It’s important to have a good understanding of what you’re trying to accomplish before you embark on any project. One way to help ensure this is by writing out a Project Scope Statement, which includes the scope of the project, its goals and objectives, and how it will be executed. This blog post talks about why you need one and how to write one.
What is a Project Scope Statement?
A Project Scope Statement, sometimes called a project charter or scope of work document is an important part of the planning phase for any large undertaking. It outlines exactly what will be done and how it will be accomplished and identifies broader goals and objectives that are to be achieved by completing this piece of work. Often, this is done in a document that the project sponsor or customer has approved.
What Is the Purpose of a Project Scope Statement?
Project Scope Statements serve several purposes. They are used to articulate the scope and objectives for any given project, which helps ensure that all parties involved have a clear understanding of what needs to be done. It also serves as an agreement with the customer or sponsor on how their investment will be spent to determine if it is worth moving forward with this project at that time.
The purpose may vary depending on who you talk to. Still, there’s one thing everyone agrees – writing out your Project Scope Statement before embarking on a new endeavor ensures that you’re well-informed about what lies ahead and able to plan accordingly from day one.
Importance of having a Good Project Scope Statement
Having a good Project Scope Statement is not an option. It’s important to have one in place before you start any project, large or small. The document serves many purposes, and it’s usually approved by your customer as well for reassurance that what they’re investing their time, money and resources into will be worth the effort.
What Should Be Included in Your Project Scope Statement?
Justification:
This section should include the reasoning why this project is being undertaken.
Objectives:
This section should list what you are trying to accomplish and in what order, which will be used to measure success or failure later on.
Project Scope:
The scope of a project refers to the boundaries that have been set for work during its duration. In other words, it defines the limits of your endeavor. It’s important to identify this upfront so there is no confusion about how far-reaching your goals and objectives will be at each stage along the way.
Stakeholder Participation:
You need input from all parties involved before completing a Project Scope Statement, so make sure everyone has read over it once completed and understands their involvement as well as those
Constraints:
Anything restricting your ability to complete work within these parameters (i.e., time restrictions)
Benefits:
How does this piece of work move you towards achieving goals and objectives? Why should someone invest in this project now instead of later? This section often includes metrics such as timelines, budget requirements and success criteria.
Assumptions:
What are you assuming will happen or be true even though it may not be the case?
Project Deliverables:
These are the deliverables at each stage of completing a project, including final reports, interim results, work products, presentations and any other deliverable that is part of your scope.
Schedule:
When do you intend on starting/completing each part of the project? Be realistic about when things take place.
Resources:
What are the necessary people, materials and access you’ll need to do this project? Who will be responsible for these items?
Risks:
Something that could set back your progress or make it harder to complete. It’s a good idea to identify any potential risks before you start working on something so you can plan accordingly.
Steps of Creating a Project Scope Statement
Understand why the project was initiated:
It’s important to understand where this project came from so you can identify the desired outcome(s) for completing it.
Set objectives:
Objectives are usually based on a timeline and contain specific benchmarks that will be used to measure progress along the way. It also helps stakeholders know if they’re meeting expectations or not with their involvement in any given task.
Identify resources:
What people, materials, and access do you need to complete these tasks?
Define the scope of work:
Defining what your project entails is key because without knowing how far-reaching your goals and objectives are going to be at each stage, there could be confusion about what needs to happen and misunderstanding between all parties involved – some may think one thing and others may think something else.
Gather stakeholder input:
If you have stakeholders involved in the project, make sure they are on board with your scope of work before completing it and showing them this document for approval to ensure that expectations are aligned.
Document assumptions:
What do you assume will happen when it might not be true? This is important because if things don’t go as planned or someone does a task differently than anticipated, there could be some problems from an inconsistency standpoint. Your timeline may also need adjusting based on these new changes, so having documented assumptions can save time later down the line by avoiding surprises – find what needs to be updated and change those items accordingly.
Identify deliverables at each stage:
Deliverables are the work products, presentations and any other deliverable that is part of a project.
Gather schedule for each task:
It’s important to know when you plan on starting/completing tasks so there can’t be confusion about why something was done at one time versus another or even which task it pertains to – this will help reduce ambiguity around your goals and objectives.
Identify risks before starting work:
Identify what could set back progress or make it harder to complete to avoid surprises down the road from an inconsistency standpoint and save time by updating necessary items if needed once these new changes occur.
Project Scope Statement Writing Help
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