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PROJECT MANAGEMENT 101
11 Must-Have Project

Project Scope 101 Management Excel

Templates
By Peter Landau | Jan 18, 2022
How to Make a Scope
Management Plan
Table of Contents
Project Scope
What Is Project Scope?
Statement: Include
How To Define Project Scope These 7 Things

How to Make a
Scope Management Process
Construction Schedule
How to Manage Scope with ProjectManager

Defining the project scope is a critical part of the project

planning process. That’s because the project scope defines
the boundaries of what will and won’t be part of the project
work, which is very important when making the project
budget and schedule.

So, naturally, scope management is a very important area of

project management and there’s a lot to learn about it. But
before we jump into that, let’s start with the definition of
project scope.

Manage and execute your project scope with ProjectManager’s Gantt charts. Try it

out with a free 30-day trial!

What Is Project Scope?

The project scope is the total amount of work that needs to
be done to complete a project. It’s also one of the triple
constraints of project management. Defining scope is part of
the project planning process and helps project managers
determine what the project goals, deliverables, tasks, costs
and deadlines are.

The project scope is usually defined in a document called

scope statement, while the scope management plan
explains how it will be controlled. Let’s learn about these
important project management documents.

Project Scope Statement

As mentioned above, the scope statement is the project
management document that describes the scope of a
project.

A scope statement usually includes the following elements:

○ Project Goals & Objectives: The project requirements or

acceptance criteria.

○ Project Deliverables: The outcomes of project tasks.

○ Project Exclusions & Constraints: As a project manager

you need to explain what can’t be done and why.

○ Project Assumptions: Some inital assumptions that the

project management team has before executing the
work.

○ Project Milestones: These mark important moments in

your project life cycle, such as the end of a phase.

○ Scope Baseline: Your original scope as you planned it.

The scope baseline allows you to compare actual results
against what it’s in your scope statement.

The scope statement is also a guideline for the project

manager. It helps them make decisions about change
requests throughout the project life cycle. Change is an
inevitable part of any project, no matter how thorough your
project plan is, so you want to include the likelihood for
change in your scope statement to better manage it later.

Scope Management Plan

The scope management plan is an element of the project
plan. It includes the scope statement as well as the action
plan that the project team will take to monitor and control
the project scope.

How To Define Project Scope

Defining project scope means more than just identifying all
tasks, deliverables, milestones and dependencies. Follow
these steps to have a more holistic view of your project
scope.

1. Define Project Goals & Objectives

Project goals and project objectives are not the same thing.
Goals are higher-level than objectives, which are more
specific. They must be defined in a project charter during the
project initiation phase.

2. Collect Project Requirements

Project requirements can also be found in the project
charter. Stakeholders have quality, financial, and other types
of project requirements. Those requirements will help you
define what can and can’t be included in your scope.

3. Project Exclusions & Constraints

Project exclusions refer to anything that will not be done.
Determining that is just as important as defining the scope.
That will help you avoid any misunderstandings with project
stakeholders. It’s also important to note any important
constraints such as costs that might affect the project scope.

4. Define Tasks & Deliverables

A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a planning tool that
helps project managers visualize all the tasks required to
complete a project, organize them by hierarchy and identify
dependencies and deliverables.

5. Make a Resource Management Plan

Now that you’ve identified your project tasks, it’s time to
determine what resources will be needed to execute them.
This includes team members, equipment and materials.
You’ll need to allocate those resources to accomplish every
task in your project scope. Estimate these costs and add
them to your project budget.

6. Change Control Process

The project scope can be negatively impacted when
changes such as new project requirements go unnoticed.
That’s because they create extra work which is not
accounted for. That’s called scope creep. To avoid it, you need
change control procedures such as change requests so that
the project team can adjust the scope management plan.

Now that you have defined your project scope, you’ve

completed the first step in the scope management process.

Scope Management Process

Scope management is one of the most critical areas of
project management because managing a project is really
managing its scope. That’s because scope management
consists in achieving the goals of the project within the time
and budget approved by the stakeholders. But those
decisions are not necessarily binding. Things change, of
course, but you have to make sure those changes are
aligned with the stakeholder’s project goals.

Managing project scope means from the start that you and
the stakeholders have a clear line of communication. You
have to know their vision to know what they’re expecting in
a project. That way, when change happens you can direct it
to meet the project’s goals while keeping the overall project
on track. But that’s just the beginning.

To manage the scope of the project, you have to do five

things:

1. Define the Project Scope

2. Write a Scope Statement

3. Create a Scope Management Plan

4. Define a Scope Baseline to Control Scope

5. Monitor and Control your Project Scope During Project

Life Cycle

Pro tip: Scope Management is defined as a project

management knowledge area by the project management
institute (PMI).

How to Manage Scope with

ProjectManager
ProjectManager has a bevy of tools to help managers track
their project scope. First and foremost, from a project
manager’s perspective, is our online Gantt chart. Use our
Gantt chart to create a project plan, where all of your scoped
tasks are scheduled with assignees and deadlines. Plus, our
Gantt charts feature progress bars that update in real time as
team members complete their tasks, so you have utmost
transparency.

ProjectManager’s Interactive Gantt Chart

Task Management Features for Doing the Work

ProjectManager comes with three different views for
working on tasks. The Gantt, which we mentioned, kanban
boards and task lists. All three views can be used to work on
the same project, which means team members can work on
the project tasks their own way. This flexibility improves
productivity across the team, making sure that you avoid the
dreaded scope creep.

Task management tools for enhanced collaboration and productivity.

Project Dashboards for Better Tracking

Dashboards are your best friend when you’re trying to spot
scope creep. Our real-time project dashboard gives you a live
look at critical metrics across your project. This live data lets
you spot bottlenecks and issues faster than you would have
thought possible. Plus, it’s all displayed in simple graphs that
can easily be shared with stakeholders or team members.

The best way to manage scope in a project is to have an

online project management tool that gives you real-time
data so you can act when issues arise and before they
become problems. ProjectManager is cloud-based, so when
your team updates their statues, from wherever they are and
at whatever time, that information is immediately updated
and you can monitor the progress of your project more
accurately. See for yourself by taking this free 30-day trial.

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