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Control Scope

5 minutes 5 Questions

Control Scope is the process of monitoring and controlling the project's scope in order to ensure that the project is on track and remains within the defined boundaries. It includes comparing the actual progress against the planned scope, assessing variances, and applying corrective and preventive actions when needed. It is a continuous activity and a key aspect of effective project scope management. Regularly checking the scope against the project scope statement and scope baseline, along with keeping stakeholders engaged and informed, will help in the early identification of potential scope creep, changes, or risks that might impact the project scope.

Guide on Control Scope in PMBOK 7th Edition

Why is Control Scope Important?:
Control Scope is a critical process in Project Scope Management. It ensures that all changes to the project scope are processed in a controlled manner, prevents scope creep, and ensures the project does not deviate from the agreed objectives. This process ultimately contributes to the overall project's success.

What is Control Scope?:
Control Scope is the process of monitoring the status of the project and product scope and managing changes to the scope baseline. The main aim of this process is to ensure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully.

How Does Control Scope Work?:
Control Scope involves continuous monitoring and control of the project scope against the scope baseline. Any variance from this baseline is then assessed and change requests are processed. Monitoring and control mechanisms such as change control systems, variance analysis, and scope inspections are projects requirements for the control scope process.

How to Answer Questions on Control Scope in an Exam?:
1. Understand that any changes to the project scope need to be formally controlled and managed.
2. Remember that unauthorized changes are often referred to as scope creep.
3. Key inputs include the project management plan, project documents, and work performance data.
4. Reviewed deliverables, work performance information, change requests are key outputs of this process.
5. The 'Perform Integrated Change Control' process is closely integrated with Control Scope.

Exam Tips:
When answering questions relating to Control Scope, ensure you understand the need for formal procedures to manage scope changes. Remember that change requests once approved, should result in a revision to the scope baseline or other components of the project management plan. Keep in mind that all approved changes will have some level of impact on the project, and the extent of this impact must be evaluated.

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PMP - Scope Planning Example Questions

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Question 1

An active stakeholder wants to expedite the project delivery, and proposes a change that would overlap many tasks. As a project manager realizing the risks associated with this fast-tracking, what would be your next step?

Correct Answer: Analyse the proposed change's impact on project scope, schedule, costs, and risks, and then decide the best course of action based on the analysis.

The best course of action is to analyze the proposed change's impact on project scope, schedule, costs, and risks before deciding how to proceed. As a project manager, it's crucial to thoroughly evaluate any change proposals and their potential consequences before implementing them. Instantly rejecting the proposal without proper analysis could strain the relationship with the stakeholder and potentially miss out on beneficial changes. On the other hand, accepting the proposal without evaluation or discussing it with other stakeholders could lead to unforeseen risks and issues that may negatively impact the project's success. By conducting a comprehensive analysis, the project manager can make an informed decision that balances the stakeholder's desire for faster delivery with the need to manage risks and ensure the project remains on track to meet its objectives.

Question 2

The project scope has been changed several times without your approval as the project manager. What should be your next course of action?

Correct Answer: Reinforce the change control process to the team and stakeholders.

The best action to take when the project scope is frequently changed without your approval as the project manager is to 'Reinforce the change control process to the team and stakeholders.' Change control is a systematic approach to managing all changes made to a product or system. Reinforcing this process will communicate to the stakeholders and the team the importance of following the proper procedures for changing scope. This helps to ensure that changes are beneficial, reduce project risk, and ensure that changes do not negatively impact the project's success. The other answers are not the best courses of action. 'Disallow any more scope changes for the project' is an unrealistic and inflexible approach to project management. 'Escalate the issue to the team members' direct supervisors.' may create unnecessary conflict and does not address the root cause. 'Request a deadline extension from the client.' is not the immediate best action and should be considered only after managing the scope change issue.

Question 3

A client requests a change to the project scope that is not in line with the project's objectives. As the project manager, what should you do?

Correct Answer: Follow the project's change control procedures.

The best answer to deal with requested changes that are not in line with the project's objectives, is to 'Follow the project's change control procedures.' This means, before any changes are accepted or denied, they should be thoroughly analyzed for their impact on the project in terms of cost, schedule, quality, risk, etc. If the benefits outweigh the risks, a change can be approved. If not, it can be rejected, but this should always happen through a structured process. The other options are not suitable as automatically accepting the request can deviate the project from its objectives. Denying the request without considering the implications implies a lack of flexibility and understanding toward the client's needs. Patronizing and ignoring the client's request does not reflect a professional attitude.

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