Scope Management Secrets with Brad Bigelow

Upon completion of this training, learners will be able to:

• Effectively prepare project charters and project management plans primed to ensure visibility, achieve expectations, and deliver results.
• Explain how to anticipate likely sources of scope change and formulate effective responses through change management.
• Apply effective scope management practices throughout the entire project life cycle.

Scope is the key to effective project management. Most projects are driven by the project scope, yet it is the most poorly defined and least understood aspect of project management. 

This training will give attendees the keys to unlock the secrets of project scope management. First and foremost is defining scope in terms of both work and products. Describing how the work will be performed is crucial to organizing and communicating with the project team and stakeholders. Establishing and maintaining a strong consensus on the products or capabilities the project will deliver is essential to effective planning and budgeting. Baselining the two aspects of scope is the foundation of good change management.

This training offers project managers the tools to master the challenge of scope management. It provides an in-depth, multidimensional approach to analyzing and managing project scope. Starting with traditional notions such as the work breakdown structure (WBS) and product breakdown structure (PBS), it reveals the complex nature of project scope and leads students through exercises aimed at providing practical tools for project planning, estimation, and change management. This training also questions some of the traditional assumptions about scope change—particularly the view that changes in scope that affect schedule and budget should be avoided at all costs. A project’s ability to change could be its most significant advantage. The tension between these two perspectives is at the heart of the shift to agile and other more adaptive project management approaches. 

This training enables project managers to achieve a more expert—and more effective—appreciation of how to define and manage scope and to anticipate problems before they crop up.