Article in LinkedIn by Luis Nieto
As we know, in project management the tendency during execution is, in general, to increase the scope of the project, that is, either add more tasks or objectives to those of the plan or increase the scope of one or more of the planned objectives.
It is necessary that the project personnel acquire and develop a "culture" in the management to be attentive to possible requirements, or to prevent actions in each task that could culminate in an increase in the scope of the project.
To this end, it is essential to have all the management of tasks or activities in place. These procedures must be found in the Execution Manual, which must be well-known by the executor and by the client.
Some crucial points to keep track of the scope are:
1. Make sure the scope is clearly specified. In the event that there are doubts about the detail of specific tasks because they do not appear in the original scope description, they must be resolved in writing through communications, minutes, or memoranda that explain the detailed scope.
2. When, at the request of a part of the organization, the need for a scope change (usually an increase) is reported, it must be quantified in the additional cost of resources, effort in man-hours, and the impact on the original plan. With this information, authorization for its execution is requested from the project management.
3. If the result of the previous point is approved, then the additional activities must be included in the execution plan and schedule. If the previous implies moving the completion date, this must be approved by the project management, and the new schedule in any case must be circulated as the official one.
4. Management must reflect in the progress and execution reports all approved changes and the increase in cost that could result from them.
Once included as procedures in the Execution Manual, their monitoring and verification of compliance are the tools to keep track of changes.
Published in LinkedIn by Luis Nieto
Comments