Project Scope Statement: Include These 7 Things

Project Scope Statement: Include These 7 Things


Project scope is an important part of a project management plan. It is the sum of all project work and is the boundary in which the entire project exists. To define it, you need to understand the project goals, work breakdown structure, requirements, and acceptance criteria. A scope statement is a document that defines all the elements of the project scope and is the primary tool for stakeholders and teammates to refer back to and use as a guideline to accurately measure project success. To have a project scope statement properly outlined, you must address these seven things: project goals and objectives, project objectives, project requirements, project scope description, and project scope charter.

Use a work breakdown structure to visualize all project tasks, deliverables, and milestones. List out what is within the scope of the project and what is out of scope. Identify project exclusions and project constraints, which are limitations such as time or cost. Create a scope baseline to compare progress to the planned project scope. Project exclusions and constraints are important because they help establish boundaries for the project to exist, manage stakeholders' expectations, and give team members some creative limitations to work within.