Chapter 3:

Project Scope Management

Information Technology
Project Management,
Fifth Edition
 Kim Nguyen was leading a meeting to create the work breakdown structure (WBS) for
the IT Upgrade Project. This project was necessary because of several high-priority,
Internet-based applications the company was developing. The IT Upgrade Project
involved creating and implementing a plan to get all employees information
technology assets to meet new corporate standards within nine months. These
standards specified the minimum equipment required for each desktop or laptop
computer, including the type of processor, amount of memory, hard disk size, type of
network connection, and software. Kim knew that to perform the upgrades, they
would first have to create a detailed inventory of all of the current hardware,
networks, and software in the entire company of 2000 employees. Kim had worked
with other stakeholders to develop a project charter and initial scope statement. The
project charter included rough cost and schedule estimates for the project and
signatures of key stakeholders; the initial scope statement provided a start in
defining the hardware, software, and network requirements as well as other
information related to the project scope. Kim called a meeting with her project team
and other stakeholders to further define the scope of the project. She wanted to get
everyone s ideas on what the project involved, who would do what, and how they
could avoid scope creep. The company s new CEO, Walter Schmidt, was known for
keeping a close eye on major projects like this one. The company had started using
a new project management information system that let everyone know the status of
projects at a detailed and high level. Kim knew that a good WBS was the foundation
for scope, time, and cost performance, but she had never led a team in creating one
or allocating costs based on a WBS. Where should she begin?
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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

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Project Scope Management
Project Scope Management Processes
⚫ Scope planning: deciding how the scope will be
defined, verified, and controlled
⚫ Scope definition: reviewing the project charter and
preliminary scope statement and adding more
information as requirements are developed and change
requests are approved
⚫ Creating the WBS: subdividing the major project
deliverables into smaller, more manageable
components
⚫ Scope verification: formalizing acceptance of the
project scope by key project stakeholders
⚫ Scope control: controlling changes to project scope
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which impact project cost and time goals
Project Scope Management
Project Scope Management Summary

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Project Scope Management
 Scope Planning and the
Scope Management Plan
⚫The scope management plan is a document that
includes descriptions of how the team will prepare
the project scope statement, create the WBS,
verify completion of the project deliverables, and
control requests for changes to the project scope
⚫Key inputs include the project charter, preliminary
scope statement, and project management plan
⚫It should be reviewed with the project sponsor to
make sure the approach meets expectations

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Project Scope Management
 What Went Right?
⚫Many financial service companies use customer
relationship management (CRM) systems to improve
their understanding of and responsiveness to customers
⚫A senior management team at the Canadian money
management company Dynamic Mutual Funds (DMF)
launched an enterprise-wide, national program to build
and manage its customer relationships
⚫They needed a faster and more organized, highly
participative approach, so they proposed a new seven-
step concept called project scope design
⚫DMF won an eCustomer World Golden Award for world-
class innovation
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Project Scope Management
 What Went Right?
The Seven Steps
1. Analyze the project atmosphere, staekholders and
centers of influence
2. Align the project scope with the organization’s strategic
objectives and business challenges
3. Determine where to add value to the business
4. Study the process flow between the business units
5. Develop an efficient communication strategy
6. Develop the project approach
7. Coordinate the new project with the other initiatives
already under way

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Project Scope Management
 Sample Scope Management Plan

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Project Scope Management
 Sample Project Charter

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 Scope Definition and the
Project Scope Statement
⚫The project team develops a preliminary scope
statement in initiating a project as part of the
project integration management knowledge
area.
⚫The preliminary scope statement, project
charter, organizational process assets, and
approved change requests provide a basis for
creating the more specific project scope
statement
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 Scope Definition and the
Project Scope Statement
⚫Project scope statements should contain at a minimum:
⚫ Description of the project – overall objectives,
justification
⚫ Detailed descriptions of all project deliverables
⚫ Characteristics and requirements of products and
services produced as part of the project
⚫Other helpful information:
⚫ Project success criteria
⚫ Project boundaries
⚫ Product acceptance criteria
⚫ Schedule milestones
⚫ Order of magnitude costs estimates…

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Project Scope Management
13
Project Scope Management
 Further Defining Project Scope

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Project Scope Management
 Media Snapshot
Many people enjoy watching television shows like Changing Rooms
or Trading Spaces, where participants have two days and $1,000 to
update a room in their neighbor’s house. Since the time and cost are set,
it’s the scope that has the most flexibility. Designers on these shows often
have to change initial scope goals due to budget or time constraints.
Although most homeowners are very happy with work done on the
show, some are obviously disappointed. Unlike most projects where the
project team works closely with the customer, homeowners have little say
in what gets done and cannot inspect the work along the way… What
happens when the homeowners don’t like the work that’s been done? The
FAQ section of tlc.com says, “Everyone on our show is told upfront that
there’s a chance they won’t like the final design of the room. Each
applicant signs a release acknowledging that the show is not responsible
for redecorating a room that isn’t to the owner’s taste.”
Too bad you can’t get sponsors for most projects to sign a similar
release form. It would make project scope management much easier!
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Project Scope Management
 Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
⚫A WBS is a deliverable-oriented grouping of the
work involved in a project that defines the total
scope of the project
⚫WBS is a foundation document that provides the
basis for planning and managing project schedules,
costs, resources, and changes
⚫Decomposition is subdividing project deliverables
into smaller pieces
⚫A work package is a task at the lowest level of the WBS
⚫Tasks on a WBS represent work that needs to be done to
complete the project, not specifications (e.g., type of
server)
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Project Scope Management
 Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
⚫The project scope statement and project
management plan are the primary inputs for
creating a WBS
⚫The outputs include the WBS itself, the WBS
dictionary, a scope baseline and updates to the
project scope statement and scope management
plan
⚫The WBS is often depicted as a task-oriented
family tree of activities
⚫The WBS can be organized around project products,
project phases or using the project management
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process groups
Project Scope Management
Partial WBS Organized by Product Areas

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Project Scope Management
 Partial WBS Organized by Project Phase

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Project Scope Management
 Partial Intranet WBS in Tabular Form
1.0 Concept
1.1 Evaluate current systems
1.2 Define Requirements
1.2.1 Define user requirements
1.2.2 Define content requirements
1.2.3 Define system requirements
1.2.4 Define server owner requirements
1.3 Define specific functionality
1.4 Define risks and risk management approach
1.5 Develop project plan
1.6 Brief Web development team
2.0 Web Site Design
3.0 Web Site Development
4.0 Roll Out
5.0 Support

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Project Scope Management
 Intranet WBS and Gantt Chart in
Microsoft Project

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Project Scope Management
 Intranet Gantt Chart Organized by
Project Management Process Groups

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Project Scope Management
 Approaches to Developing WBSs
⚫Using guidelines: some organizations, like the
DOD, provide guidelines for preparing WBSs
⚫The analogy approach: review WBSs of
similar projects and tailor to your project
⚫The top-down approach: start with the largest
items of the project and break them down
⚫The bottom-up approach: start with the
specific tasks and roll them up
⚫Mind-mapping approach: mind mapping is a
technique that uses branches radiating out
from a core idea to structure thoughts and
23 ideas
Project Scope Management
 Mind Mapping
⚫Mind Mapping is a way of creating pictures
that show ideas in the same way that they
are represented in your brain.
⚫Your brain uses words, pictures, numbers,
logic, rhythm, color and spatial awareness to
build up unique pictures of information.
⚫ The ideas are linked together in a way that
makes it easy to understand and remember.
⚫http://www.novamind.com/mind-mapping/
⚫http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlabrWv25qQ

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Project Scope Management
 Mind Mapping

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Project Scope Management
 Mind Mapping
⚫ Use just key words, or wherever possible images.
⚫ Start from the center of the page and work out.
⚫ Make the center a clear and strong visual image that depicts the general theme
of the map.
⚫ Create sub-centers for sub-themes.
⚫ Put key words on lines. This reinforces structure of notes.
⚫ Print rather than write in script. It makes them more readable and memorable.
Lower case is more visually distinctive (and better remembered) than upper
case.
⚫ Use color to depict themes, associations and to make things stand out.
⚫ Anything that stands out on the page will stand out in your mind.
⚫ Think three-dimensionally.
⚫ Use arrows, icons or other visual aids to show links between different elements.
⚫ Don't get stuck in one area. If you dry up in one area go to another branch.
⚫ Put ideas down as they occur, wherever they fit. Don't judge or hold back.
⚫ Break boundaries. If you run out of space, don't start a new sheet; paste more
paper onto the map. (Break the 8x11 mentality.)
⚫ Be creative. Creativity aids memory.
⚫ From http://www.peterrussell.com/MindMaps/HowTo.php

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Project Scope Management
 Sample Mind-Mapping Approach for
Creating a WBS

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Project Scope Management
 Resulting WBS in Chart Form

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Project Scope Management
The WBS Dictionary and Scope Baseline
⚫Many WBS tasks are vague and must be
explained more so people know what to do
and can estimate how long it will take and
what it will cost to do the work
⚫A WBS dictionary is a document that
describes detailed information about each
WBS item
⚫The approved project scope statement and its
WBS and WBS dictionary form the scope
baseline, which is used to measure
performance in meeting project scope goals
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Project Scope Management
 Sample WBS Dictionary Entry

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Project Scope Management
 Creating a WBS and WBS Dictionary*
⚫A unit of work should appear at only one place in the
WBS
⚫The work content of a WBS item is the sum of the
WBS items below it
⚫A WBS item is the responsibility of only one individual,
even though many people may be working on it
⚫The 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

*Cleland, David I. Project Management: Strategic Design and Implementation, 1994

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Project Scope Management
Creating a WBS and WBS Dictionary *
⚫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 in that item
⚫The WBS must be a flexible tool to accommodate
inevitable changes while properly maintaining control
of the work content in the project according to the
scope statement

*Cleland, David I. Project Management: Strategic Design and Implementation, 1994

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Project Scope Management
 Scope Verification
⚫ It is very difficult to create a good scope statement and WBS
for a project
⚫ It is even more difficult to verify project scope and minimize
scope changes
⚫ Scope verification involves formal acceptance of the
completed project scope by the stakeholders
⚫ Acceptance is often achieved by a customer inspection and
then sign-off on key deliverables
⚫ The project management plan, requirements documentation,
the requirements traceability matrix, and validated deliverables
are the main inputs for scope verification.
⚫ The main tool for performing scope verification is inspection.
The customer, sponsor, or user inspects the work after it is
delivered.
⚫ The main outputs of scope verification are accepted
33 deliverables, change requests, and project document updates.
 What Went Wrong?
⚫A project scope that is too broad and grandiose can
cause severe problems
⚫Scope creep and an overemphasis on technology for
technology’s sake resulted in the bankruptcy of a large
pharmaceutical firm, Texas-based FoxMeyer Drug
⚫In 2001, McDonald’s fast-food chain initiated a project to
create an intranet that would connect its headquarters with
all of its restaurants to provide detailed operational
information in real time; after spending $170 million on
consultants and initial implementation planning,
McDonald’s realized that the project was too much to
handle and terminated it

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Project Scope Management
 Scope Control
⚫Scope control involves controlling changes to the
project scope
⚫Goals of scope control are to:
⚫Influence the factors that cause scope changes
⚫Assure changes are processed according to
procedures developed as part of integrated change
control
⚫Manage changes when they occur
⚫Tools for performing scope control include a change
control system and configuration management
⚫Variance is the difference between planned and
actual performance
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Project Scope Management
Best Practices for Avoiding Scope Problems
1. Keep the scope realistic: Don’t make projects so large that
they can’t be completed; break large projects down into a
series of smaller ones
2. Involve users in project scope management: Assign key
users to the project team and give them ownership of
requirements definition and scope verification
3. Use off-the-shelf hardware and software whenever possible:
Many IT people enjoy using the latest and greatest
technology, but business needs, not technology trends, must
take priority
4. Follow good project management processes: As described in
this chapter and others, there are well-defined processes for
managing project scope and others aspects of projects
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Project Scope Management
 Suggestions for Improving User Input
⚫Develop a good project selection process and insist
that sponsors are from the user organization
⚫Have users on the project team in important roles
⚫Have regular meetings with defined agendas, and
have users sign off on key deliverables presented at
meetings
⚫Deliver something to users and sponsors on a
regular basis
⚫Don’t promise to deliver when you know you can’t
⚫Co-locate users with developers

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Project Scope Management
 Suggestions for Reducing Incomplete
and Changing Requirements
⚫Develop and follow a requirements
management process
⚫Use techniques such as prototyping, use case
modeling, and JAD to get more user
involvement
⚫Put all requirements in writing, keep them
current and readily available
⚫Create a requirements management database
for documenting and controlling requirements
(CASE tools)
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Project Scope Management
 Strategic Planning and Project
Selection
⚫ Strategic planning involves determining longterm objectives,
predicting future trends, and projecting the need for new
products and services.
⚫ Organizations often perform a SWOT analysis: Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
⚫ As part of strategic planning, organizations should:
⚫ Identify potential projects.
⚫ Use realistic methods to select which projects to work on.
⚫ Formalize project initiation by issuing a project charter.

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Project Scope Management
 Identifying Potential Projects
⚫ Many organizations follow a planning process for
selecting IT projects.
⚫ It’s crucial to align IT projects with business strategy.
⚫ Research shows that:
⚫ Supporting explicit business objectives is the number one
reason cited for investing in IT projects.
⚫ Companies with consolidated IT operations have a 24
percent lower operational cost per end user.
⚫ The consistent use of IT standards lowers application
development costs by 41 percent per user.*

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Project Scope Management
 Methods for Selecting Projects
⚫ There is usually not enough time or resources to
implement all projects.
⚫ Methods for selecting projects include:
⚫Focusing on broad organizational needs.
⚫Categorizing information technology projects.
⚫Performing net present value or other financial analyses.
⚫Using a weighted scoring model.
⚫Implementing a balanced scorecard.

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Project Scope Management
 Focusing on Broad Organizational
Needs
⚫It is often difficult to provide strong justification for
many IT projects, but everyone agrees they have
a high value.
⚫“It is better to measure gold roughly than to count
pennies precisely.”
⚫Three important criteria for projects:
⚫There is a need for the project.
⚫ There are funds available for the project.
⚫ There is a strong will to make the project succeed.

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Project Scope Management
 Categorizing IT Projects
⚫ One categorization assesses whether the project provides
a response to:
⚫ A problem
⚫ An opportunity
⚫ A directive
⚫ Another categorization is based on the time it will take to
complete a project or the date by which it must be done.
⚫ Another categorization is the overall priority of the
project.
⚫ Time Overall priority (High, Medium, and low)

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Project Scope Management
 Financial Analysis of Projects
⚫Financial considerations are often an important
aspect of the project selection process.
⚫ Three primary methods for determining the
projected financial value of projects:
⚫ Net present value (NPV) analysis
⚫ Return on investment (ROI)
⚫ Payback analysis

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Project Scope Management
 Net Present Value Analysis
⚫Net present value (NPV) analysis is a method of
calculating the expected net monetary gain or
loss from a project by discounting all expected
future cash inflows and outflows to the present
point in time.
⚫ Projects with a positive NPV should be
considered if financial value is a key criterion.
⚫ The higher the NPV, the better.

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Project Scope Management
 Return on Investment
⚫ Return on investment (ROI) is calculated by subtracting
the project costs from the benefits and then dividing by
the costs.
⚫ ROI = (total discounted benefits - total discounted costs) /
discounted costs
⚫ The higher the ROI, the better.
⚫ Many organizations have a required rate of return or
minimum acceptable rate of return on investment for
projects.
⚫ Internal rate of return (IRR) can by calculated by setting
the NPV to zero.

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Project Scope Management
 Payback Analysis
⚫Another important financial consideration is
payback analysis.
⚫ The payback period is the amount of time it will
take to recoup, in the form of net cash inflows,
the total dollars invested in a project.
⚫ Payback occurs when the cumulative discounted
benefits and costs are greater than zero.
⚫ Many organizations want IT projects to have a
fairly short payback period.

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Project Scope Management
 ⚫ 1) Explain any two project selection method. [4]
⚫ 2) Create WBS for online shopping system. [3]
⚫ 3) Describe Scope Verification and Control in project Scope Management. [5]
⚫ 4) Define Rol and NPV. [2]
⚫ 5) Describe any two project selection methods. [4]
⚫ 6) Create WBS for website design system. [5]
⚫ 7) Explain scope verification and control in Scope Management. [4]
⚫ 8) What do you mean by WBS and solve WBS case study for college admission
System. [5]
⚫ 9) Draw the work Break Down Structure (WBS) for Hotel Management system. [5]
⚫ 10) List the contents of project charter. [2]
⚫ 11) Design WBS for website design system. [4]

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Project Scope Management