Project exclusions assumptions and constraints

2.6 PROJECT SCOPE STATEMENT

The Project Scope Statement is the description of the project scope, deliverables, assumptions and constraints. It documents the entire scope, and is considered one of the key documents of the project, since it provides a common understanding of the scope of the project among the project stakeholders.

The Project Scope Statement assists in defining, developing, and constraining the project and product scope. It uses information from the Project Charter and Stakeholder Requirements and progressively elaborates that information so that deliverables, project exclusions, and acceptance criteria can be defined.

The Project Scope Statement enables the project team to perform detailed planning, guides the project team’s work during execution, and provides a basis for evaluating whether requests for changes or additional work are contained within or outside the project’s boundaries.

The Project Scope Statement is where project constraints and assumptions are documented. Many times the initial assumptions will be documented in the Project Scope Statement and then further elaborated in an assumption log. The Project Scope Statement should contain at least this information:

. Product scope description

. Project deliverables

. Product acceptance criteria

. Project exclusions

. Project constraints

. Project assumptions

Use the information from your project to tailor the form to best meet your needs.

The Project Scope Statement can receive information from:

. Scope Management Plan

. Project Charter

. Requirements Documentation

It provides information to:

. Work Breakdown Structure

. Network Diagram

. Activity Duration Estimates

. Project Schedule

The Project Scope Statement is an output from the Process 5.3 Define Scope in the PMBOK® Guide - Fifth Edition.

Elements of a Project Scope Statement

Document Element

Description

Product Scope Description

Document the characteristics of the product, service or result. The information should be progressively elaborated from the project description in the project charter and from the requirements in the requirements documentation.

Project Deliverables

Identify any unique and verifiable product, result, or capability to perform a service that must be produced to complete a process, phase or project. Deliverables include project management reports and documentation.

Product Acceptance Criteria

Document the criteria that need to be met in order for a stakeholder to accept a deliverable. Acceptance criteria can be developed for the entire project or for each component of the project.

Project Exclusions

Clearly define what is considered out of scope for the project.

Project Constraints

Constraints are limitations. Constraints that can impact the project include a fixed budget, hard deliverable due dates, or specific technology.

Project Assumptions

Document those assumptions about deliverables, resources, estimates, and any other aspect of the project that the team holds to be true, real or certain, but have not validated.

Source: A Project Manager’s Book of Forms - A Companion to the PMBOK Guide Fifth Edition p. 34