Scope Management

Summary

One of the biggest contributors to projects exceeding schedule and cost targets is scope creep. Scope creep occurs when initial requirements are not fully defined and validated in terms of cost and quality, and/or when formal scope management processes are either undefined or ignored. Inevitably, without these mechanisms, the project seems to take on a life of its own, including more and more requested changes until it's impossible to meet the originally stated targets.

This best practice offers guidelines for effective scope management, which is an extension of the scope definition and validation process, and should be integrated seamlessly with change request management.