Certification Summary | PMP Project Management Professional Study Guide, Third Edition (Certification Press)

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Project scope management is the ability to complete all of the project's required work-and only the required work. This means no extras, no favors, and no cutting corners. The project scope is the focus of the project-it is the necessary work to complete the project. Project scope management is a tool the project manager uses to determine what work is in the project and what work is extraneous.

Projects, big or small, fit within the confines of the performing operation's strategic plans. Projects don't meander, at least not often, outside of the business focus of the organization. You won't find too many car manufacturers creating projects to make chocolate pies. Projects fit within the vision and function of the organization they operate within.

Most projects undergo a process to determine their cost and value. The selection process based on the perceived worth is typically a benefit/cost ratio (BCR). These models examine the cost-to-benefit ratio to determine if the project is worth doing. Selected projects should always have a higher benefits-than-costs ratio.

Another selection model is the constrained optimization method. You won't need to know how to complete one of these beasts for your exam, but you should be familiar with some common models: linear programming, nonlinear programming, integer algorithms and multi-objective programming to name a few.

In order to determine what the project scope actually is, there's plenty of scope planning. The project manager and the project team must have a clear vision of the project, the business need for the project, the requirements, and the stakeholder expectations for the project. The end result of the scope planning processes is the scope statement. The scope statement says, in no uncertain terms, what is within the project and what is without.

For your PMP exam, focus on protecting the project scope. This includes finding the real purpose of the project so the scope is in alignment with identified need. Once the scope has been created, the project team, stakeholders, the project sponsor, and even the project manager should not change the scope-unless there is overwhelming evidence of why the scope needs to be changed.

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