Effective Project Scope Management

TECHNOLOGY PROJECT MANAGEMENT

INSY 450

READING REPORTING FORM

1. Article #1        Title:           Effective Project Scope Management

1. Student Name:  _________Aayushi Barak__________________________________

1. Brief Summary (main points) of material contained: (minimum three quarters of a page)

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A projects scope can be defined as all the deliverables required as part of the project. Even though it seems straight forward, it can be hard to handle at times when different stakeholders make changes in the scope continuously. When a project’s scope is changed after the project has begun it has greater effects on the cost and timeline of the project than if it was changed in the initial part of the project. Hence, it is imperative to have a clear and well defined scope that is understood extremely well by all stakeholders. Furthermore, when changes do take place, stakeholders should clearly understand the effects of the change on the deliverables of the project and the added planning that will be required. Changes in the scope in the later stages of the project can also have a negative impact on team morale.

In order to reduce the chances of a scope change later on, companies should ensure their initial scope is well defined and controlled. All stakeholders should be kept in mind and taken opinions off to make sure everything that effects the project has been considered instead of the decision being made by just the senior management. An organizations internal culture also has an effect on how the scope is, inclusive firms usually have better defined scopes. At times employees do not limit the work to the project scope and hence projects take longer and seem costlier as the additional deliverables aren’t accounted for. Hence, project managers should stick to the specific project scope that has been decided. The scope might also need to be changed if the business environment changes or customers demand a change as they weren’t correctly consulted with before writing the scope.