Project Scope Statement Template

by Nick T

What is the Project Scope Statement?

A Project Scope Statement is written by the project manager to post the project charter and outlines the project details and the outcome that is expected from the project. It helps to provide clarity on the project scope to all stakeholders. This project scope document template provides a basic understanding of the project scope, including the deliverable, assumptions, and constraints, and clearly lists the high-level project requirements and boundaries.

Thus, a project scope statement acts as a formal document that defines the scope of the project, which is agreed upon and approved by all stakeholders of the project. A well-written project scope statement is very vital for the success of a project. As per the Project Management guidelines, every project scope statement should cover the SMART Objectives:

  • Specific: The objective should be clearly stated.
  • Measurable: List down metrics to determine if the objectives have been met.
  • Attainable: The team agrees that the objective is achievable and realistic.
  • Relevant: Objective fits into the overall organizational goal & supports the project charter.
  • Timely: A target date to achieve the objective is clearly stated.

You may be interested in reading what is SMART Goals & Objectives and how to achieve them.

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Project Scope Statement Template

Basics of Project Scope Statement Template

  • The scope statement can be used as a reference document to monitor the project's progress and ensure that the project is on track as per the originally defined scope.
  • Hence, a successful project scope statement must be clear and concise, providing specific and exact details.
  • A scope creep may lead to project failure.
  • The scope statement serves as a formal document for the accepted project scope. It should be agreed upon and approved by the sponsor, project team, and all involved stakeholders before the project's commencement.

Project Scope Statement

Title

 Timesheet Reporting Tool

Date

June 08, 2017

Project Manager

 Nicole Hansen

Project Justification

 The Timesheet Reporting tool will be the creation of a user-   friendly web-based application. The application will automate   the process of tracking the daily time entries made by   employees.

Project Scope Description

 The timesheet reporting tool will be used as a tracking tool to   review the time entries by the Information Technology   employees globally.

Project Objective

 To create a tool to track the timesheet entries for all the   Information Technology employees.

High-Level Requirements

    1.User access for the tool granted to all employees


    2.Admin access to support team


    3.Report generation access to project managers


    4.Enable users to remotely access the tool


    5.Standard templates for all reports

    In Scope

        1.Multi-level approvals for timesheets

         2. Timesheet tasks additions to the tool by Admin access users

        3.‘Copy Previous Week’ timesheets feature

        4.Access tool via Desktop

    Out of Scope

        1. New project/task added to the tool by managers

        2.  Connectivity with HRMS to update employee leaves automatically

        3. Role-based task list template

        4.Access tool via mobile and tablet

    Cost Estimate

    Cost Item

    Estimated Project Cost

    Actual Spend

    Cost until completion

    Variance

    Software

    $2300

    $900

    $1400

    NA

    Hardware

    $5000

    $1500

    $3500

    +/- 1000

    Other

    $750

    $0

    $750

    +/- $100

    Total

    $8050

    $2400

    $5650

    Assumptions

       1. Timesheets will be updated by users daily.

       2.  Timesheets task list will be updated once a month

    Deliverables

       1. A Single system to record time hours for FTE and Contractors

      2. Run timesheet reports identifying missing entries

      3.Generate reports identifying productive tasks and work hours

      4.Generate charts for steering committee packs

      5. Detailed user guide on steps to update the tool for all users

    Constraints

      1. Unplanned leaves not captured from the leave system

      2. Timesheet view access for the team only to Direct managers

     

    You may be interested in downloading the Scope Management Plan.


    Key Elements of a Project Scope Statement:

     

    elements of project scope statement

     

    1.Project Justification: The project scope statement helps to define and justify why the project has been initiated and what is the purpose of the project being undertaken.


    2.Project Description: It is essential to clearly specify the goals that the project aims to achieve. This field provides a brief description or summary of the project.


    Project Objectives: Every project aims to achieve certain results or produce a certain outcome. This field defines the deliverable and outcome that the project will produce, and the Project objectives must be clearly defined for every project.


    High-Level Requirements: This field captures the high-level requirements expected to be completed for the project objective to be fulfilled. The requirements for each project may vary depending on the size of the project. While detailed requirements may not be known at this stage, it is necessary to list the high-level ones in the scope statement.


    In-Scope: This field defines the activities that are in scope for the project. All activities that fall within the project boundaries are considered “in scope” and are planned for in the Planning phase.


    Out of Scope: All out-of-scope activities are clearly outlined in this field to set clear expectations of the areas that are out of the scope of the project.


    Cost Estimate: This field captures the budget estimate (Check a detailed budget estimate template) required for the successful completion of the project. It is essential to provide an accurate estimate to ensure all stakeholders are aware of the cost incurred to undertake this project.


    Assumptions: To define project scope, it is necessary to list down the assumptions in a project. Assumptions are made when certain events are expected to occur during the course of the project, which may delay the project timelines. These assumptions need to re-visited during the project as any false assumptions may impact the overall scope.


    Deliverables: This field lists down the results or output expected to be produced by the project. The deliverable from the project should support the project objectives.


    Constraints: All the constraints or limitations in terms of time, resources, and functionalities need to be listed here.