How can you manage changes to an executive project scope?

1 Understand the scope

The scope of a project defines what the project aims to achieve, what the deliverables are, and what the boundaries and assumptions are. It is usually documented in a project charter or a scope statement that outlines the project objectives, scope, requirements, risks, stakeholders, and roles and responsibilities. As an administrative assistant, you should familiarize yourself with the scope of the project and understand how it aligns with the executive's vision and goals.

4 Assess the impact

Changes to the project scope may have a significant impact on the project's quality, time, cost, and resources. As an administrative assistant, you should assess the impact of each change and determine how it affects the project's scope baseline, schedule baseline, budget baseline, and resource baseline. You should also consider how the change affects the project's risks, assumptions, dependencies, and deliverables. You should use tools such as a scope impact analysis, a schedule impact analysis, a budget impact analysis, or a resource impact analysis.

5 Update the plan

After a change has been approved and implemented, you should update the project plan accordingly and communicate the changes to the stakeholders. You should also update the project documents, such as the project charter, the scope statement, the work breakdown structure, the schedule, the budget, the risk register, and the status reports. You should ensure that the project plan reflects the current state of the project and aligns with the executive's expectations and priorities.

6 Review the results

Finally, you should review the results of the change and evaluate how it has improved or affected the project's performance and outcomes. You should measure the project's progress against the updated baselines and indicators and report any variances or issues. You should also solicit feedback from the stakeholders and identify any lessons learned or best practices that can be applied to future projects. You should celebrate the successes and acknowledge the contributions of the project team and the executive sponsor.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?