The Project Scope Management questions on the PMP® certification exam cover a diverse, yet fundamental, set of project management topics. Planning scope management activities, collecting requirements, defining requirements with a scope statement, creating the WBS, validating the scope with accepted deliverables, and managing scope changes are among the topics covered.
PMI® views scope management as a six-step processes that consists of: plan scope management, collect requirements, define scope, create WBS, validate scope, and control scope. PMBOK® Guide Figure 5-1 provides an overview of the structure of Project Scope Management. Know this chart thoroughly.
The Project Scope Management questions on the exam are straightforward. Historically, most people have found these questions to be relatively easy; however, do not be lulled into a false sense of security by past results. These questions cover a wide breadth of material, and you must be familiar with the terminology and perspectives adopted by PMI®.
You also may wish to consult PMI®’s Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures—Second Edition (2006) for additional information.
Following is a list of the major Project Scope Management topics. Use it to help focus your study efforts on the areas most likely to appear on the exam.
Plan Scope Management
Collect requirements
Define scope
Create WBS
Validate scope
Control scope
INSTRUCTIONS: Note the most suitable answer for each multiple-choice question in the appropriate space on the answer sheet.
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Progressive elaboration of a project’s specification must be coordinated carefully with proper scope definition, particularly when the project is performed under contract. When properly defined, the project scope—the work to be done—should remain constant even when the product characteristics are elaborated progressively. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 6, 107–108
The WBS, along with the detailed scope statement and the WBS dictionary, defines the project’s scope baseline, which provides the basis for any changes that may occur on the project. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 131–132
The work involved in the six Project Scope Management processes begins by preparing a scope management plan, which is a subsidiary plan for the project management plan. It describes the Project Scope Management processes from definition to control. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 109–110
Organizational process assets that can influence plan scope management include formal and informal policies, procedures, and guidelines impacting project scope management. Historical information and the lessons learned knowledge base are other examples. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 109
Completion of the project scope is measured against the project management plan, and completion of the product scope is measured against the requirements. In the project context, product scope consists of features and functions that characterize the product, service, or result. Project scope is the work that must be done to deliver the product, service, or result with specified features and functions. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 106
Expert judgment is used to analyze the information needed to develop a project scope statement. It is applied to any technical details. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 122
Lateral thinking, brainstorming, and analysis of alternatives are examples of alternatives generation that can be used to develop as many potential options as possible to execute and perform the project’s work. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 123
Product analysis techniques vary by application area, and each application area generally has accepted methods to translate project objectives into tangible deliverables and requirements. Other product analysis techniques include product breakdown, requirements analysis, and systems engineering. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 122
Project exclusion identifies generally what is included within the project, and state explicitly what is excluded from the project, if a stakeholder might assume that a particular product, service, or result could be a project component. Project boundaries are described as part of the detailed project scope statement. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 123–124
The bill of materials provides a hierarchical view of the physical assemblies, subassemblies, and components needed to build a manufactured product, whereas the WBS is a deliverable-oriented grouping of project components used to define the total scope of the project, providing a structured vision of what has to be delivered. Using a bill of materials where a WBS would be more appropriate may result in an ill-defined scope and subsequent change requests. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 125, 140; Ward 2008, 40
Collecting requirements provides the basis for defining project scope and product scope. It also involves determining, documenting, and managing stakeholder needs to meet project objectives. The requirements become the foundation for the WBS; moreover, cost, schedule, and quality planning are built upon the requirements. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 110, 127
The PMM is an organization-approved approach for project management that is used on every project. It is not part of the project scope statement, which describes the project scope, major deliverables, assumptions, and constraints. It describes the project’s deliverables and the work required to complete them. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 123–124
The scope management plan is reviewed first as it provides clarity as to how the project team will determine which requirements need to be collected on the project. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 113
A work package is the lowest or smallest unit of work division in a project or WBS. The work package can be scheduled, cost estimated, monitored, and controlled. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 126
Quality function deployment is an example of a facilitated workshop used in the manufacturing industry as a tool and technique to collect requirements. It helps to determine the critical characteristics for new product development and starts by collecting customer needs, known as the voice of the customer. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 114
The WBS includes all work needed to be done to complete the project. The organizational breakdown structure (OBS) includes the organizational units responsible for completing the work. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 126, 548
Project scope creep is typically the result of uncontrolled changes. Scope control works to control the impact of any project scope changes. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 137
The key document generated from the create WBS process is the actual WBS. Each WBS component is assigned a unique identifier to provide a structure for hierarchical summation of costs, schedule, and resource information. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 132
Variance analysis is a tool and technique for control scope. Project performance measurements are used to assess the magnitude of variance, to determine the cause of the variance, and to decide whether corrective or preventive action is required. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 139
The nominal group technique enhances brainstorming with a voting process, which is used to rank the most useful ideas for further brainstorming or for prioritization. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 115
Identifying and analyzing the deliverables and related work is the first step in the decomposition of a project. The deliverables should be defined in terms of how the project will be organized. For example, the major project deliverables may be used as the second level. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 128–129
In addition to complying with any relevant contractual provisions, scope change control must be integrated with the project’s overall change control system and with any systems in place to control project and product scope. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 96, 137
Assumptions are factors that, for planning purposes, are considered to be true, real, or certain without proof or demonstration. They are listed in the project scope statement. [Planning]
Ward 2008, 24; PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 124 and 529
Documentation that the customer has accepted completed deliverables is an output of validate scope. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 134
Recommended corrective action is an output from control scope. In addition to bringing expected future performance in line with the project management plan, it also serves to bring expected future performance in line with the project scope statement. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 140, 534
A system is needed for careful monitoring of changes made to the requirements. Use of written change requests encourages the individuals asking for changes to take responsibility for their requests and reduces frivolous requests that may adversely affect the project. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 94–97 140
The work authorization system is not used in control scope. The others are examples of organizational process assets that may require update as a result of scope control. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 140
Work performance information is an output of validate scope. It emphasizes deliverables—whether or not they have started, their progress, and ones that have finished or have been accepted. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 136
The requirements management plan defines how requirements will be analyzed, documented, and managed. It is strongly influenced by the phase-to-phase relationship. The project manager selects the most effective relationship for the project and documents it in the plan. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 42–44, 110
The requirements traceability matrix is an output of the collect requirements process. It includes tracing requirements to business needs, opportunities, and objectives; project objectives; project scope: WBS deliverables; product design; product development; test strategy and scenarios; as well as high-level requirements to more detailed requirements. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 118–119
A requested change is an output from the control scope process. Such a change should be handled according to the integrated change control process and may result in an update to the scope baseline or other components of the project management plan. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 140
The change requests are not an input of the validate scope process but are an output. The other items are all inputs to help the project manager validate the scope of the project. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2008, 124–125
Approved change requests will most likely impact and cause updates to the WBS, WBS dictionary, and project scope statement. In other words, they will cause variance to the scope baseline. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 139–140
Various components of requirements documentation can be used. Examples are: business requirements, stakeholder requirements, solution requirements, project requirements, and requirements assumptions, dependencies, and constraints. Project requirements consist of acceptance criteria and levels of service performance, safety, and compliance. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 117–118
Verified deliverables that are completed and checked for correctness are inputs to validate scope. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 135, 138–139
Work packages are items at the lowest level of the WBS. A subproject is a smaller portion of the original project when a project is subdivided into more manageable components or pieces. A subproject WBS then breaks down work packages into greater detail. A subproject WBS generally is used when the project manager assigns a scope of work to another organization, and the project manager at that organization must plan and manage the scope of work in greater detail. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 129, 564
The project scope statement, along with the WBS and WBS dictionary, is a key input to scope control. [Monitoring and Controlling]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 138
The project scope statement describes the deliverables and the work required to create them. It also provides a common understanding of the scope among stakeholders. The product scope statement is a key component as it progressively elaborates the characteristics of the product, service, or result in the project charter and requirements documentation. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 123–124
It is a tool and technique in collect requirements and is an example of a scope model. The context diagram visually depicts the product scope as it shows a business system (process, equipment, or computer, etc.) and how people and other systems (actors) interact with it. The diagram shows inputs to the business system, the actor(s) providing the input, outputs from the business system, and actor(s) receiving the output. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 117
The WBS dictionary typically includes a code of accounts identifier, a statement of work, responsible organization, a list of schedule milestones, associated schedule activities, required resources, cost estimates, quality requirements, acceptance criteria, technical references, and agreement information. [Planning]
PMI®, PMBOK® Guide, 2013, 132