5.1 Plan Scope Management

Decide, up front, how you will define and control what is in scope.

Planning / Scope · ← PMBOK reference · See it on the map

Why it matters

Without an agreed method for defining and approving scope, every stakeholder applies their own idea of what counts as in-bounds, and arguments follow.

What done looks like

A scope management approach is written down and the team is using it.

First time tip

Match the approach to the project's size. A one-page scope plan is plenty for a small effort; save the detailed version for something genuinely complex.

What you need (Inputs)

• Project Charter
• Project Management Plan
• Enterprise Environmental Factors
• Organizational Process Assets

How you do it (Tools & Techniques)

• Expert Judgment
• Data Analysis
• Meetings

What you get (Outputs)

• Scope Management Plan
• Requirements Management Plan

Worked example

For the library renovation, the project manager writes one page saying scope changes get logged as change requests and reviewed by the director every Friday — small enough that a heavier scope-management process would only slow things down.

Common pitfalls

• Copying a large project's scope process onto a small one and drowning in paperwork.
• Never writing the approach down, so each new request is handled ad hoc.
• Choosing an approach nobody on the team actually follows once work starts.

How driftless helps

• Meetings can be run here.
• Scope Management Plan can be created in the wizard.
• Requirements Management Plan can be created in the wizard.