Page 84 - Project+

The High-Level Scope Definition

The high-level scope definition describes the project objectives, high-level deliverables,
and the reason for the project.

This description explains the major characteristics of the product or service of the
project and describes the relationship between the business need and the product or

service requested. Before you jump into completing your high-level deliverables and
requirements, you need to make certain the problem or need that generated the project
request is clearly defined and understood. That means you’ll need to meet with the
person requesting the project to clarify the project goals and understand what problem
they’re trying to solve. If the problem is unclear, the solution may be off target, so it’s
critical that you understand the problem before you move on to defining requirements.

Defining the Problem

A project can get off to a bad start if the project manager does not take the time to

clearly define the problem or need that has generated the project request. Have you
ever been on a project where people are working furiously to meet a deadline but no
one appears to know why the work is being done? Then halfway through the project
everything changes or, worse yet, the whole thing gets canceled? If this sounds
familiar, it may be that a solution was being developed without clarifying the problem.

The customer is not always able to articulate what the problem is, and their request
may be vague and loosely worded. Your job as project manager is to figure out what the

customer really means. I’ve worked on many IT-related projects that were developed
and implemented to the precise requirements of the customer only to hear them
exclaim, “You delivered what I asked for but not what I wanted!”

It’s your responsibility to investigate the customer request and
communicate your understanding of the request. This may result in the creation of

a project concept document, or perhaps the business case, which represents your
first attempt at restating the customer request to demonstrate understanding of
the project.

Problems can also arise when project requests are proposed in the form of a solution. It
is not uncommon for customers to come to you with a specific request and a solution
they’ve already discovered that satisfies the request. You may be thinking this is great
news because there is no need to tie up your calendar with a lot of requirements-
gathering meetings. The problem is, your customer may not be asking for the right

solution. As a project manager, you need to make certain that the problem has been
identified before the solution is proposed.

Let’s say you get a request for a new billing system. The first thing you should do is
meet with the person making the request to get more information. Why do they need a

84