Adapted from a talk given to the 2012 PMI Global Congress EMEA, this presentation identifies the "fuzziness" of scope as a constraint and shows how it can be reduced by looking at scope in terms of multiple dimensions--including that of change within the project itself.

1. Scope: Mastering
the
Fuzzy
Constraint
Brad Bigelow
First delivered to the PMI Global Congress EMEA 2012

2. Outline
• Introduction: The Triple Constraints
• What Makes Scope “Fuzzy”?
• The Multiple Dimensions of Scope
• Scope Change: Good or Bad?
• Looking at Scope Change from Different Angles
• Conclusion: The Need for Perspective

3. The Triple Constraint
Time
Cost Scope

4. Or, Put Another Way …
Pick any two:
__ Better
__ Faster
__ Cheaper

5. The Triple Constraints
Project Management, by John Stanley Baumgartner, 1963

6. Time
Start
Planned
Actual
Finish
Start Finish
Early Late
200 days
200 days
210 days

7. Cost
Planned Actual
Under Over
$200,000
$200,000
$225,000

8. What is Scope, Anyway?
“The sum of the products,
services, and results to be
provided as a project.”
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9. Scope?
Planned Actual
Under Over
???
What number
would apply?

10. How Do You Define the Boundary of
Scope?
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11. “PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

12. A Fuzzy Set: Tall Basketball Players
Manute Bol
7 ft. 7 in.
Muggsy Bogues
5 ft. 3 in.
Jason Kidd
6 ft. 4in.
Dirk Nowitski
7 ft.
Josh Howard
6 ft. 7 in.
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©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

13. A Set with a Clear Boundary
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14. A Set with a Fuzzy Boundary
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©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

15. Boundaries Alone Don’t Always Help
Is the Glass Half Empty?
Half Full?
Or is the Glass Too Big?
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©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

16. Three Key Aspects of Scope
• Output (products, deliverables)
• Work
• Boundaries
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©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

17. Still a Triangle?
Time
Cost
Products
Work
Boundaries
Scope
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

18. Product Breakdown Structure
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©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

19. Work Breakdown Structure
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20. Boundaries
• Authority
– What Project Manager has authority to decide
• Legal
– What means are considered legal?
• Regulatory
– Are there health and safety constraints?
• Interfaces
– Do the products have to work with other systems?
• Policy
– Are there policy constraints on how the work is done?
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

21. Still a Triangle?
Time
Cost
Products
Scope
Work
Boundaries
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

22. And Yet Other Aspects of Scope
 Quantity
 Location
 Functional requirements
 Non-Functional
requirements
 Modes of operation
 Production methods and
facilities
 Test or certification
requirements
 Intended users
 Procurement
 Transparency
 Look and feel/Appearance
 Resources
 Raw materials
 Environmental factors
 Standardization
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

23. Still a Triangle?
Time
Cost
Products
Scope
Work
Boundaries
Other Factors
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

25. How to Tame the Scope Beast
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only
Presentation Title

26. MoSCoW Analysis
• Must Have
• Should Have
• Could Have
• Won’t Have
Scope
Definitely In
Definitely Out
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©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

27. The Most Important Aspect of Scope
Change?
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©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

28. The Traditional Approach
#1.
Plan
the
Work
#2.
Work
the
Plan
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©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

29. The Traditional Approach
Scope Change
=
Deviation from the Plan
Change?
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©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

30. Scope
Change
=
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31. The Adaptive Approach
#1.
Plan
the
Work
#4: Adapt the Plan
#2.
Work
the
Plan
#3.
Compare
with
Reality
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©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

32. Obeng Matrix
Know What Don’t Know What
Quest
Painting by
Numbers
Lost in a Fog
Making a Movie
Know How Don’t Know How
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©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

33. Rationale for Change
Unsound Sound
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34. Impact of Duration
Planning Completion
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35. Impact of Duration
Planning Completion
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©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

36. The Project is Not the Center of the Universe
You are Here
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37. Third Law of Motion
Rejecting a change has a consequence
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©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only
Presentation Title

38. What Happens to Change
that Falls Out of Scope?
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©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only

39. Summary
• Project Scope is Inherently Fuzzy
• Break it Down into as Many Aspects as Relevant
• Find out preference and priorities (MoSCoW)
• Understand the Appetite for Change
• Don’t Lose Sight of the Big Picture
“PMI” is a registered trade and service mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.
©2010 Permission is granted to PMI for PMI® Marketplace use only