Scope is the way we describe the boundaries of a project. It defines what the project will deliver and what it will not deliver. This fairly explains that projects are always sponsored or owned and are never completely independent; therefore, a project needs to have its goals and objectives within the scope of the goals and objectives of the parent organisation.
This process of establishing the goals and objectives of a project requires for the project to have some boundaries to be defined, this very process is known as the scope of a project. The scope of a project has to be clear, concise, unambiguous and accountable.
Only when the scope of a project is clearly defined and boundaries set, it will be convenient for the project manager to set goals and objectives for his project. To make sure the scope is being correctly defined, the sponsor must issue to project manager a project charter formally authorising the project and defining the business need and product description.
Without proper scope definition, you have no chance to manage scope effectively. Scope creep is a term used to define a series of small changes that are made to the project without scope change management procedures used.
Where a single such change may seem small with little project impact, a number of such small changes may have a considerable impact on the project. Without defining the scope of the project we cannot estimate either cost or time. These facts highlight importance of project scope management.
MASHOOD AHMAD
Lahore
