ABSTRACT
The Abraham Lincoln quote that opens this chapter illustrates the importance of putting a project in the proper context of what needs to be accomplished. That is, proper scoping of a project with the appropriate tools and resources constitute the fundamental requirement for project success. Scope management refers to the process of directing and controlling the entire scope of the project with respect to a specifi c goal. Establishment and clear defi nition of project goals and objectives form the foundation of scope management. The scope and plans form the baseline against which changes or deviations can be monitored and controlled. Proper scoping of a project right at the outset can help prevent problems later on. A project that is out of scope may not have the potential for a successful completion. Project scope management includes the processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully (PMI, 2004). This implies that scoping prunes a project so that extraneous work is not undertaken. Scope management is primarily concerned with defi ning and controlling what is and what is not included in the project. A Pareto analysis or ABC analysis can be used to determine and rank the essential elements that should be included in the project scope. Figure 3.1 shows a Pareto distribution of important and unimportant contents of a project scope.
