The completion of a project is a series of steps involving planning and implementation. One must first have an idea of what the project is all about, think through the possible implementation steps and procedures in order to prevent or block the loopholes for failures. All projects are viable but not all projects get a successful completion. This paper seeks to analyze the two major aspects of taking a project through to the completion stage. The main factors discussed are the project scope statement and the project work breakdown structure. Each of the two tools are defined and an insight is given as to how they work and their importance in ensuring the success of a project. The main areas covered are; the construct of a project scope, the use of a common technique to develop a project scope, the practice for achieving a project scope consensus and construction of a project work breakdown structure. In all the topics, the main issues are discussed at length and the details included as well.
QUESTION ONE
1.1 The construct of a project scope statement
A project scope statement can be defined as the major tool used to describe the major sections of a project. It gives an outline of the project stage, challenges and the straining factors faced in completing the project, the procedures followed as well as the expectations and assumptions made concerning the final project (PMI 1997). The constructs of a good project scope statement are not limited to it being clear and concise, but rather it is dependent on various other factors. The statement should give an overview of what the reader expects in the project and also specifically point out to the compositions of the project. Most project scope statements defines the project, the time period of the project completion, the risk factors involved, limitations as well as the expected end product and the team players. The statement can be large in size or even smaller depending on the size and nature of the project. Other variables includes the key aspects featured and the necessity for those other details.
1.2 The use of a common technique to develop a project scope
One of the most common techniques used to develop a project scope is the identification of the project scope, the team players, possible project strains, time scope and the expected outcome of the project (Benatan 2000). This is the simplest way to create a project scope that achieves the goals as expected. However, the details in a project scope will be greatly determined by the nature of the industry involved and the requirements as dictated by the project definition. A sample project scope statement based on the project of road works construction would look like the one below;
This is a project that involves the construction of a road starting from date 18th of October 2010. The completion date is expected to be 3 months from the start date. The project foresees several challenges of congestion and limited supply of the road construction materials. There will be minimized movements as people will be directed to make use of the other adjacent roads and pathways. The road design is expected to include a flyover passage for pedestrians and an underpass to allow less traffic during rush hours. Possibilities of the project going for more than the anticipated months are low but they may actualize given the delay in supply in materials and labor, which for now, has been effectively planned for.
This is one of the simplest used project scope statements that represents the simplest form and the less detailed project scope statement.
1.3 The practice for achieving a project scope consensus
In order to achieve a project scope consensus, the scope developer must ensure that the details within are clear and can be understood by all the relevant parties. The scope must be very specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time bound.
QUESTION TWO
2.1 Project work breakdown structure
A project work breakdown structure is the decomposition of the various elements of a project that when put together results in a complete project (Heldman & Heldman 2007). It involves giving a step by step outline of what needs to be done and by whom in order to achieve the main objectives of a project and to come up with the necessary deliverables. It is always created after the project scope statement.
The work breakdown structure can be designed from top to bottom or bottom to top, depending on the desirability to the developer. The bottom to top model is meant to breakdown the smaller details of the project as it starts from the last bit of the project completion. The top to bottom approach is however a simple technique that assumes only the few main project deliverables. It does not include a lot of details like the bottom up approach (Norman 2008). The number of levels in a work breakdown structure depends on the size of the project and how complex the project is. Other determinants are the contractor assessment of needs, work constraints and the technical complexities that may arise.
There are specific numerical codes attached to every element in the project. These codes act as the identities of these elements throughout the life of the project. The placed in a hierarchical manner and flow in a certain direction.
Conclusion
The project scope statement is an important tool in the planning and implementation of a project. It ensures that deliverables are known prior to the start of a project and that a certain work breakdown structure is created to breakdown the various activities involved in the project. The project work breakdown structure is coded to ensure that each element of the project is well represented and categorized accordingly. In addition to the coding, the project work breakdown structure is also created in a way that allows every section to be allocated to the most effective group that will ensure the goals of the deliverables are met in the desirable time plan. The project scope statement and the project work breakdown structure must be very specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and most importantly, time bound.
Having the project scope statement also helps the developers realize uncertain situations early enough to either accept, transfer or mitigate them. The scope statements also helps the developers plan for the limited resources anticipated and prevent any shortages that may occur if no previous scope statement was made. Therefore, every desirable and successful project must have a project scope statement followed by the project work breakdown structure.
References
Bennatan, E. M. (2000). On time within budget: Software project management practices and techniques. New York: Wiley.
Heldman, K., & Heldman, W. (2007). Excel 2007 for project managers. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Pub.
Norman, E. S., Brotherton, S. A., & Fried, R. T. (2008). Work breakdown structures: The foundation for project management excellence. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
The PMI book of project management forms. (1997). Sylva, NC: Project Management Institute.
