What Is a Project Scope and Why Does It Matter?

Project scope refers to everything that a project will encompass. This includes the project goals, deliverables, milestones, and budget. According to a 2023 Project Management Institute report, 72 percent of projects successfully meet their goals when the project manager prioritizes using workplace skills, such as communication and strategic thinking [1]. Using a project scope statement to plan these and other factors before you begin your project may help your team stay on track and succeed. 

Discover what a project scope is, why it is important, and how to plan a project scope statement for efficiency and ultimate success. 

What is project scope?

The scope of a project consists of all the goals, features, and objectives necessary for its success. It also describes what the project will not require explicitly or inferred by what’s not listed. The goal of the project scope is to define the tasks and project deliverables that the team will accomplish, along with deadlines and any relevant information about the budget. 

Depending on the complexity, a project scope may be simple, relatively short, lengthy, or involved. For example, a creative freelance assignment such as designing a web page will have a much simpler project scope than an industrial construction project. Project scope is an essential tool within project management, keeping projects on schedule and within budget while ensuring all project deliverables and boundaries are met. 

Read more: Types of Project Management: Methodologies, Industries, and More

Why is project scope important?

Project scope is important to project management because it outlines expectations for all interested parties. As projects progress, they commonly change and evolve, pushing boundaries or adding more responsibilities once the team begins to do the work. 

Defining the project scope helps eliminate scope creep, making it less likely that the project will continue growing in size and complexity as time goes on. This keeps the project within the anticipated budget and timeframe. 

What is a project scope statement?

A project scope statement details all aspects of the project scope in a written document that all team members can access. Writing a project scope statement allows you to evaluate why the project needs to happen first and the end goal for the business or client. It also allows you to address potential challenges your team will face and how you might prepare to minimize those hurdles. 

The project scope statement lays a foundation for other project management documents, such as a project master plan. While developing the project scope statement, the project manager will seek feedback from other stakeholders until everyone agrees on the precise parameters of the project. Whenever potential changes come up, you can change or modify the scope statement as needed, including new work and any additional time or budget requirements. 

What should a project scope statement include?

A project scope statement should include a clear project description, any potential challenges the project will face, the amount of time it will take to complete the project, and a list of all project deliverables. Lastly, adding KPIs (key performance indicators) can help all project stakeholders understand what success looks like. 

Consider six basic parameters that a project scope statement should include.

Project definition

Defining the project means understanding its goals and why the business or client wants to accomplish them. In some cases, the goal is the project deliverable. In other cases, the goal is an overall target that the project deliverables will help support. 

Exclusions

While the project definition and the list of deliverables explicitly outline what the project will accomplish, exclusions offer a place to outline what the project will not focus on. This section is generally most applicable for items that stakeholders might otherwise assume to be part of the project. Exclusions are important because they help maintain and establish boundaries and responsibilities within the project. 

Project challenges

Project challenges, also known as constraints, might throw the project off schedule or budget. For example, the challenge of having enough staff might make it difficult to get a project completed on time. Another obstacle or constraint might be access to needed tools, equipment, or payment schedules. 

Timetable

The timetable section of a project scope statement details when project milestones are due. Milestone deadlines are specific to the day and help team members measure whether the project is still on schedule to meet final goals. 

List of deliverables

Deliverables are measurable targets that must be completed or met by the end of the project. They can be physical items, such as a report or a newly completed website, or less tangible, such as successfully training all employees in a certain topic. Either way, this section should clearly outline the project’s end results. 

KPIs

KPIs, or key performance indicators, help teams measure how successful the project is. This could include quality metrics in the final product, the number of requested changes, a low error rate, or the return on investment (ROI). If you can identify KPIs for your project, you may have an easier time proving that the project was successfully completed. 

Who uses project scope?

Project managers most commonly use project scope, although any other job title responsible for overseeing projects may find it helpful or relevant to their work. Project managers are in charge of taking projects from inception through the full lifecycle of planning, executing, and completing them. 

Three tips for effective project scope management

Your project scope sets important groundwork for a successful project. To get the most out of your project scope statement, consider the following tops: 

• Be as specific as possible. When your project scope is clear, specific, and unambiguous, you can minimize challenges that occur down the road because you understand exactly what the project will accomplish and when. 

• Collaborate. Communicate with all project stakeholders to ensure everyone is in agreement and has a clear vision of how the project will proceed. 

• Have a contingency plan. Figuring out what you’ll do in case an obstacle arises is part of determining the challenges of a given project. Working out a contingency plan beforehand may help you get the project back on track. 

Getting started with Coursera

Project scope is an important part of managing and navigating any project. Clearly defining goals, addressing challenges, and putting plans in place to address them helps a project run smoothly, timely, and on budget.

Are you ready to learn more about project management? The Google Project Management: Professional Certificate available on Coursera will help you prepare for a project manager certification from the Project Management Institute. 

This Professional Certificate includes six courses and over 100 hours of project management instruction on topics such as best practices and skills that project managers need, documentation, project phases, Agile and Scrum, stakeholder management, and more.