Manage Scope and Project Changes

Project Management Plan (PMP)

The main output of planning activities that defines how the project will be executed, monitored and controlled, and closed.

List of Planning Activities in Project Management

Developing the Project Management Plan

Creating a detailed scope statement

Defining units of work

Assessing and assigning resources

Developing a schedule

Determining the budget

Assessing risks

Creating a transition plan

List of Subsidiary Plans within the PMP

Scope Management Plan

Requirements Management Plan

Schedule Management Plan

Cost Management Plan

Quality Management Plan

Resource Management Plan

Communications Management Plan

Risk Management Plan

Procurement Management Plan

Stakeholder Management Plan

Baseline

A clearly defined fixed reference point for measuring project performance and progress.

Types of Baselines in the PMP

Scope
Schedule

Cost

Performance Measurement

Product Scope

The specific features and functions that characterize the product being created.

Project Scope

The work performed to deliver the product with the specified features and functions.

Scope Statement

A document that describes all major deliverables and any exclusions, officially declaring what is and isn’t included in the project.

Purpose of the Scope Statement

To build on the preliminary scope from the Project Charter and establish a shared understanding of what the project will deliver.

Gathering Requirements for the Scope Statement

Gather input from stakeholders

Use data-gathering techniques such as surveys and interviews

Organize requirements using a Requirements Traceability Matrix

Requirements Traceability Matrix

A tool used to list and track the different requirements gathered during scope development.

Contents of the Scope Statement

Scope descriptions (progressively elaborated)

Deliverables (measurable and quantifiable)

Acceptance criteria (conditions for deliverables)

Project exclusions (what is out of scope)

Benefit of a Detailed Scope Statement

Creates a common understanding among stakeholders and supports more detailed planning.

Scope Baseline

The approved version of the scope statement, WBS, and WBS dictionary, which can only be changed through formal change control procedures.

Predictive Environment Scope

Project deliverables are defined at the beginning of the project and remain relatively fixed.

Agile Environment Scope

Detailed scope is defined at the beginning of each iteration, allowing for flexibility and continuous refinement.

Ongoing Stakeholder Engagement in Agile

Agile projects require regular collaboration with stakeholders, reinforcing Agile Principle #4: “Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.”

Product Backlog

A prioritized list of required product functionality that provides a central view of what needs to be done and in what order.

User Story Format

A template for product backlog items:

“As a [who], I want [what], so that [why].”

Contents of the Product Backlog

Features (User Stories)

Bug Fixes

Technical Updates

Knowledge Gathering (Spikes)

Other Product Maintenance

Spike (Knowledge Gathering)

A user story type used for researching or investigating to gain knowledge for better planning or estimation.

Backlog Grooming (Refinement)

The ongoing process of updating and prioritizing the product backlog to ensure it remains accurate and aligned with project goals.

Master Story List

Another term for the product backlog; a prioritized, evolving list of all work items, including user stories and tasks.

Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

A version of a product with just enough features to satisfy early users and provide feedback for future development.

Work Package

A manageable unit of work resulting from the decomposition of the project scope, small enough to estimate, assign, and monitor effectively.

Planning Package

A placeholder within the WBS for work that will be broken down further into work packages at a later time.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

A hierarchical decomposition of the total project scope into deliverables and work packages to help the team accomplish the project objectives.

Benefits of the WBS

Improves clarity, communication, accountability, and helps identify scope, schedule, and resource requirements while reducing the risk of overlooked work.

WBS Dictionary

A supporting document that provides detailed descriptions, deliverables, responsibilities, resources, and scheduling info for each WBS element.

Guidelines for Decomposition

Stop decomposing when the work package is small enough to estimate time and cost, assign responsibility, and monitor/control progress.

Describe Units of Work in Agile

Work is defined as User Stories and other backlog items (e.g., bugs, spikes, tasks) that are prioritized in the Product Backlog and delivered in short iterations.

Describe Units of Work in Predictive Projects

Work is broken down from high-level deliverables in the Scope Statement into detailed Work Packages organized in a hierarchical WBS, planned up front.

Scope Baseline Components

Composed of the approved Scope Statement, the Work Breakdown Structure, and the WBS Dictionary.

Constraint

A limiting factor that affects the success of a project.

Triple Constraint

A model that represents the relationship between cost, time, and scope—changing one affects the others and may impact quality.

Cost (in the Triple Constraint)

The budget and resources allocated to complete the project.

Scope (in the Triple Constraint)

The features, functionality, and deliverables of the project.

Time (in the Triple Constraint)

The project’s schedule, including deadlines and duration.

Iron Triangle

Another name for the Triple Constraint, emphasizing the trade-offs between cost, time, and scope.

Effect of Changing One Constraint

Altering cost, time, or scope without adjusting the others can lead to reduced quality.

Agile and the Triple Constraint

Agile prioritizes scope flexibility, allowing teams to reduce scope to meet time and cost constraints while preserving quality.

Importance of the Triple Constraint

Understanding and balancing cost, time, and scope helps project managers maintain quality and align stakeholder expectations.

A client says, “We absolutely must launch in time for the holiday season. We want all planned features included, even if it costs more.”

Which constraint is being prioritized?

Time and Scope

A client says, “We absolutely must launch in time for the holiday season. We want all planned features included, even if it costs more.”

As a Project Manager, you would need to:

Increase Cost (add resources or overtime) to meet the tight deadline and high scope.

A stakeholder tells you, “We’re working with a fixed budget. We’re open to simplifying the feature set or taking a bit longer to complete the project.”

Which constraint is fixed?

Cost

A stakeholder tells you, “We’re working with a fixed budget. We’re open to simplifying the feature set or taking a bit longer to complete the project.”

As a Project Manager, you would need to:

Reduce Scope or extend Time to stay within budget.

A sponsor says, “We want to release a basic version of the product quickly. We can always add more features later.”

Which constraint is being prioritized?

Time

A sponsor says, “We want to release a basic version of the product quickly. We can always add more features later.”

As a Project Manager, you would need to:

Reduce Scope and possibly increase Cost to deliver something fast (likely an MVP).

The customer says, “This product needs to do everything outlined in the spec. We’re not flexible on features, but we can spend more or take longer if needed.”

Which constraint is being prioritized?

Scope

The customer says, “This product needs to do everything outlined in the spec. We’re not flexible on features, but we can spend more or take longer if needed.”

As a Project Manager, you would need to:

Increase Cost or Time to meet the required feature set.

A new project must stay under a strict budget and be released in three months due to legal requirements.

Which constraints are fixed?

Cost and Time

A new project must stay under a strict budget and be released in three months due to legal requirements.

As a project Manager, would you need to:

Reduce Scope (deliver fewer features) to meet both the budget and deadline.

Scope Creep

Uncontrolled expansion to product or project scope without adjustments to time, cost, and resources.

Change Control Process (Predictive Environment)

A formal, step-by-step process used to evaluate, approve, and implement changes in a project to maintain control over scope, schedule, and cost.

CCP Step 1

Create (or Receive) Change Request

Describe Create (or Receive) Change Request (CCP Step 1)

A written change proposal explaining the reasons and justification, which can be submitted by anyone associated with the project.

CCP Step 2

Log the Request

Describe Log the Request (CCP Step 2)

Document the change request in the Change Request Log, which can be a simple sheet.

CCP Step 3

Preliminary Review

Describe Preliminary Review (CCP Step 3)

Consult subject matter experts to determine feasibility and receive estimates on complexity.

CCP Step 4

Assess Impact

Describe Assess Impact (CCP Step 4)

Evaluate how the change affects the project scope, schedule risk, resource needs, and overall feasibility.

CCP Step 5

Recommendation Documented

Describe Recommendation Documented (CCP Step 5)

Record findings from the assessment to support the decision-making process.

CCP Step 6

Decision Makers Determined

Describe Decision Makers Determined (CCB Step 6)

Identify who will approve the change, ranging from the project manager to the project sponsor.

CCP Step 7

Escalate to the Change Control Board (CCB)

Describe Escalate to the Change Control Board (CCB) (CCB Step 7)

Submit the change to the CCB if necessary; this panel reviews, approves, or denies major change requests.

CCP Step 8

Status Documented and Communicated

Describe Status Documented and Communicated (CCP Step 8)

Update the Change Control Log with the decision and communicate it to the requestor.

CCP Step 9

Update Project Plan

Describe Update Project Plan (CCP Step 9)

Revise relevant project documents, such as the schedule or scope statement, if the change is approved.

CCP Step 10

Implement the Change

Describe Implement the Change (CCP Step 10)

Carry out and execute the approved change.

CCP Step 11

Validate Change Implementation

Describe Validate Change Implementation (CCP Step 11)

Confirm the change meets the original reqestu’s requirements.

CCP Step 12

Communicate Change Deployment

Describe Communicate Change Deployment (CCP Step 12)

Share the successful implementation of the change during a status meeting.

Change Control Process (Acronym for first 6 steps)

Craig Loves Pampering and Riding Donkeys

(Create, Log, Preliminary Review, Assess Impact, Recommendation Documented, Decision MakersC

Change Control Process (Acronym for second 6 steps)

Ester Sometimes Understands It’s Very Cold
(Escalate to CCB, Status Documented, Update Plan, Implement Change, Validate Implementation, Communicate Deployment)

Describe when Change Controls take place.

During the Executing Phase of the Project Lifecycle.

What does RTM stand for?

Requirements Traceability Matrix

Q: If we want to produce something quickly and with a full feature set, what must we increase to maintain quality?

A: Fast & Full Scope → Increased Cost

Q: If we want to reduce cost and maintain full scope, what must we allow more of to maintain quality?

A: Cheap & Full Scope → Increased Time

Q: If we want to reduce cost and finish quickly, what must we reduce to maintain quality?

A: Cheap & Fast → Reduced Scope

Q: If we want to deliver all features and stay on schedule, what must we increase to maintain quality?

A: Full Scope & On Time → Increased Cost

Q: If we want to reduce scope and cost, what benefit can we expect in terms of the schedule?

A: Less Scope & Less Cost → Faster Delivery

Q: If we want high quality on a tight budget and short timeline, what is likely to suffer?

A: Cheap & Fast → Lower Scope or Lower Quality (if not managed)

Acronym for CCP Group 1 (Sean’s Version)

Coders Love Patching All Risky Deployments

Acronym for CCP Group 2 (Sean’s Version)

Engineers Send Updates in Versioned Commits