Fatma, Jasper, and Viktoria, all graduates from Virginia Tech in 2014, had found

themselves in the San Francisco Bay Area. They came together for a monthly lunch at
Yank Sing Chinese restaurant to provide each other professional support. Fatma
worked for a successful Internet company that emphasized community service
projects. She was currently managing the renovation of an empty warehouse into
apartments for low-income families. Jasper, a software engineer, worked for a
start-up focused on expanding the sharing economy. Viktoria, an electrical
engineer, was part of a team developing a next-generation neural stimulator.

During their lunch, they discussed their respective projects. Fatma expressed her
struggles with defining the project scope for the apartment renovation, as there
were numerous unanswered questions regarding community space, energy efficiency,
and furniture choices. Viktoria shared her company's effective scope defining
process, which involved a detailed scope statement signed off by all stakeholders.
For Viktoria, scope was the top priority in her project, emphasizing the importance
of doing the work correctly. Jasper highlighted the ever-changing scope in his
start-up, where features and requirements constantly evolved, making planning
challenging.

Jasper emphasized that time was their number one priority, given the competition in
their industry and the need to demonstrate their progress to secure funding. He
enjoyed collaborating with his international counterparts, Axel from Sweden and
Raja from India, as they worked together seamlessly despite the time zone
differences. Initially, trust was an issue, but they developed a friendly
competition and exchanged humorous content to foster a positive team dynamic.

After their discussion, they made plans to meet at a new Peruvian restaurant for
their next gathering.