Description
Objective
To
- clearly define the project boundaries,
in a way that
- identifies the types of boundary (scope dimensions) relevant to the project,
- takes account of the background to the project,
- explores the variety of objectives and scope that the project could cover,
- clearly and explicitly defines what the project will cover,
- clearly and explicitly defines what the project will not cover,
so that
- a clear and commonly understood target and benchmark is available to project members and other interested parties by which they can steer the direction of the project and assess the quality of the final product.
Overview
It is important to establish at the outset of a project, a precise definition of the purpose and scope of the project to ensure that both Business Partners and Technical personnel are clear about the field of reference.
Any project carried out by an organization should be addressing one or more of the Business Objectives of the organization. If it does not, why is the project being carried out? Therefore to establish the objectives and scope of the project, it is first necessary to identify the overall reason for the project by relating it to one or more objectives of the organization. This will put the project into context for the organization as a whole. It is vital that the project objective be clearly stated and agreed before proceeding with the rest of Project Initiation. If this is not possible, then do not continue.
The project objective can then be further defined in terms of scope. There are two aspects to project scope, the scope of the investigation, and the scope of the solution. At the start of the project it is unlikely that the problems and requirements will be fully understood. However, in order to avoid wasting time by analyzing irrelevant areas, the scope of investigation will help focus on those areas thought most likely to be impacted by the project. Therefore the scope of investigation may well expand as a better understanding of the problems is achieved. The problems and requirements must be fully understood before a range of cost justified solutions can be proposed. This will avoid the risk of focusing on preconceived solutions, which may well be constrained by current practices, and facilitate creative solutions. The clients will choose a solution based upon cost justification criteria which may exclude some of the original requirements. This scope of solution will be more closely defined and will determine the design and build stages of the project.
Scope can be expressed in terms of dimensions. These include business organization, business functions, data, geography, systems, operating environments, etc. Identify the dimensions appropriate to the project and determine those components in scope and those out of scope.
Scope will be further defined in terms of problems and requirements.
In effect the move from objective to requirements is a continuum illustrating the progressive expansion of the project definition.
Task .010 Establish Project Objective
Conduct workshops and/or interviews with clients to identify the project objective. This must be clearly stated and agreed. The project objective must also relate back to a business objective, to ensure that the project is aligned with the business direction of the organization.
Techniques: Objectives Formatting
Task .020 Establish Scope of Investigation
Determine which dimensions of scope to apply to defining the project.
Diagrammatically represent each dimension of scope, explicitly stating as narrative bullet points what is in scope and what is out of scope.
Identify the constraints, specific limitations or exclusions within which the project must operate.
Record any assumptions made in defining the scope of the investigation.
Techniques: Scoping Diagram
Data Modelling
Data Flow Diagrams
Task .030 Identify Initial Requirements
Identify the initial requirements. Validate them against the project objective. The requirements will be fully investigated and described during the next stage.
Requirements express what the application must achieve (a solution is how it will be achieved).
Conversely, problems express the limitations of the current business and system.
Identify the criteria for assessing the success of both the final project product and the process used to create it (e.g., quality objectives, quantitative requirements, expected benefits).
Techniques: Critical Requirements Analysis
Task .040 Identify Outline Solution
Where possible, prepare an outline solution to illustrate the feasibility of achieving the defined business requirements for the project. Outline the likely nature of the solution, and provide sufficient information for the preparation of a business case.
Techniques: Data Flow Diagrams
Data Modelling
Task .050 Identify Training Requirement
Determine the probable client training and technical writing requirement. This will give the TDC advanced warning of their involvement in the project.
Task .060 Review Project Scope
Conduct a product review of the Objective statement (To, in a way that, so that... construct) and Scope definition documents to ensure the scope meets the business needs and all standards are met.
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