, top-down, bottom-up, and
mind-mapping approaches
• Explain the importance of validating scope and how it
relates to defining and controlling scope
Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Learning Objectives (2 of 2)

• Given an information technology (IT) project situation,

show how recommended approaches for controlling
scope can improve the potential for project success
• Describe how software can assist in project scope
management
• Discuss considerations for agile/adaptive environments

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
What is Project Scope Management?

• Scope refers to all the work involved in creating the

products of the project and the processes used to create
them
• A deliverable is a product produced as part of a project, such as
hardware or software, planning documents, or meeting minutes
• Project scope management includes the processes
involved in defining and controlling what is or is not
included In a project
• Ensures that the project team and stakeholders have the same
understanding of what products the project will produce and
what processes the project team will use to produce them

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Project Scope Management Processes (1 of 2)

• Main processes
• Planning scope management: determining how the project’s
scope and requirements will be managed
• Collecting requirements: defining and documenting the features
and functions of the products produced during the project as
well as the processes used for creating them
• Defining scope: reviewing the project charter, requirements
documents, and organizational process assets to create a scope
statement
• Creating the WBS: subdividing the major project deliverables
into smaller, more manageable components
• Validating scope: formalizing acceptance of the project
deliverables
• Controlling scope: controlling changes to project scope
throughout the life of the project

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Project Scope Management Processes (2 of 2)

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Planning Scope Management (1 of 2)

• The project team uses expert judgment, data analysis,

and meetings to develop two important outputs
• Scope management plan (subsidiary part of the project
management plan)
• Requirements management plan
• Scope management plan contents
• Prepare a detailed project scope statement
• Create a WBS
• Maintain and approve the WBS
• Obtain formal acceptance of the completed project deliverables
• Control requests for changes to the project scope

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Planning Scope Management (2 of 2)

• Requirements Management Plan

• The PMBOK® Guide, Sixth Edition, describes a requirement as
““a condition or capability that is necessary to be present in a
product, service, or result to satisfy a business need”
• The requirements management plan documents how
project requirements will be analyzed, documented, and
managed
• How to plan, track, and report requirements activities
• How to perform configuration management activities
• How to prioritize requirements
• How to use product metrics
• How to trace and capture attributes of requirements

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Collecting Requirements (1 of 3)

• Several ways to collect requirements

• Interviewing stakeholders
• Holding focus groups and facilitated workshops
• Using group creativity and decision-making techniques
• Utilizing questionnaires and surveys
• Conducting observation studies
• Generating ideas by comparing specific project practices or
product characteristics (i.e., benchmarking)

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Collecting Requirements (2 of 3)

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Collecting Requirements (3 of 3)

• Requirements traceability matrix (RTM): a table that lists

requirements, various attributes of each requirement,
and the status of the requirements to ensure that all
requirements are addressed

Requirement Name Category Source Status

No.

R32 Laptop Hardware Project charter and Complete. Laptops

memory corporate laptop ordered meet memory
specifications requirement.

Table 5-1 Sample entry in a requirements

traceability matrix

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Defining Scope (1 of 2)

• Important elements of a project scope statement

• Product scope description
• Product user acceptance criteria
• Detailed information on all project deliverables
• It is also helpful to document other scope-related
information
• Project boundaries, constraints, and assumptions
• Supporting document references (e.g., product specifications)
• As time progresses, the scope of a project should
become more clear and specific

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Defining Scope (2 of 2)

Project Charter:
Upgrades may affect servers . . . (listed under Project Objectives)
Project Scope Statement, Version 1:
Servers: If additional servers are required to support this project, they must be compatible with existing
servers. If it is more economical to enhance existing servers, a detailed description of enhancements must be
submitted to the CIO for approval. See current server specifications provided in Attachment 6. The CEO must
approve a detailed plan describing the servers and their location at least two weeks before
installation.
Project Scope Statement, Version 2:
Servers: This project will require purchasing 10 new servers to support Web, network, database, application,
and printing functions. Virtualization will be used to maximize efficiency. Detailed descriptions of the servers
are provided in a product brochure in Attachment 8, along with a plan describing where they will be located.

Table 5-3 Further defining project scope

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Creating the Work Breakdown Structure (1 of
9)

• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is a deliverable-

oriented grouping of the work involved in a project that
defines the total scope of the project
• Foundation document that provides the basis for planning and
managing project schedules, costs, resources, and changes
• Decomposition is the main tool or technique for creating
a WBS
• Subdividing project deliverables into smaller pieces
• A work package is a task at the lowest level of the WBS
• Outputs of creating the WBS are the scope baseline and
project documents updates
• Scope baseline includes the approved project scope statement
and its associated WBS and WBS dictionary

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Creating the Work Breakdown Structure (2 of
9)

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Creating the Work Breakdown Structure (3 of
9)

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Creating the Work Breakdown Structure (4 of
9)

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Creating the Work Breakdown Structure (5 of
9)

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Creating the Work Breakdown Structure (6 of
9)
1.0 Software Product Release 5.0
1.1 Project Management
1.1.1 Planning
1.1.2 Meetings
1.1.3 Administration
1.2 Product Requirements
1.2.1 Software
1.2.2 User Documentation
1.2.3 Training Program Materials
1.3 Detail Design Table 5-
1.3.1 Software
1.3.2 User Documentation 4
1.3.2 User Documentation
Tabular
1.4 Construct
1.4.1 Software form of
1.4.2 User Documentation
1.4.3 Training Program Materials
WBS
1.5 Integration and Test
1.5.1 Software
1.5.2 User Documentation
1.5.3 Training Program Materials

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Creating the Work Breakdown Structure (7 of
9)

• Approaches to developing work breakdown structures

• Using guidelines: some organizations, like the U.S. Department
of Defense (DOD), provide guidelines for preparing WBSs
• Analogy approach: review WBSs of similar projects and tailor to
your project
• Top-down approach: start with the largest items of the project
and break them down
• Bottom-up approach: start with the specific tasks
• Mind mapping: uses branches radiating out from a core idea to
structure thoughts and ideas

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Creating the Work Breakdown Structure (8 of
9)

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Creating the Work Breakdown Structure (9 of
9)

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
The WBS Dictionary (1 of 3)

• Many WBS tasks are vague

• WBS dictionary is a document that describes detailed
information about each WBS item
• Format of the WBS dictionary can vary based on project needs

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
The WBS Dictionary (2 of 3)

WBS Dictionary Entry March 20

Project Title: Information Technology (IT) Upgrade Project

WBS Item Number: 2.2

WBS Item Name: Database Update

Description: The IT department maintains an online database of hardware and software on the corporate
intranet. We need to make sure that we know exactly what hardware and software employees are currently
using and if they have any unique needs before we decide what to order for the upgrade. This task will involve
reviewing information from the current database, producing reports that list each department’s employees
and location, and updating the data after performing the physical inventory and receiving inputs from
department managers. Our project sponsor will send a notice to all department managers to communicate the
importance of this project and this particular task. In addition to general hardware and software upgrades, the
project sponsors will ask the department managers to provide information for any unique requirements they
might have that could affect the upgrades. This task also includes updating the inventory data for network
hardware and software. After updating the inventory database, we will send an e-mail to each department
manager to verify the information and make changes online as needed. Department managers will be
responsible for ensuring that their people are available and cooperative during the physical inventory.
Completing this task is dependent on WBS Item Number 2.1, Physical Inventory, and must precede WBS Item
Number 3.0, Hardware and Software Acquisition.

Table 5-5 Sample WBS dictionary entry

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
The WBS Dictionary (3 of 3)

• Advice for creating a WBS and WBS dictionary

• Unit of work should appear at only one place in the WBS
• Work content of a WBS item is the sum of the WBS items below
it
• WBS item is the responsibility of only one individual, even
though many people may be working on it
• WBS must be consistent with the way in which work is actually
going to be performed; it should serve the project team first,
and other purposes only if practical
• Project team members should be involved in developing the
WBS to ensure consistency and buy-in
• Each WBS item must be documented in a WBS dictionary to
ensure accurate understanding of the scope of work included
and not included
• WBS must be a flexible tool to accommodate inevitable
changes while properly maintaining control of the work content
inTechnology
Information the project according
Project Management, Ninth Edition. ©to
2019the scope
Cengage. statement
May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Validating Scope

• It is difficult to create a good project scope statement

and WBS for a project
• Even more difficult, especially on IT projects, to verify the
project scope and minimize scope changes
• Even when the project scope is fairly well defined, many
IT projects suffer from scope creep
• Tendency for project scope to keep getting bigger and bigger
• Scope validation involves formal acceptance of the
completed project deliverables
• Acceptance is often achieved by a customer inspection and
then sign-off on key deliverables

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Controlling Scope (1 of 3)

• Scope control involves controlling changes to the project

scope
• Keeping project goals and business strategy in mind
• Goals of scope control
• Influence the factors that cause scope changes
• Ensure changes are processed according to procedures
developed as part of integrated change control
• Manage changes when they occur
• Variance is the difference between planned and actual
performance

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Controlling Scope (2 of 3)

• Suggestions for improving user input

• Develop a good project selection process and insist that
sponsors are from the user organization
• Place users on the project team
• Conduct regular meetings with defined agendas
• Deliver something to users and sponsors on a regular basis
• Do not promise to deliver what the team cannot deliver in a
particular time frame
• Locate users with the developers

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Controlling Scope (3 of 3)

• Suggestions for reducing incomplete and changing

requirements
• Develop and follow a requirements management process
• Employ techniques such as prototyping, use case modeling,
and JAD to get more user involvement
• Put requirements in writing and keep them current
• Create a requirements management database for documenting
and controlling requirements
• Provide adequate testing and conduct it throughout the project
life cycle
• Review changes from a systems perspective
• Emphasize completion dates to help focus on what’s most
important
• Allocate resources specifically for handling change requests

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Using Software to Assist in Project Scope
Management

• Word-processing software helps create several scope-

related documents
• Spreadsheets or presentation software to develop
various charts, graphs, and matrixes related to scope
management
• Mind-mapping software can be useful in developing a
WBS
• Communication software like e-mail and web-based
applications can transmit project scope management
information
• Project management software helps in creating a WBS;
basis for creating a Gantt chart
• Specialized software is available to assist in project
scope
Information management
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for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Considerations for Agile/Adaptive
Environments

• Stakeholders define and approve the detailed scope

before the start of an iteration with an adaptive or agile
product life cycle, producing a usable product at the end
of each iteration
• Detailed scope develops over time
• Agile approach provides several usable products during
the project

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
Chapter Summary

• Project scope management includes the processes

required to ensure that the project addresses all the
work required, and only the work required, to complete
the project successfully
• Main processes
• Define scope management
• Collect requirements
• Define scope
• Create WBS
• Validate scope
• Control scope

Information Technology Project Management, Ninth Edition. © 2019 Cengage. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except
for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.