Up .1 Overview Scope Management is involved with managing and controlling project objectives through all Phases of the project. The following diagram illustrates the activities related to Scope Management. Only Scope Verification is a required activity during the Project Execution Process, all other activities will occur as needed during Project
Execution.
.2 Objective
| To: | |
| In a Way That: | |
| So That: |
The Responsibility Role for Scope Verification is the Phase Project Manager.
This activity involves formalizing acceptance of project scope by the stakeholders and reviewing the work and results to ensure they are completed correctly and satisfactorily. Scope verification is primarily concerned with acceptance of work results rather than correctness, which is managed in the Quality steps.
The customer(s) should be interviewed in order to validate the requirements. During Project Initiation and Planning, the major requirements – those upon which the feasibility of the project depends – were identified. These may need to be further developed until they form a comprehensive "check-list" against which the deliverable(s) can be assessed.
The Critical Requirements Checklist (CRA) technique is recommended for this task. Use of this technique has the following advantages:
| It focuses the work on achieving agreed business objectives. |
| It generates quantified success criteria for the project. If CRA is used during Project Initiation and Planning, the work in this step will be to broaden and decompose the resulting hierarchy of Critical Performance Areas. |
| NOTE: | For specific information on the CRA technique, see the "Techniques" section under "Critical Requirements Analysis". |
| Technique/Tool: | Critical Requirements Analysis (CRA) |
.4 Change Management
The Responsible Role for Change Management is the Phase Project Manager.
As a project progresses, the people involved with the project develop a better understanding of what the final deliverable(s) should be and what they need to do to produce the deliverable(s).
This increased understanding manifests itself as changes to the project’s tasks, and changes to the project's deliverable(s). The project work and the team need to be organized to cope with continual change during the execution of the project plan.
| NOTE: | While it is important to recognize and prepare for Change Management as part of Project Execution, the primary activities for Change Management are implemented in the Project Control Process. |
.5 Exception Management
The Responsible Role for Exception Management is the Phase Project Manager.
One aspect of the Scope Management procedure is to manage the progress on the project with respect to agreed tolerances. These tolerances are usually set in the areas of Cost, Time and Quality.
When a project is out of tolerance in any of these areas, it is necessary to take corrective action. This course of action is called an Exception Plan.
The purpose of Exception Management is to take corrective action when a project is out of tolerance (based on agreed deviations set in Project Initiation). The key concept is to minimize the impact to the project and to gain agreement from all parts of the Project Organization so that the project can still be successfully completed.
| NOTE: | While it is important to recognize and prepare for Exception Management as part of Project Execution, the primary activities for Exception Management are implemented in the Project Control Process. |
.6 Issues Management
The Responsible Role for Issue Management is the Phase Project Manager.
There will always be issues that arise during the course of a project. Some of these issues may have a bearing on the project, and some will be of little consequence.
Issues can arise from within the Project Organization and from the affected environment. Any issues that arise should be evaluated and dealt with as efficiently and effectively as possible.
An issue can often linger, even after it has supposedly been resolved, so it is important totrack issues to complete resolution.
| NOTE: | While it is important to recognize and prepare for Issues Management as part of Project Execution, the activities for Issues Management are implemented in the Project Control Process. |
.7 Business Interface Management
The Responsible Role for Business Interface Management is the Phase Project Manager.
Business Interface Management is concerned with managing the interfaces between the Project Manager and the project team, and the key business resources that will be working on the project.
Business resources are representatives allocated from the business who will be working as key project resources to the Project Manager and/or project team. They may fill a variety of different roles depending on the needs of the project. Business resources are key to the success of all projects, specifically those that involve implementing systems within one or many business organizations.
It is important for Project Manager to remember that the activities business resources are doing for the project are not necessarily linked to skills and goals that will advance their careers. Hence, it is very important to explain each and every activity that they are involved in and how it relates to the overall business objective and critical requirements for the project. If this time is not taken up front, business resources will become very impatient with the project’s use of their time.
To properly manage these interfaces, these things need to occur:
The Project Manager must fully understand the business resource's needs expectations and requirements.
The business resources must fully understand the project's needs, expectations, and requirements.
The Project Manager and the business resources working on the project must be driven towards the delivering the project's business objectives and critical requirements.
Key Tasks for Business Interface Management
Communicate and Review the Project Approach
Business resources working on the project needs to be "aligned". Project information should be reviewed with them, specifically the project scope statement, the project organization and the project approach. It is important that the business resources working on the project have a clear understanding of what the project is delivering and why.
Capture Needs and Expectations
Capturing the business resource's needs and expectations is a key to success for any business-sponsored project. EXXCEL resources should interview the business partners to capture their needs and expectations, and any business requirements that they may identify for the project. The business partners should then be given specific responsibility for the project's business requirements, for presenting them to the business community, and for obtaining "sign-off"that these are in fact the correct set of requirements.
Define Roles and Responsibilities
When executing a project within a business organization, several key business roles and responsibilities must be defined. These should be developed with the specific business resource's involvement and modified to meet the specific needs of the project. The following are specific examples of business roles on the project:
| Role: | Specific Responsibility: | ||||||||||||||||||
| Business Process Steward |
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| Business Function Owner |
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| Business Partner |
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Determine Key Deliverable Responsibilities
Business resources typically will be responsible for the development and/or ownership of key deliverables produced during the project. These deliverables may include the following:
| Business Requirements Documents |
| Design Specifications |
| Warranty Materials and User Documentation |
Determine Training Requirements
Business resources may need to be educated on the methodology used to execute the project. Special training materials should be used to increase their understanding of what you are asking them to do. This includes training for each of the project Processes on the key deliverables that they are responsible.
Define Business Role in Scope Management
Business resources must play a vital role in the scope management process. If the project is business focused, the business resources must be prepared to assist in the identification, analysis, and approval of requests to change the scope of the project. Business resources must also take responsibility for analyzing the budget and business case impact of the scope changes.
Define Business Role in Risk Management
At the beginning of each Phase, time should be spent with the business resources to help identify and analyze potential project risk events. Once response plans and mitigating steps are defined, key business resources need to verify that the approach being taken to mitigate the risk is acceptable.
Define Business Role in Quality Management
At the beginning of each Phase, the business resources should assist the project team in preparing the quality plan for the project Process. Business resources should be involved in identifying the attributes, specifications, and standards for the project's deliverables, and they should be involved in all quality reviews of the Process's key deliverables.