BSBPMG409

Apply project scope

management techniques
Learner Guide
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Table of Contents

Unit of Competency...............................................................................................................................3
Application..........................................................................................................................................3
Performance Criteria...........................................................................................................................4
Foundation Skills.................................................................................................................................5
Assessment Requirements..................................................................................................................6
1. Contribute to defining project scope..................................................................................................7
1.1– Review project initiation documentation and assist in identifying project objectives and
requirements..........................................................................................................................................8
What is project scope?........................................................................................................................8
Reviewing project initiation documentation.......................................................................................8
Identifying project objectives and requirements..............................................................................10
Factors impacting upon project scope..............................................................................................11
Activity 1A.........................................................................................................................................12
1.2 – Contribute to identifying project deliverables..............................................................................13
What are project deliverables?.........................................................................................................13
Activity 1B.........................................................................................................................................14
1.3 – Contribute to identifying measurable outcomes to enable evaluation of project performance. .15
Identifying measurable outcomes.....................................................................................................15
Activity 1C.........................................................................................................................................16
1.4 – Contribute to developing and documenting the scope management plan..................................17
What is a scope management plan?.................................................................................................17
Developing a scope management plan.............................................................................................17
Activity 1D.........................................................................................................................................21
1.5 – Assist in obtaining agreement to scope from relevant project authority.....................................22
Obtaining agreement to scope..........................................................................................................22
Activity 1E.........................................................................................................................................23
2. Apply project scope controls............................................................................................................24
2.1 – Undertake work according to agreed project scope management plan and by using established
change control procedures and performance measurement procedures............................................25
Undertaking project work.................................................................................................................25
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Change control procedures...............................................................................................................25

Performance measurement procedures...........................................................................................26
Activity 2A.........................................................................................................................................28
2.2 – Communicate instances of non-compliance with overall scope to the project manager and other
team members......................................................................................................................................29
Non-compliance................................................................................................................................29
Activity 2B.........................................................................................................................................31
3. Contribute to review of scope controls............................................................................................32
3.1 – Measure progress to determine potential, perceived and actual scope changes........................33
Measuring progress...........................................................................................................................33
Reporting periods..............................................................................................................................33
Project status....................................................................................................................................33
Project phases...................................................................................................................................34
Measurement Techniques................................................................................................................34
Scope changes...................................................................................................................................35
Activity 3A.........................................................................................................................................36
3.2 – Appropriately report scope changes............................................................................................37
Reporting scope changes..................................................................................................................37
Activity 3B.........................................................................................................................................38
3.3 – Assist in review of project outcomes to determine effectiveness of initial and subsequent scope
management approaches.....................................................................................................................39
Reviewing project outcomes.............................................................................................................39
Post-implementation review (PIR)....................................................................................................39
Activity 3C.........................................................................................................................................41
Summative Assessments.......................................................................................................................42
References............................................................................................................................................43
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Unit of Competency
Application

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to contribute to the control of a project's scope by
assisting with identifying its objectives, deliverables, constraints, assumptions and outcomes; and by
applying controls once the project has commenced.

It applies to individuals who are project practitioners working in a project support role.

No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of
publication.

Unit Mapping Information

BSBPMG409A Apply project scope-management – Equivalent unit

Unit Sector
Management and Leadership Project Management
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Performance Criteria
Element Performance Criteria
Elements describe the Performance criteria describe the performance needed to
essential outcomes. demonstrate achievement of the element.

1. Contribute to defining 1.1 Review project initiation documentation and assist in

project scope identifying project objectives and requirements
1.2 Contribute to identifying project deliverables
1.3 Contribute to identifying measurable outcomes to enable
evaluation of project performance
1.4 Contribute to developing and documenting the scope
management plan
1.5 Assist in obtaining agreement to scope from relevant project
authority

2. Apply project scope 2.1 Undertake work according to agreed project scope
controls management plan and by using established change control
procedures and performance measurement procedures
2.2 Communicate instances of non-compliance with overall
scope to the project manager and other team members

3. Contribute to review 3.1 Measure progress to determine potential, perceived and

of scope controls actual scope changes
3.2 Appropriately report scope changes
3.3 Assist in review of project outcomes to determine
effectiveness of initial and subsequent scope management
approaches
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Foundation Skills
This section describes language, literacy, numeracy and employment skills incorporated in the
performance criteria that are required for competent performance.

Reading

 Interprets and analyses complex texts.

Writing

 Develops and amends plans and associated documentation using appropriate organisational
formats and vocabulary.

Oral communication

 Interacts effectively in verbal exchanges, using clear language to convey information, and active
listening and questioning to clarify understanding.

Numeracy

 Selects and applies a range of mathematical and problem-solving strategies to develop timelines
and monitor progress.

Interact with others

 Uses appropriate communication practices in a range of work contexts

 Collaborates and cooperates with others to achieve shared goals.

Get the work done

 Plans and organises tasks required to monitor and report on project implementation

 Analyses outcomes to identify future improvements.

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Assessment Requirements
Performance Evidence

Evidence of the ability to:

 Contribute to delineating and controlling project scope

 Record project scope management plan

 Interpret and follow project initiation documentation for purposes of documenting project
scope.

Note: If a specific volume or frequency is not stated, then evidence must be provided at least once.

Knowledge Evidence

To complete the unit requirements safely and effectively, the individual must:

 List components of a project scope management plan

 Identify and describe factors likely to impact project scope

 Outline formal change-control processes

 Identify and discuss methods for measuring work outcomes and progress against plans

 Identify and discuss methods for segmenting and documenting a work breakdown structure

 Explain procedures for reporting a change in scope

 Describe types of project initiation documentation.

Assessment Conditions

Assessment must be conducted in a safe environment where evidence gathered demonstrates

consistent performance of typical activities experienced in the management and leadership – project
management field of work and include access to:

 Project documentation which includes information about project scope

 Case studies and, where possible, real situations.

Assessors must satisfy NVR/AQTF assessor requirements.

Links

Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet -

https://vetnet.education.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=11ef6853-ceed-4ba7-9d87-4da407e23c10
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1. Contribute to defining project scope

1.1. Review project initiation documentation and assist in identifying project objectives and
requirements

1.2. Contribute to identifying project deliverables

1.3. Contribute to identifying measurable outcomes to enable evaluation of project performance

1.4. Contribute to developing and documenting the scope management plan

1.5. Assist in obtaining agreement to scope from relevant project authority

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1.1– Review project initiation documentation and assist in identifying project

objectives and requirements
By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:
 Review project initiation documentation and identify project objectives and
requirements.

What is project scope?

Project scope is part of the planning process within any project. It outlines the
work that needs to be accomplished in order to gain the required result; this
is normally the delivery of a product or service. A project scope provides
guidelines for everybody that is involved within the project to help make
decisions. The better your project is ‘scoped’ at the beginning, the better your
team will be able to handle any changes that may occur.

It involves creating a list of:

 Project goals and objectives

 Tasks

 Deliverables

 Resources

 Deadlines

 Costs.

Effective scope management should lead to everyone within the team

understanding the project and agreeing on how the goals will be met. This requires good
communication and strong teamwork.

Reviewing project initiation documentation

The project initiation document (PID) is assembled using a series of other documents to form a logical
document that brings together all of the key information that is required to start and run your project. A
PID is often considered as a contract between project manager and project board for the particular
project. It represents that plan of approach within project management and defines all the major
aspects within a project. As a PID will inform everyone that is involved within a project where it is
heading from the very beginning, it is likely to lead to an effective and productive process.
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A PID can be used for:

 Managing a project

 Assessing a project’s overall success

 Providing a reference point throughout the project.

It will cover:
 Who?

 What?

 When?

 How?

 Why?

It will include:
 A definition of the project, its goals and scope

 A justification for the project

 The funding

 A definition of the roles and responsibilities of everyone that is involved

 Any constraints that may occur.

Project initiation documentation may include:

 Approved project charter or mandate

 Business case

 Changes to internal or external organisations, legislation and/or regulations

 Documentation accessed through various accessibility modes

 Feasibility study

 Minutes of management or executive decisions

 Organisation strategic and business plans

 Outcomes and recommendations of associated projects.

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Identifying project objectives and requirements

Goals are the long-term desired results of a project. What will the project accomplish? They are often
broad statements.

Objectives are smaller, specific statements that support a goal. You may be required to assist in
identifying the objectives and requirements of your particular project. Objectives are the practical
statements that will indicate how your project will proceed. They can come from multiple sources; you
may need to collect and redefine them in a way that everyone will understand. Objectives need to be
measurable.

Project objectives and requirements may include:

 Specifications for products and/or services

 Statements in measurable format.

Your objectives can be:

 Based on feedback from customers, clients or employees

 Based on the goals of the project

 Impacted by practical limitations (e.g. skills, budget or time)

 Influenced by a superior within your organisation.

Your objectives should be SMART:

 Specific

 Measurable

 Achievable

 Realistic

 Timely.

Specific
The objectives within a project should be clear, well-defined and unambiguous. They should target a
particular area and have specific outcomes. Good objectives should answer the six ‘W’ questions: who,
what, where, when, which, and why?

Measurable
Your project objectives should be able to measure the progress of your project and the overall success
of it.

An objective should let you:

 Identify the end of an objective

 Know when it has been achieved

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 Figure out how far away completion is.

Achievable
An objective should be attainable in the required quality whilst accounting for the time, technology and
resources that are available. Ask yourself: are you attempting too much?

Realistic
Each objective within a project needs to be sensible and realistic. Any objective should be related to the
available resources and prioritised in a way that will ensure the project goals are achieved. Everyone
that is involved should be willing and able.

Timely
It essential that your project objective specifies any time frames or deadlines that you need to keep in
mind. You should ensure that you give yourself enough time to achieve the objective, whilst not giving
yourself too much spare time.

Factors impacting upon project scope

When reviewing the project initiation documents, it is important to consider any factors that can impact
upon the project scope; either beneficially or adversely. Having an awareness of these at the very
beginning of a project means that strategies can be put in place so that any positive factors can be
optimised and mitigation can take place for any negative factors impacting upon the project.

If you don’t take the time to identify these factors, it can lead to poor management of the project and
ultimately, the project objectives not being fulfilled.

Project scope impact factors can include:

 Changes or constraints to resource levels

 Legislative/regulatory constraints

 Stakeholder requirements being altered

 Management constraints

 Risks; both internal and external

 Time implications.

Whilst any potential factors should be identified and the very beginning stages
of a project, they should be routinely monitored throughout, and additional
factors and the strategies to deal with them should be added whenever they
become apparent. Any additional factors may cause changes to the project’s
scope, but managing these impact factors effectively will aid in the smooth
running of the entire project and its management.
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Activity 1A
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1.2 – Contribute to identifying project deliverables

By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:
 Identify the deliverables of a project.

What are project deliverables?

Project deliverables are the building blocks of your overall project and are the tangible, measurable and
specific results of the process of your project. They are the products and/or services you give to
customers, clients and employees and they normally have a date for when they are due. A project
deliverable can be either an outcome that is to be achieved or an outcome that is to be provided.
Although they are closely related to objectives, deliverables and objectives are not the same thing. In
order to achieve your project objectives, your project deliverables will need to be achieved for
objectives to be reached.

Project deliverables may include:

 Discrete products, outputs and services defined in the project scope

 High-level aggregations in the work breakdown structure.

Examples of project deliverables:

 Reports

 Documents

 Server upgrade

 Consumer goods

 Hardware

 Software

 Design documents

 User manuals

 Training program

 Systems

 Milestones.

Identifying project deliverables

To ensure success, it is important that project deliverables are identified at the beginning of a project. It
will be beneficial to collaborate with all personnel involved in the project to do this, this will help to
ensure that all corners have been covered – two heads are always better than one!
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Activity 1B
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1.3 – Contribute to identifying measurable outcomes to enable evaluation of

project performance
By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:
 Identify the measurable outcomes of a project.

Identifying measurable outcomes

In order to enable the evaluation of your project’s performance at a later stage, you should identify the
measurable outcomes. Once the goals and objectives for your project have been outlined, you should
identify the outcomes that you wish to reach. Be specific. Usually, the outcomes of a project are the
tangible results. Your outcomes should reveal the extent of the impact your project had, as well as the
different types of impact it had.

In order to create outcomes, you need to transform your objectives (discussed in Chapter 1.1) into your
deliverables (discussed in Chapter 1.2) and your outcomes. By having good, clear objectives, you will be
able to create and measure good outcomes. The process of defining the measurable outcomes of your
project may take some time. However, it is worth putting the effort in as everyone that is involved with
the project will have a clear understanding of what the expected results are. This will ensure your
project is effective and productive.

Although it is sometimes difficult, it is not impossible to measure your outcomes. The measurement of
these outcomes is often a subjective process. Outcomes are documented by evaluation techniques once
the project has been completed. Keep the ‘SMART’ technique discussed in Chapter 1.2 in mind when
developing your project outcomes.

When developing your outcomes, remember:

 Think about how you will monitor your outcomes throughout your project

 Consider how you will measure your progress in relation to your outcomes at
the end of your project

 Decide what you are going to monitor and measure (outcome

indicators)

 Decide how often you will measure these indicators

 Focus on quality rather than quantity

 Think about the tools you will use to monitor and measure
your outcomes.
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Activity 1C
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1.4 – Contribute to developing and documenting the scope management plan

By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:
 Work collaboratively to develop a scope management plan.

What is a scope management plan?

As discussed in Chapter 1.1, project scope outlines the work that needs to be accomplished in order to
gain the required result within your project. Scope involves gathering the information that you need in
order to start a project. It is a term that is used to explain the combined objectives and requirements
that are necessary to complete your project. The process of developing and managing the scope of your
project is done so using a scope management plan.

A scope management plan describes how the scope of your project will be defined, developed,
monitored, controlled and verified. Within a scope management plan, the roles and responsibilities of
everyone involved with the project are also outlined. It can help to manage any chaos that may occur
within the process. The work breakdown structure will also be created and defined within a scope
management plan.

Developing a scope management plan

You may be required to contribute to the development of the scope management plan. To accomplish
this, you will need to work through five processes.

These processes include:

 Collecting requirements

 Defining the scope

 Producing a WBS

 Verifying scope

 Controlling scope.

Collecting requirements
Within this section of your plan, you should aim to gain a clear definition of your customer’s/client’s
needs and the expectations of your project. From this, you should ensure that you have a precise
understanding of these. There is a wide range of techniques and tools you can use to gather the
information you require.
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These can include:

 Brainstorming

 Observations

 Workshops

 Prototypes

 Surveys and questionnaires

 Interviews.

Once you have your project requirements, you will be able to develop your WBS and plan your costs,
quality criteria and schedule. You will also need to decide on how you are going to plan, prioritise, track
and report the requirements. At the end of this process, you will have a requirements management
plan.

Defining the scope

In this process, you should produce your project scope statement using the requirements documents
generated in the first process, along with the data within your project charter.

Your project scope statement will include:

 What the project is

 The deliverables

 Your approach

 What is excluded from the scope

 Define the acceptance criteria

 Details of possible constraints

 Team roles and responsibilities.

It is important to communicate any assumptions that have been made within this process.

Producing a WBS
A work breakdown structure (WBS) is a decomposition of your project into smaller components. A WBS
is deliverable-orientated and provides the framework for the detailed estimation of the cost of your
project. An element within a WBS may be a service, product, data or a combination of these. Within a
WBS, the tasks of a specific project are illustrated to portray their relationships with each other. As well
as this, they demonstrate how they are related to the project as a whole. It provides you with an
opportunity to predict outcomes based on a particular scenario. This ensures that the decision-making
process is effective. A completed WBS will resemble a flowchart. The elements within this chart will all
be connected in a logical way; no elements will be left out.
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A detailed, well-organised WBS can help with effective:

 Budgeting

 Scheduling

 Quality assurance

 Allocation of resources

 Quality control

 Product delivery

 Risk management.

Verifying scope
This process involves gaining the formal acceptance of your project deliverables from the stakeholders
involved with your project. They should provide you with a signed agreement in order for you to go
ahead with your project.

Controlling scope
Throughout your project, you may be required to make changes to the scope baseline. This is only
natural and can result from a variety of reasons. Any changes that need to be incorporated into your
project scope must be formally accepted.

In order to have control of the scope of your project, you need:

 Your project management plan

 Your requirements documentation

 Your work performance data.

Remember the key elements when you are developing and documenting the scope management plan
for your project.

These may include how:

 The details of the project scope statement will be prepared

 The WBS will be created

 The WBS will be approved and maintained

 Formal acceptance will be obtained

 Request for changes will be handled.

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Your scope management plan may include:

 Activities and tasks in the work breakdown structure

 Constraints, assumptions and exclusions

 Deliverables

 High-level risk identification

 Key personnel

 Preferred work organisation

 Project benefits and outcomes

 Project objectives.

Good scope management ensures that only the work required to complete the project is included in the
project. Managing the project scope is primarily concerned with defining and controlling what is and is
not included in the project.

Benefits of a scope management plan include:

 Manages time, budget and quality effectively

 Helps prioritise and reduce work

requests (saves time and money)

 Allows for quantitative analysis to

validate the need of a request

 Facilitates productive
communications with stakeholders and
their team

 Serves as a tool to manage client

expectations, workload balancing and
team morale

 Applicable to any sort of project.

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Activity 1D
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1.5 – Assist in obtaining agreement to scope from relevant project authority

By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:
 Obtain agreement to scope from relevant authority as part of a role-play activity.

Obtaining agreement to scope

In order for your scope management plan to go ahead, you must obtain the agreement from the
relevant project authority. As discussed in Chapter 1.4, verifying the scope is one of the processes of
developing your scope management plan. This process involves gaining the formal acceptance of your
project deliverables from the stakeholders involved with your project. They should provide you with a
signed agreement in order for you to go ahead with your project. Your project scope management plan
will only be finalised once you have gained the approval that you require. By verifying the project
deliverables against the original scope that has been outlined in the scope statement, the work done
within the project will remain within the scope of the project throughout the whole process.

The verification process involves measuring, examining and testing the project deliverables in order to
check that they comply with the requirements that have also been agreed upon.

The relevant project authority may depend on the nature of your project.

Relevant project authority may include:

 Other body or person with delegated authority
under project governance arrangements

 Project manager

 Project steering committee.

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Activity 1E
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2. Apply project scope controls

2.1. Undertake work according to agreed project scope management plan and by using established
change control procedures and performance measurement procedures

2.2. Communicate instances of non-compliance with overall scope to the project manager and other
team members
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2.1 – Undertake work according to agreed project scope management plan and
by using established change control procedures and performance measurement
procedures
By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:
 Outline a time when they undertook work according to an agreed project management
plan, using change control procedures and performance measurement procedures.

Undertaking project work

The work that you undertake within your project should be done so according to the project scope
management plan that you have previously agreed upon. You should also use the established change
control procedures and performance measurement procedures when carrying out project work.

Change control procedures

Change control procedures are formal processes that are developed at the start of a project and used to
ensure any changes are introduced in a controlled manner. Whether it is a client or customer changing
their mind or the outside world changing, changes within a project are inevitable. Having change control
procedures in place can help keep your project on track when these changes do occur. These change
control procedures do not prevent changes from occurring; they ensure that any change that does
occur is agreed by the relevant authority before it is implemented. A change control approach covers
the identification, assessment and control of any possible changes that may arise within your project.
These control procedures reduce the possibility of any unnecessary changes being introduced to your
project whilst ensuring the project work is not disrupted. They will also ensure that your resources are
used in the most efficient way possible.

Your change control process may include a sequence of six steps:

 Record

 Assess

 Plan

 Build and test

 Implement

 Gain acceptance.

Record
When a change is requested within your project, it should be categorised
and recorded. Also, the importance of this change is established along with the difficulties that may
occur when implementing it.
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Assess
In this step, the change needs to be justified. Any risks or benefits associated with making the change,
along with any risks or benefits associated with not making the change need to be evaluated. If the
change is accepted, a development team needs to be assigned. However, if the change is rejected, it
needs to be documented, and it should be communicated with your client or customer.

Plan
The team that is responsible for this change need to create a detailed plan for the design and
implementation of it.

Build and test

In this step, the change is designed and tested. If the testing phase proves successful, then approval is
requested along with a date for implementation.

Implement
Once the change has been approved, then the next step is to implement it. After implementing the
change, you should review it.

Gain acceptance
If your client or customer is satisfied with the change that has been implemented, then the process is
closed. If they are not satisfied, then the project needs to be reassessed, and some steps may need to
be repeated.

Change control procedures may include:

 Adjusting project scope documentation
in response to scope changes approved by
relevant authority

 Identifying and monitoring designated

elements of the project scope likely to change

 Identifying and monitoring pressures

that may influence scope creep

 Maintaining scope change

documentation for project audit.

Performance measurement procedures

Performance measurement is the process of collecting, analysing and reporting the information
regarding the performance of your project. It can involve studying the processes within your project
using quantifiable indicators to assess how well your project is achieving its desired objectives. They are
used for checking if the outputs of the project are in line with what was intended originally. They should
highlight areas within your project that need improving whilst showing which areas are doing well. A
strategic performance measurement will monitor the implementation of your project’s strategies and
can determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the project as a whole. Also, any gaps between the
actual and targeted performance can be identified.
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Performance measurement procedures may include:

 Using tools and techniques to manage and measure project progress in terms of time
and resources.

Good performance measures:

 Focus attention on what matters most for the project to succeed

 Allow accomplishments to be measured

 Provides a way to see if the project is working

 Provides common language for communication.

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Activity 2A
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2.2 – Communicate instances of non-compliance with overall scope to the

project manager and other team members
By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:
 Explain non-compliance and how it will impact the project.

Non-compliance
Non-compliance is the failure to comply with the rules, policies, standards or laws within your project.
Non-compliance is also the failure to act in accordance with any guidelines that have been previously
established.

Within project management, compliance is extremely important; one cannot function without the
other. Project compliance is a method that can ensure your project is executed in a way that is in
alignment with your overall strategic goals. It is important to consider what compliance obligations will
apply when it comes to starting your project or amending your current project. This will ensure that the
appropriate compliance obligations are considered as part of the implementation phase of your project.

The non-compliance issues that you may

come across can include:
 Resource availability

 Financial limitations

 Time restrictions

 Any compliance constraints specific to your

project.

In order to control any non-compliance issues, you may need to

implement compliance controls within your project. These controls will ensure that any non-compliance
issues within your project can be rectified. One thing that can help control non-compliance issues is
having a governance framework in place.

Governance framework
A governance framework generally consists of the standards, processes and procedures that need to be
followed throughout your project. It allows the stakeholders that are involved with the project to
understand what their roles and responsibilities consist of. Everyone that is involved with the project
should be fully aware of the governance framework that is in place, along with their own roles and
responsibilities. It is also important that everyone know their own limitations within the project. It is
also beneficial to review the lessons that you have learnt throughout your project on a regular basis.
This can help make the execution of any future projects more efficient.

Along with a governance framework, you should have controls in place that will ensure your project can
be implemented and executed smoothly.
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These controls may include:

 Budget cost control

 Time management

 Deliverable review and approval

 Management of scope.

Any instances of non-compliance with the overall scope of the

project will need to be communicated with the project manager
and the other team members. From this, you should work as a
team to rectify these non-compliance issues.
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Activity 2B
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3. Contribute to review of scope controls

3.1. Measure progress to determine potential, perceived and actual scope changes

3.2. Appropriately report scope changes

3.3. Assist in review of project outcomes to determine effectiveness of initial and subsequent scope
management approaches
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3.1 – Measure progress to determine potential, perceived and actual scope

changes
By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:
 Give examples of methods which can be used to measure the progress of a project

 Explain a method used in the past to measure a project and determine the success of
this chosen method.

Measuring progress
Measuring the progress of your project will contribute to the
overall success of it. It involves looking back at the original plan
and seeing what progress has been made in relation to it. It also
involves looking forward and assessing what still needs to be done
with the time and resources that are left. By measuring the
progress of you project, you can see areas within your project that
need to be improved and plan for these future improvements.
Any problems that occur can be identified early on if you are
continually monitoring the process of your project. This allows
you to take the appropriate action quickly and avoid interrupting
the project.

There are many techniques that you can use to measure the progress of your project. The technique
that you use may depend on the type of project you are involved with or the requirements of the
project manager or team.

Reporting periods
Within a reporting period, the actual start and completion dates of the project tasks will be recorded
along with the actual costs of each task. This is then compared to the cost and schedule baseline, and
the progress and performance of the project can be evaluated against the original plan.

Project status
One way to indicate the progress of your report is through a project status.

A project status should address the following questions:

 Will the project be delivered when it is expected?

 Is the available budget sufficient?

 Will it deliver what it is expected to?

 Will the quality be adequate?

A project status can help to decide what scope to keep or change.

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Project phases
Project phases are closely associated with the intermediate deliverables of the project and can provide
you with an easy and accurate measurement of your project’s progress. Phases are the blocks of time
throughout your project that represent collections of related tasks. The deliverables are the tangible
results that are associated with the completion of these phases. These deliverables can be seen, tested
and used to help move your project further along. This process of measuring your project’s performance
can be created in two steps. First, the project phases need to be identified. Next, the deliverables that
are associated with each of these phases need to be identified.

Examples of phases may include:

 Analysis phase

 Development phase

 Implementation phase

 Documentation phase.

Consider what deliverables you would associate with these project phases.

Measurement Techniques
Other techniques that can measure the progress of your
project may include:
 Highlight report

 Milestone chart

 Checkpoint report

 S-Curve

 Exception report

 Earned value management.

Highlight report
A highlight report is used to inform stakeholders/ the project management board. A highlight reviews
progress at each stage of a project to date, and identifies any actual or potential problems that need to
be considered and dealt with.

Milestone chart

A milestone chart reports on planned major tasks scheduled to occur at specific times throughout the
project. Such tasks could be approval meetings, collection of materials, etc.

Checkpoint report
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A checkpoint report can take a number of formats, which may include a verbal report to
stakeholders/the project manager, a presentation or as a written document. This can be done using a
organisational template or in a more informal way, such as an email.

If using project management software, it can even be reported this way. A checkpoint report measures
a range of factors for each period of the project, including products, quality management and lessons
identified.

S-Curve
S-curve reports allow for progress to be measured over time and present it in a visual manner. They act
as a historical record of the project and allow project managers to identify project growth and problems
with relative ease.

Exception report
An exception report acts as a summary, identifying any events that fall outside the scope of what is
considered a normal range in terms of the project. The purpose of this type of the reports is to
effectively identify any problem areas so that actions can be taken to either eliminate or control them.

Earned value management

This type of measurement technique looks at progress and project performance in an objective manner.
It can be used to assess completed tasks against budget, for example, amongst other things. Imagine if a
project was set to span 6 months with a budget of $20,000. If after three months, $10,000 had been
spent, you may assume that the project was well on schedule. However, if only 25% of the project work
has been completed, this would signal a problem. Earned value management reports identify such
instances.

Scope changes
When measuring the progress of your project, you may come across possible scope changes. A scope
change is where a request is considered to change the agreed scope and objectives of your project. This
may be to accommodate a need that was not originally defined as being part of your project.

You should have already have planned for possible changes and should have change control processes
in place. As discussed in Chapter 2.1, change control procedures are formal processes that are
developed at the start of a project and used to ensure any changes are introduced in a controlled
manner.

Your change control process may include a sequence of six steps:

 Record

 Assess

 Plan

 Build and test

 Implement

 Gain acceptance.
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Allowing and making changes to a project’s scope can mean added costs, longer duration and greater
risks. This highlights the importance of managing the scope of a project carefully and effectively. When
considering changes to the project’s scope, you should consider the positive and negative impacts of
implementing the change.

Activity 3A
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3.2 – Appropriately report scope changes

By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:
 Report scope changes in written form.

Reporting scope changes

The process of measuring the progress of your report in order to determine any scope changes was
discussed in Chapter 3.1. This chapter is concerned with how the scope changes that occur within your
project can be reported appropriately. The procedure for reporting any scope changes may depend on
the person that is in charge of the project, the organisation you are working within or the type of
project you are undertaking. It is important that you are aware of the appropriate way to report any
scope changes within your project.

Although the person you may need to report any scope changes will depend on your
own situation, it may be:
 Another team member

 The project manager

 The project board

 Your client

 Your sponsor.

The things that you may need to report may differ

but can include:
 The nature of the change

 The reason for the change

 The impact of the change on budget and schedule.

If scope changes occur within the project, everyone that is involved should be made aware. People like
to be informed of any changes and need to know exactly what they are working towards. In order to
minimise the resistance of any scope changes, communication is essential as it provides an
understanding.
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Activity 3B
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3.3 – Assist in review of project outcomes to determine effectiveness of initial

and subsequent scope management approaches
By the end of this chapter, the learner should be able to:
 Review project outcomes and determine the effectiveness of the scope management
approaches applied.

Reviewing project outcomes

You may be required to assist in the reviewing of the project outcomes. This will determine the
effectiveness of the initial and subsequent scope management approaches you have applied. In the
reviewing process, you want to see if your project accomplished what you set out to achieve. Your
objective will not have been just to deliver the end product; it would have been to deliver the process
that addresses the specific needs you intended to meet at the start of your project. Therefore, this is the
real measure of success.

Post-implementation review (PIR)

Just as your project has been delivered, you should think about conducting a PIR. Everything will be
fresh, and you can develop a list of ideas and observations. In order to assess the quality of your project
adequately, you should ensure that any changes that may be caused by your project have taken effect.
The aim of a PIR is to understand what happened within your project and why. It is important to learn as
many lessons as you can whilst carrying out your project as it will ensure that any mistakes will not be
repeated within any future projects.

A PIR can help you answer the following questions:

 Were the goals for the project achieved?

 Did your project solve the problem that it was designed to

address?

 Were the customers/clients satisfied?

 What were the costs and benefits of the project?

 Can we take things further, and deliver even bigger

benefits?

 What lessons did we learn that we can apply to future

projects?

By reviewing the project’s outcomes, you can see how effective your scope
management approaches were.
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For example:
 How effective was your budgeting?

 How effective was your time management?

 Did you and your team communicate effectively?

 Did you and your team solve any problems effectively?

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Activity 3C
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Summative Assessments
At the end of your Learner Workbook, you will find the Summative Assessments.

This includes:

 Skills Activity

 Knowledge Activity

 Performance Activity.

This holistically assesses your understanding and application of the skills, knowledge and performance
requirements for this unit. Once this is completed, you will have finished this unit and be ready to move
onto the next one – well done!
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References

These suggested references are for further reading and do not necessarily represent the contents of
this unit.

Websites
Post-implementation review https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_74.htm

All references accessed on and correct as of 24/05/2019 unless other otherwise stated.