How to create a scope for a successful project

It stands to reason that when you’re planning a project that the most crucial stage is

understanding what you should deliver. So it shouldn’t be a big surprise to learn that one of the

main reasons that projects fail is due to the fact that this has been poorly defined and not

effectively communicated to stakeholders.

If the list of project deliverables (the scope) doesn’t meet the needs of the stakeholders, the

project and the organisation before the project goes live, then you could encounter problems

down the track.

According to research by PWC, 41% of projects fail due to change(s) in scope mid-project.

You need a crystal clear idea of your deliverables so you know what you need to achieve, you

can measure your progress and your stakeholders know what to expect.

Create your scope The success of your scope (and your project) relies on how comprehensive you’ve been when

gathering requirements from your stakeholders (read about all the other vital stages of project

management in The Six Step Guide to Practical Project Management).

Once you’ve gathered all of the requirements, you need to translate these into what your project

needs to deliver (the deliverables) to meet those requirements.

When you create your scope, you have to make decisions on what you will include and what you

won’t include. Naturally, some of the things stakeholders have asked for won’t be delivered,

whether it’s due to time or cost constraints, or if it doesn’t fit with the purpose and objectives of

the project.

Make sure your deliverables in the scope are clear, to avoid stakeholders being disappointed that

their interpretation of the deliverables doesn’t match the reality.

Get agreement on the scope You should gather your stakeholders together in a meeting to ensure they all understand and

agree.

Make sure nothing is hidden – which can happen if you just hand someone a document (people

can miss things). Your goal is absolute clarity, and to get valuable feedback.

Present the scope visually and talk through each part (MindGenius is great for this – feel free to

give it a try with templates that will help you create your scope and more). It gives stakeholders

the opportunity to spot gaps and to help you to ensure that they don’t miss or misunderstand

anything.

During the meeting, you should also highlight what is ‘out of scope’ (what they have asked for

that is not being delivered), and explain the reasons why.

A simpler and easier approach to project management The above information is just one step in a six-step process that makes managing projects from

start to finish simpler and easier.

The Six Step Guide to Practical Project Management strips back professional project

management processes to the absolute basics without sacrificing the vital ingredients for a

successful project – to hit your deadlines, stay on budget and deliver big benefits to your

organisation (and career).

→ Download the free guide