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Guidelines For Managers

Model Guideline #5

Show me a typical guideline for -

Project Scope Evolution

Guideline Goals

  • To provide a consistent basis for presenting Need, Concept requirements, and working Scope Descriptions
  • To facilitate management decision making, selection and allocation of resources, and
  • Subsequently, to provide the essential baseline for managing scope change requests

Expectations - 1

Justification

    • The project will only be formally initiated if the original Project Identification/Need statement also includes a statement of potential benefits to justify the project in the first place

Expectations - 2

In the Concept Phase, the Phase Manager will:

    • Obtain Stakeholder input
    • Develop a concept description based on the Approved Project Requirements
    • Select the preferred concept alternative and obtain its acceptance
    • Develop the Project Concept as a Scope Statement complete with supporting Business Case as input to Phase 2

Expectations - 3

The Business Case must:

    • Include an updated assessment of the benefits that will accrue
      • Expressed in demonstrable and measurable terms
    • Include a statement of the risks associated with the project

Expectations - 4

In the Definition Phase, the Phase Manager will:

    • Take the Project Concept description, identify the entire set of systems and their technical requirements and
    • Document a complete Systems Scope Description
      • Including environmental, regulatory and safety requirements if/as appropriate
    • This document, including the supporting project justification will be used for project scope control, and
    • Final product verification
      • During the production phases

Particulars - 1

  • Documentation of the project's scope is an evolutionary process culminating in the detailed description of the planned end-product
  • It is portrayed by progressive elaboration of:
    • Need
    • Project Requirements
    • Project Concept
    • Project Systems
    • Detailed System Scope Descriptions
      • Or Work Package Scope Descriptions

Particulars - 2

These progressive descriptions provide the content for the necessary approvals for consuming resources successively through the project life cycle

Particulars - 3

The Project Concept Document must:

    • Begin to define the facility/system/product/service resulting from the project
      • To meet the affordable requirements
      • In effect it is a "Vision Statement" for the whole project
    • Specifically include the requirements as expressed by the Stakeholders

Particulars - 4

During Project Implementation

The detailed scope descriptions contained in the full project documentation (the output from Phase 2) provides the baseline for:

      • Project Scope Control and
      • Change Management

Definitions and Responsibility

Definitions to be included

    • Project Concept Document, Project Vision Statement, Project Scope, Approved Project Requirements, Project Systems, Detailed Scope Description

Primary responsibility

    • Project Phase Manager

Responsible to

    • Project Sponsor