KNOW YOUR SCOPE

Jimmt Dawes

“The heights by great men reach and kept were not attain by sudden flight, but while their companion slept, they were upward toiling through the night.” I can relate this famous gem to scope and scope management. This article attempts to simplify some project management processes by highlighting how they are utilized in everyday activities. 

 Like my family and I, many people have embarked on buying a plot of land and building a house through National Housing Trust. The sequence of events can easily align the scope activities included in project management processes. Many of us use the word project very loosely, today I have a new scope to the meaning of project and project management. It is more than what meets the eyes, for an experienced worker, it is formalizing previous actions and knowledge. 

Scope looks at six processes. In many ways, we ignorantly carry out these processes one time or the other. Using the Jamaican context, we Collected Requirements in that we would: 

1. Get a land Surveyor, to assure the local authorities that land for the building belongs to the property owner. 
2.  Acquire an Architect, to draft a housing plan according to government building codes and regulations. 
3. Submit government-approved plans to our Sponsor, The National Housing Trust (NHT) for financial approval. 
4. Get a quantity surveyor report to show labour cost and proportion of the various material the project going to take 
5. The sponsor’s approval is subjected to the portion of the house that can be built with the funds (loan) eligible for. 
6. Find Building Contractor 
7. Based on location decide if night security required. 
8. Identify Building material suppliers 

Many of us had to get the above done, which was an actual part of project management. This is Scope Requirements. All these documentations and processes were needed before anything else could happen.  

That process helped us to really see all the intricacies that had to be looked at before the building started. In Project Management terms we were Defining the Scope. We were looking at where, what, and how we are going to get things done. The Work Breakdown Structure, (WBS) can be tricky, many of us only relied on the Contractor guidance in this part, and not everything was put to paper. In Many cases, this led to a few anxious moments during the execution of the project. Had we known about the value and use of WBS, more detailed planning would have been done or, we would ask the building contractor for more details. This would have alleviated tense moments with the sponsor (project coordinator from the NHT). The coordinator would have to inspect and pass segments of the execution before more money could be released. (The contractor knew what he will need, but those communications did take place. There must be communication between the Building Contractor, Project Coordinator, and us, now I see the relevance of a Communication Management Plan).  

We now know what portion of the house we are going to build from the funds available, the time it will take to build, and the various approvals and processes. This is called Verifying the Scope. During the build, the Control of the Scope was two folds, first by the NHT coordinator acting on behalf of the sponsor, s/he had to ensure that funds given for a segment to complete were done accordingly [ this could be a milestone indicator], secondly by you and me. We must make sure we do not have to spend too much money out of pocket- Scope Creep. The Scope Control for many of us was less effective then, as not having the full knowledge of the WBS, limits our control mechanism.  

In retrospect, what would we do differently now? Our Project Management Plan PMP would have to be more formal, have well-thought-out written ideas instead of mentioning a clever idea of what we want to do without breaking down how we can do it. I must say to many of us then, what we were doing seemed logical. “Logical reasoning is dwarf by ignorance in most instances” Jimmt Dawes 2017 ?.   

Next, we would draft up a Project Charter for our own use. This would have made us better able to identify our stakeholders, plan who, when, how and to communicate much better, ask more detailed questions and have a better scope of our project as it relates to WBS. This would broaden whom we talk to regarding building a house and know what questions to ask. Our project’s Enterprise Environ Factors EEF would have been better documented and structured. This would have alleviated if not avoid some of the stress encountered. Putting questions and ideas down on paper and strategize how to deal with each would have made a difference and eliminated some of the conflicts that can happen.  

The Organisational Process Assets OPA would have allowed building partners (stakeholders) to better coordinate some of the functions and roles they had to carry out before, during and at the close of the project. Looking back on how many of us close the phases and the project itself was lacking. Closure of anything is important, in project management it is necessary for all the right reasons.       

We must have Meetings with the various persons and get expert opinions as if you do not have the correct information [input] it will affect your Tools and Techniques (processes) and your output. Our Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) mechanism should be in rapid mode as our Requirement Management Plan must be reviewed almost weekly. Our Collection of Requirements (need for material and labour) should be ongoing and timely [in ideal situations it should be 96% of your planned needs]. We must have all this information in our notebook labelled “PROJECT HOUSE.”  

Not fine-tuning your defined scope will give you the creeps. Many persons have to source additional money to deal with misunderstandings and funding for a segment of the build that went over budget. This is Scope Creep in Time of completion and Cost to complete. It is vital that your procurement management and execution are well done and monitored. Whether you have it as a list, checklist or in excel, a WBS is critical. We MUST pay more attention to the quantity surveyor document (which could form part of the quantitative and qualitative risk assessment), cross-check it when we meet with the Contractor, Electrician and Plumber. After the meeting, we could use both notes to create our WBS. 

Whatever your program build is, or phases. The Product Scope for the immediate phase is the most important. The Project Scope is there to help us realize to stay within the projected cost and time. The ideal Product Scope [ the product] must be completed within Projected cost and time. Scope Management Plan is more than screaming the PMP six processes at us, it is a part of the way we should do things.  

May 8, 2021