What is the difference between overview and scope

A project is a collection of tasks to be executed over a specific period of time to achieve a particular objective. Project management is the process that involves many stages such as initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing the work of a project to achieve a pre-determined objective. The scope of the project will be decided during the planning stage.

A project scope statement is prepared during the planning stage, which is a written confirmation of the expected outcome of the project including the constraints and assumptions under which the project team will work. Project scope statement should be precise and should clearly define the boundaries of a project. The main points that should be included in a project scope statement are,. This is a brief statement regarding the business need the project addresses.

The justification has to be strategic and economically feasible. The conditions such as the time frame and quality that should be met in order for the project to be successful has to be clearly stated. Description of tangible and intangible good or services should also be included in the project scope statement. Figure Project scope is a plan that includes all related aspects of a project from its beginning to the end. Project deliverables is a term used to describe tangible or intangible goods or services produced as a result of the project that is intended to be delivered to a customer.

Project deliverables should be measurable, specific and be completed by their respective due dates. In projects that are significant in scale and complicated in nature e. A statement of work is a more detailed document that includes the scope of work as well as other specifics regarding how and when the work will be completed.

A scope of work is an opportunity to clearly articulate expectations for the purpose of agreeing on terms and avoiding misunderstandings down the line. For a simple project such as a one-off consulting gig, a scope of work need not be longer than a couple of sentences. For an extended and expensive project, it should also include deliverables and deadlines so the contractor has an overview of expectations and can provide a fair quote, and the client can rest easy that specific needs have been taken into account.

A statement of work includes a much higher level of specifics than the scope of work. It doesn't just describe what will be done, it also includes any other information such as overall objectives and payment terms that should be explicitly stated and confirmed between the two parties. A statement of work can be prepared by the client to outline needs and expectations or it can be prepared by the contractor to clarify and develop a work plan.

Ideally, it should be the product of a collaboration between the two parties. A statement of work offers the advantage of clarity. A client can refer back to the document if there is any doubt about a project having been done right and a contractor can similarly refer back to it if the client's expectations are unreasonable or if they are a moving target.

Conflicts around expectations can be resolved by referring to a carefully negotiated agreement that both parties have had a hand in creating. The process of creating a statement of work helps both parties to better understand their objectives, and whether these objectives are realistic considering the time frame and the budget. In the course of negotiations to create this document, it may even become clear that the expectations on both sides are so dramatically divergent that there is little hope of reaching a mutually satisfactory arrangement.

Although this realization will no doubt be frustrating, it will be considerably less so than entering into a working relationship that has no hope of succeeding. A statement of work also provides a level of direction that will set you on a path toward getting things done rather than rethinking decisions that have already been made and reevaluating the direction every time a new consideration appears. Signing off on a statement of work sets a project in motion and forces you to take the first steps in a process that has been clearly thought through and delineated in detail.

It's a lot of work to create a statement of work. You can use a scope of work or statement of work template, but these time-saving tools can be expensive and may not be a good fit for your specific project or industry. Marv Mills 4, 1 1 gold badge 16 16 silver badges 27 27 bronze badges. Daniel Daniel Would you say that the Deliverables are a subset of the Scope? I've seen Scope statements that mention the Deliverables. Hard to to describe the body of work - without revealing what is being completed.

Deliverables describes the tangible defined outputs of the project. Scope defines the remit of the project. For example a goal might be "change our reports to use the USD currency" and Scope defines which departments' reports should be upgraded and Out of Scope defines which should definitely not be upgraded , whilst Deliverables defines the actual reports that will be delivered by the upgrade project, perhaps with some user documentation and user training on how to use the new reports — Marv Mills.

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