This discourse will discuss project scope in software engineering which it will do but first defining what scope of project is, its importance before finally looking at an example of software engineering project scope in this article.
Scope of a project is an important aspect of project planning that comprises of defining and documenting the objectives of the project, tangible end products that are deliverable to the project location, duties, budgets and the dates which the project must be completed.
The project scope documentation is referred to as a scope statement or terms of reference. The documentation therein is so essential during the project as it acts as a guide which keeps all the participants in the project stay focused with regards to what the project has set out to achieve from the beginning.
The scope statement equally furnishes the team with much needed guidance when deciding on change requests in the midst of the project. An important thing to note is that the scope statement must not be interpreted to mean the same thing as the project charter as the latter is only there to document that the project exists.
Importance of defining project scope
The initial step in project planning is scribing its scope statement which comprises of information regarding project deliverables. The advantages that a project statement offers to any organization taking on a new initiative include among others, the following: Spells what the project entails to ensure all stakeholders grasp what is involved therein. Offers a roadmap through which managers can utilize to designate assignments, schedule of work as well as budget suitably.
Writing project scope is cardinal in making sure that the focus on the project does not sway and also ensures that projects are executed to expectation. The scope offers a strong basis through which the management of a project as it progresses, is in line with what was agreed upon in the beginning, the scope also ensures that the resources allocated to the project are not misappropriated or go to waste on elements that are not in the scope of the project.
Defining Project Scope
Project stakeholders’ input is required in the defining of project scope for the stakeholders work closely with project managers to determine key aspects of costs, goals, quality and eventually timeframe. In order to define scope, there is need for project manager to gather all the necessary requirements for that stakeholders require for the project and some of these requirements include the following:
- Objectives and deliverables of the project;
- Deadline for completing the project; and
- The amount of money the stakeholders ought to pay for it.
The aim is to collect and record accurate information amidst this process in a bid to ensure that the project scope mirrors all requirements. This increases the opportunity for project managers to deliver end-products that are congruent with stakeholder expectations, on time and within budget.
Example of project scope is as follows:
- Introduction
- The introduction part defines the “what and why” of a project. Example for this would be “The aim of this project is to ensure compatibility with the latest iOS version. Minor changes required for the application to attain its objective will be included.”
- Scope Statement
- The scope depicts the general objectives for the project schedule and identifies the personnel to be involved. This is how scope statement appears “The project will commence immediately after the main work on Android X App concludes. Firstly, our team will make an analysis on duties and a minimum required project management documentation, comprising of estimations, constraints, risk list and chart for milestones will be produced by the same team. Android X version 2.1.7 will deliver only minimum support required for iOS 10. Only bugs introduced midway through the implementation of the current version and subsequent issues requested for fixing by users will be fixed.”
- Assumptions
- “For Apple queries, with a few risks and some effort, a workaround can be implemented. However, the only that can be done from our end is to file a bug report and await Apple to fix it from theirs. This project will be one software engineer in overseen by Takehiro Tomiyasu.”
- Exclusions
- This section shows what is not included in the project. Example: “iOS 10 does not support new features and tasks are not defined for version 2.1.7.”
- Constraints
- These are limitations of the project and things which remain constant that there is no possibility of ever changing them. Constraints or restrictions may refer to the schedule of the project, its budget and technical issues. An example for restriction, ““Applications would have been released in time for iOS 10 release. There is a minimal chance that workload on questions and answers on other products could impact Android X App schedule.”
- In conclusion, this article has defined what a project scope is and has given an example of a project scope in software engineering, should you engage or wish to engage in a project, you have all the necessary information at your fingertips.
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