PMP® Exam Prep Online, PMP Tutorial 20 | Planning Process Group | PM Processes | Define Scope
The preparation of a detailed project scope statement is critical to project success and builds upon the major
deliverables, assumptions, and constraints that are documented during project initiation. During project planning,
the project scope is defined and described with greater specificity as more information about the project is known.
Existing risks, assumptions, and constraints are analyzed for completeness and added or updated as necessary.
The Define Scope process can be highly iterative. In iterative life cycle projects, a high-level vision will be developed
for the overall project, but the detailed scope is determined one iteration at a time and the detailed planning for the
next iteration is carried out as work progresses on the current project scope and deliverable.
The project scope statement is the description of the project scope, major deliverables, assumptions, and
constraints. The project scope statement documents the entire scope, including project and product scope. It
describes, in detail, the project’s deliverables and the work required to create those deliverables. It also provides a
common understanding of the project scope among project stakeholders. It may contain explicit scope exclusions
that can assist in managing stakeholder expectations. It enables the project team to perform more detailed planning,
guides the project team’s work during execution, and provides the baseline for evaluating whether requests for
changes or additional work are contained within or outside the project’s boundaries.
The degree and level of detail to which the project scope statement defines the work that will be performed
and the work that is excluded can help determine how well the project management team can control the overall
project scope.
