Project Scope Statement

The Project Scope Statement is a major project document that is produced through the fourth edition PMBOK®’s Define Scope process. The Project Scope Statement contains the project’s deliverables and required work in detailed statements. It includes the Product Scope Description, Product Acceptance Criteria, Project Deliverables, Project Exclusions, and Project Constraints. For example, Katy’s project is to bake a dozen cookies for her neighbor. One dozen round chocolate chip cookies that are three inches in diameter is the Product Scope Description. If the neighbor deems them not burned, that is the Product Acceptance Criteria. The Deliverables are: one dozen cookies and a paper plate that they will be placed upon brought to the neighbor’s door. A Project Exclusion is that the recipe will not be provided. A Project Constraint is that the cookies must be delivered by 4:00pm this evening. Also see the earlier posting of Define Scope Process (February 25, 2009).

Project Exclusions, Assumptions, and Constraints

Project exclusions, assumptions, and constraints (among other information) are included in a Project Scope Statement. Katy has a project to make exotic papaya honey cookies to enter in her city’s bake-off competition. The scope of the project is to make and enter one dozen cookies for the competition. Here are some examples of exclusions, assumptions, and constraints for this project.

Project exclusions are those things that outside of the project boundaries. It explicitly states what is not included in the project. This project does not include making enough cookies for Katy to eat some herself. This project does not include submitting her recipe to the judges.

Project assumptions are those things that are believed to be true. Katy believes that she’ll be able to obtain the cookie ingredients from her local grocery store. She also believes that her car will reliably transport her and the cookies to the competition.

Project constraints are limitations placed upon the project team. Katy must have the cookies delivered to the competition one hour before the judging starts. Katy’s husband insists that she spend no more than fifty dollars on exotic ingredients for the cookies.

Define Scope Process

Define Scope is one of the 42 project management processes outlined in the fourth edition PMBOK®. It was called Scope Definition in the previous PMBOK. Define Scope is categorized as one of the five Scope knowledge area processes, and one of the twenty Planning processes. The purpose of this process is to make a detailed description of the project and the product. The most important thing to know about this process is that is creates the Project Scope Statement. The two major documents used to develop this scope statement are the Project Charter (which was developed in the Develop Project Charter process) and Requirements Documentation (which was developed in the Collect Requirements process), so these processes must be performed before writing the Project Scope Statement. When writing the Project Scope Statement, be sure to include the following: product scope description, product acceptance criteria, project deliverables, project exclusions, project constraints, and project assumptions. So not only is the scope of the project described, but also the project exclusions, which is specifically stating what is out of scope. A line is being drawn between what is within the boundaries of the project, and what is out of bounds. The project constraints are limitations placed on the project (such as a set budget), and project assumptions are things that the team is assuming to be true (such as assuming that a vendor will be available when needed). As more information becomes known, the Project Scope Statement is further elaborated upon and defined.