Project Management and its Scope

Project management is the application of processes, methods, skills, knowledge and experience to achieve specific project objectives according to the project acceptance criteria within agreed parameters. Project management has final deliverables that are constrained to a finite timescale and budget.

A key factor that distinguishes project management from just 'management' is that it has this final deliverable and a finite timespan, unlike management which is an ongoing process. Because of this a project professional needs a wide range of skills; often technical skills, and certainly people management skills and good business awareness.

Scope of project management

• Site design and wireframe diagramming

• Establishment of a test bed 

• Coding to the approved wireframe

• Graphics development for the website theme

• Testing and debugging prior to making the site public

In project management, scope is the set of boundaries that define the extent of a project. The scope describes what is to be delivered to the customer as a result of the project initiative. 

Understanding the scope allows the project manager and project team to understand what falls inside or outside the boundaries of the project. If something is "not in scope," it is not factored in the planning work of the project. Activities that fall within the boundaries of the scope statement are considered “in scope” and are accounted for in the schedule and budget. If an activity falls outside the boundaries, it is considered “out of scope” and is not planned for. ​

Whether you’re a project manager or part of the project team, you’ll want to consider if something is in scope or out of scope as you move forward. As an example, imagine that a client has asked you to build a website. As you outline the scope (or set the boundaries) of the project, you indicate the following items as in-scope:

During the course of the project, the client asks you to include a video overview of the company. The video is not specified in the scope of the project and is therefore out of scope. While you may be happy to do the video work for an extra charge, this will require a revision of the scope and cost and time estimation for the project. 

In the absence of a clear and agreed upon scope document, the issue of the video might have become contentious between your team and the customer's representatives. A clear scope statement allowed you to defuse the situation and deal with a change in an orderly way. 

So how do you determine what is in or out of scope? You’ll first want to outline all the details of the project you currently know based on discussions with the client or the project owner. Then you’ll want to make key assumptions that will drive what’s considered in or out of scope.