Scope Management


Doing a well defined project is hard... Doing a project with changing goals can border on the impossible.

Scope Management (or Requirements Management as it is often called) is an essential discipline in most commercial envrionments.

Project Gateway now provides a very complete and quite sophisticated facility for this process. While it is called the "Scope Change" system, it is equally appropriate for original scope & requirement definition.

This part of the Project Gateway system was developed by Marin Research in collaboration with the Cap Gemini, Ernst & Young - Center of Excellence in Project Management. We want to extend our thanks to them for their generous design contributions and assistance.

The Scope Management Process Incorporates:
  • Scope change definition and workflow
  • Project and crossproject association
  • Scope discussion support for group collaboration
  • Automatic Notification
  • Scope Investigation & Estimation
  • Policy based Scope Change Approval and Escalation
  • Scope Change Labor tracking
  • Extensive reporting
  • Document security
  • Archiving
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    SCOPE CHANGE DEFINITION AND WORKFLOW

  • A "Create Scope" button appears on each project profile.
  • Scope changes can be created at any stage in the project.
  • The system provides a logical workflow from Request through Investigation to Approval, Rejection, or Deferral.
  • The request will be assigned to one of the user customizable categorization choices (w/ support for dynamic redefinition)
  • The request will be assigned to one of the user customizable priority settings (w/ support for dynamic redefinition)
  • The scope change form provides specific fields for description, alternativs, impact and resolution
  • A historical record of status changes is maintained for each scope change
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    PROJECT AND CROSS-PROJECT ASSOCIATION

  • Each scope change is associated with a specific project.
  • The project to which the scope change is associated can be changed at any time.
  • A scope change can also be "declared" to other projects as a scope dependency.
    • Such dependencies shows up in scope views and reports for the affected projects.

    SCOPE DISCUSSION

  • Each scope change becomes a topic for a threaded response so that all team members can collaborate in the assessement process.
  • The scope author can be automatically notified when responses are created.
  • The integrated "Note" action allows quick, linked message to scope owner or project manager and your journal
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    AUTOMATIC NOTIFICATION

  • The system will notify the project manager about the scope change. This notification is optional on new requests and automatic on approval, approval timeout, and when errors occur during approval.
  • The system will notify the investigator and other assignees when their participation is needed.
  • An option allows the author to be notified when a response is posted to the scope change request.
  • All approvers will be notified at the appropriate time for approval or when a previously requested approval is no longer required due to rejection.
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    SCOPE INVESTIGATION AND ESTIMATION

  • The system supports both informal ("please investigate") and formal assignment (task assignment with due date) of one or more investigators with timesheet labor tracking.
  • The scope form provides specific fields for impact and recommendation.
  • automatic notification
  • The investigator can be changed during the process.
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  • The form has provision for recording effort, cost and schedule impact estimates.
  • The form records tasks and non-task actual work on expended on the change process.
  • Project Gateway's archive and Metrics Repositories can provide experience data to aid in estimation.
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    POLICY BASED CHANGE APPROVAL AND ESCALATION

  • The project's scope change approver list can include any number of people.
  • The system records instant approval when the project manager is requestor and no other approvers are required by policy.
    • This allows fast entry of original requirements.
  • Policy provides for rule based escalation based upon estimated impact and/or category.
  • The approval process can be adjusted by the project manager as the project evolves to raise barriers to change.
  • Provision is made for additional approvers to be designated for a specific request.
  • Email notifications will be sent requesting approval
  • Invalid email addresses will not stop the approval process, but will cause notify project manager for correction.
  • The project scope change policy can specify sequential or parallel approval.
  • Approvers may use Notes or Web browsers.
  • Approvers can choose to approve, reject or abstain. Rejection requires a reason. Rejection is broadcast to all pending approvers.
  • The system maintains detailed log recording of approval process and shows pending approvers at a glance.
  • A complete administrative override facility allows correction of approver actions.
  • Rejected changes can be re-proposed for approval at a later time.
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    SCOPE CHANGE LABOR TRACKING

  • Both investigation and implementation labor may be recorded for each scope change as well as project total.
  • Direct two way links are provided to assignments created in conjuction with a scope change.
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    EXTENSIVE REPORTING

  • Project/program/participant scope change reports
  • Project/program scope aging matrix report
  • Project/participant calendar of scope changes
  • Scope change views are provided organized by project, program, status, author, investigator, category, cost, priority
  • The system provides for spreadsheet export of the scope change list with customizable columns.
  • Scope statistics (open, closed, overdue, actual work, estimated work) in Project dashboard.
  • Project and program scope trends are maintained by Project Observatory.
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    DOCUMENT SECURITY

  • Each request may set selective read and edit access using team lists and project policy. Access is updated when team members change.
  • Scope documents are always accessible by the current project leaders.
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    ARCHIVING

  • Scope changes and accumulated responses are archived with the project in the Repository archive.
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    Read more about using Scope Change in the Project Gateway Repository User's Manual HERE