Hello everyone, Let us now talk about the project scope management, last time we discussed
the integration management.
We covered around seven processes; the first one, which was the project charter; one of
the important ones.
Many questions from it, approximately ten questions, an important one.
Then we move towards the plan; the project management plan, the father.
Then moving forward we did the execution process, where we got the deliverables and we documented
the lessons learned.
Then I would say the most and most important one; which would be approximately 20 questions
was the change request process that performs integrated change control process and finally
we actually did the close project or process again around 10 to 15 questions in that.
Okay, so integration was all about how you are integrating, how you are combining, but
what is scope?
Like, whatever you do on a project, you first need to define the scope.
What you really want on this project, for example, if we go back to our example of buying
the car project, which we did last time; what was the scope?
If you ask me, I would say ok the car engine should be something like this, then I would
say I need this color, I need the interior heated, it should have leather seats, all
of these are my requirements, all of these are part of the scope.
How I will achieve that?
It's a customized car I need to make sure that I get all of my requirements and is it
under my budget, all of those things are actually part of the project scope management process.
So, again brief agenda.
How we will cover this?
We will first go over the high-level description about the processes, what all processes we
have, I will give you a brief overview about it.
Then we would go into each process in much more detail where I will be explaining you
all the inputs, all the tools, and all the outputs.
Just remember, I am NOT saying that you need to memorize things, ITTO’s are something
which you don't need to memorize but what is required is to ask these questions to yourself;
why this is an input?
Why this is a tool?
Why this is an output?
Once you start getting those concepts, once you start asking these questions to yourself,
I am confident that you will start enjoying it.
Learning something is one thing, but understanding and building the concepts is more important
and this is what my basic purpose is to deliver to this class.
Then after the detailed discussions, we will go towards the study focus; the revision time.
Here we will be talking about the important points of each of the processes so that you
can document that in your case notes, just make sure, whenever you start a particular
process you have your ITTO’s sheet from the website.
So, do not forget, just go to the website and download the free ITTO’s sheet and make
the case notes.
Start and stop; this is a video for you, Right?
So, start and stop and make as many notes as possible because in the end, all of these
notes would be very,very,very helpful for you, and finally, we will do the closure;
a quick revision of the things we covered.
Okay, let us see what this knowledge area involves.
As I told you, it has six processes and those six processes are in two process groups.
One, we have the planning process group and the other we have the monitoring and control
process group.
When we did the integration management knowledge area, there were seven processes but those
seven processes were actually covering all of the process groups.
We started with initiation till the very end, which was the closing.
However, scope; this is all about planning, monitoring, and control.
Okay, so first of all what we need to do is plan the scope.
like when a new requirement comes to me, the first thing that I ask the people is that
“what do you really want ?” and when I went to the showroom to buy the car, the dealer
asked me “what is your requirement?
, What is the requirement for this customized car?”
So, the basic fundamental step is to start with the scope.
Once you plan, then next process you actually do is the requirement, you collect the requirements.
You go into much more details and remember, the requirements should always be SMART.
When I say smart, it is specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound.
I will be discussing this in much more detail when I go into the collect requirements process.
Once you have the requirements, then you make sure that you define that scope, you describe
that requirements in much more detail.
If you compare, if you remember the project charter which we discussed in the project
integration management; project charter was all about high level requirements, but in
this, we get the scope statement, which talks about the requirements in much more detail.
Which talks about the description of that scope.
It will also talk about the in scope, out of scope, what are the things, which are in
scope, out of scope.
What are the project exclusions, that is very important because as a project manager it
is your job to make sure that you are sticking to the requirements.
Whatever is asked from you, well, you need to stick on.
If the stakeholders are diverting from the topic, it is you whose job is to make sure
to bring them back on track.
Once you have the scope, you actually work towards the work breakdown structure.
If you remember, when we discussed the Direct and Manage project work in the integration
management knowledge area, I told that you convert the work packages into deliverables.
Right, and work package is actually a deliverable, it is deliverable based.
This is where we would be talking about the work breakdown structure in much more detail.
Another very important process, many questions comes from this; work breakdown structure.
So, we’ll talk about that in much more detail.
Then, the acceptance is also taken care of in this particular process of process group
so this is actually part of the monitor and control process group so, it managed the acceptance
of the project's product.
So, whatever was expected from your customer, for example, think of the time when I went
to the dealer to see my deliverable.
Whatever they have created for me, what they have developed for me.
This is where I'm checking my requirements with that car, for example, if I said that
I need heated seats for my customized car then I will probably myself as a customer
go and check whether do I have those heated seats or not.
Then if I said that, I need a good music system and when I say a good music system with a
specific configuration, right?
So, I would check that did the dealer did a good job in customizing those, did the dealer
do a good job in making sure my requirements were fulfilled.
Therefore, when I check each requirement which was documented in the requirements , did they
do it or not and if they did, then it is my job as a customer to actually give you this
sign off on that.
Therefore, that is why these we call it as that this acceptance of the product actually
happens in this particular knowledge area, why?
Because we are, actually checking it against scope and making sure that you know you did
a good job in that.
And then control; I would say each and every knowledge area has a planned process, for
example, I am talking about scope right now, we have a plan process which is the plan scope
management.
Similarly, it has a monitoring control process which is the control scope, then when I talk
about the time management: the schedule, we will have a plan schedule management process
and we will have a control schedule process.
It goes with everything, control quality, plan quality, control cost, plan cost, risk,
procurement, and stakeholders everything would have a plan as well as a control process.
Similarly to this we have a control, it is your job as a project manager to make sure
you are controlling the changes on the project and until and unless your baselines are developed,
you don't need to follow a particular the CCP process which I explained you in the perform
integrated change control process.
Okay, another thing, it's the responsibility of the project manager to plan and control
the scope, so most of the time for example: project charter, I would say project charter
is something which is the responsibility of the sponsor but anything else like we talked
about scope, we talked about cost and time.
All of those things are actually responsibilities of the project manager, of course cost is
something the budget is formed, but I will go that into much more details but this is
something it's actually the responsibility of the project manager to take the requirements.
Not just like work with the team to get the requirements to control the scope on the project,
so it is the responsibility of the project manager.
Then change handle scope changes with structure process and control.
If there are scope changes, what are the processes, what are the ways you are handling that and
does it mean that you are changing the product or does it mean that you are actually changing
the process in itself.
So, we will be covering about that as well.
Then project / product related activities, scope activities takes place before most of
the product related activities.
Therefore, there is a difference between product scope and project scope.
I will be discussing that later today, but that's an important concept as well.
Then gold-plating, deliver all of the scope but not more than the scope, no gold plating.
So, assume that I went to the dealer and I asked my customized car from them, they came
up and made sure that they fulfill all of my requirements and they gave me a few extra
requirements as well which I never asked for.
So, A: I could be happy about those extra requirement which was done for free by the
dealer to make sure that they can get my business again or B: I am not happy about it, right?
So gold plating is when you deliver something extra and trust me guys, this is not a good
technique, and you should never do it.
You should always stick to the plan; you should always stick to the requirements, which was
asked.
If you do what I really asked if I am able to make sure, I get that three-letter word
PMP after your name that is my job.
Okay, I am over here, I teach you only the things which are important from the exam perspective,
many times students come to me and they ask, “Can you explain this topic?
“And if I see this is not important from the exam perspective you'll never get a question,
I will not explain it because I want to stick to only the scope and not because I follow
the gold plating principle like you don't follow this gold plating principle but my
purpose is just to pass the exam.
I want you to get that three-letter word after your name.
Okay then, project versus product scope.
As discussed, we will be discussing that today.
Project success is meeting the scope project requirements and remember only the scope requirements
nothing extra, nothing less.
Okay so, project scope versus product scope.
I have been discussing about this a lot.
Product if you see here closely, so product scope is actually in the middle and the project
scope is on the outer most of realm.
So, when I say product scope; it's all about the features of that product, like I was talking
about the seats, the music system, then I was also talking about the tires, right?
All of those are actually my product related requirements or product scope is those things,
but when I talk about the project scope; project scope is all about, it's much more than the
product, like how I will get those heated seats, how I will get that configuration on
the music system which I'm expecting, how I can get those tires.
All of those are like how much time it will take, how much cost quality?
How they are communicating?
How they are discussing with me?
If there are any resources involved, not just human resources but also other material or
equipment resources, what is the risk associated with this.
What are the procurement efforts?
Does the dealer has to procure a few things from the other dealers or do they have to
take aftermarket parts?
So, again you know many things are involved in the product and project scope.
As discussed there are six processes of scope management, very important!
And if you talk about which one are the most important ones, I will say that collect requirements,
create WBS, validate.
These three are very important.
Of course, Define scope is also very important because we will get the scope statement.
So you know you may get some questions on the content of project scope statements very
important.
And these plan scope management and the control scope, these are two common processes, just
like any other knowledge area.
Okay now let us see the high-level description of these six processes and then we will go
into much more detail about each of these individual processes.
So, first we have the plan scope management, its documenting how the project scope would
be defined, validated and controlled.
So, again all these planning processes, it's all about how you will do it.
How you will make sure, how we create the WBS how you will define the scope, how you
will validate that scope.
How you will make sure that you are controlling the changes so the keyword for these plan
processes is always “how”.
Then you will collect the requirements understanding and documenting the stakeholders need in product
and project scope.
What do I really need, for example, heated seats, a good music system with a specific
configuration and again remember it has to be specific.
I need to define that specific, like I said I don't know the units of music system or
something but it has to be very specific.
Then we will define the scope where we will get the scope statement.
If you have your ITTO sheet with you, go on the third tab, which is the differentiation
tab.
You could see the difference between the scope statement and your project charter, very important!
You should understand.
So, Charter was at a high level but the scope statement is something which is at a very
detailed level about those requirements.
Then we will create a work breakdown structure, a tree base hierarchy structure, that is your
work breakdown structure.
There are many components like the planning packages, the control accounts, and of course,
the work package is the most important out of all of these.
Very important many questions comes from this create WBS process, more than 10 for sure.
Then we do the validate scope, which is gaining the formal acceptance of the deliverables,
like my myself as a customer will go to the dealer and check my product, when I say product,
I am talking about the customized style.
I will in one place I will have this document with me, which will have the list of all the
requirements and at the other end I will have my product, the car.
I do a comparison, I will make sure that whatever features are there in the product, are they
meeting my requirements or not.
If it is meeting my requirements, I would give my sign-off and give my approval to move
to the next.
After I validate, the last thing we will be doing the controls scope, which is ensuring
that the work matches the scope and changes to the scope are carefully evaluated and managed.
So, this is important, every time you are doing something, you will get lots of changes
and it's your job as a project manager to control those changes.
If there is a change request, make sure that it follows the perform integrated change control
process.
You have to do that detailed impact analysis of what is the consequence of that change
on that triple constraint triangle.
Okay, so this marks the completion of the introduction, next we would be discussing
or plan scope management which would be our next