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Preliminary project scope statement
Short answer
A preliminary scope statement is developed from the charter and statement of work using expert judgment and stakeholder workshops. It defines high-level objectives, deliverables, boundaries, constraints, and assumptions, serving as the foundation for detailed scope planning and the WBS.
How to develop a preliminary project scope statement?
A preliminary project scope statement is a high-level description of the project scope, prepared early (during initiation) from the charter and SOW, before detailed planning. In the PMBOK 3rd edition it was a separate process; later it was merged into charter development and the "Define scope" process. It gives the team a basic understanding of what is to be delivered so that planning can begin.
Steps to develop it
- Collect inputs: project charter, statement of work, enterprise environmental factors, organisational process assets.
- Use expert judgment and product analysis: study the product requirements and break them into objectives.
- Identify alternatives (various ways to do the work), using brainstorming and lateral thinking.
- Facilitate workshops with the sponsor, customer and stakeholders to reach agreement.
- Write the statement covering the items below.
- Review and approve by the sponsor and key stakeholders; save it as the base for detailed scope planning.
Contents
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Project and product objectives | Measurable goals |
| Product or service requirements and characteristics | High-level |
| Product acceptance criteria | How acceptance is judged |
| Project boundaries | What is in and out of scope |
| Requirements and deliverables | Major deliverables |
| Project constraints | Time, budget, resources |
| Project assumptions | Conditions considered true |
| Initial project organisation | Roles, stakeholders |
| Initial defined risks | High-level |
| Schedule milestones, initial WBS, order of magnitude cost estimate | Early time and cost outline |
| Configuration management and approval requirements | How changes and approvals are handled |
Charter + SOW --> Preliminary scope --> Detailed scope statement
--> WBS
Importance
It reduces confusion, supports estimating and forms the base for the detailed scope statement, which is progressively elaborated.
Example: For a hospital queue system the statement lists "token generation, display boards, SMS alerts" as in scope and "billing integration" as out of scope.
✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)
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