05. Scope & Requirements Management¶
At a glance
- Module: 05 of 13 · Part III — Planning Knowledge Areas
- Sessions: S11–S12 (Week 6)
- Level: Intermediate
- Estimated time: ~6 hours
- Prerequisites: Module 03 (and ideally 04)
Overview¶
Scope is the boundary of what the project will deliver. Ambiguous scope is the single most common source of software project disputes, because different stakeholders fill the gaps with different assumptions.
This module covers how to discover what is actually needed, how to state it clearly, how to decompose it into manageable pieces, and how to keep the boundary under control once work starts.
Learning outcomes¶
By the end of this module you should be able to:
- Elicit requirements using appropriate techniques and recognise when a technique is being misused.
- Distinguish functional from non-functional requirements and state each as a verifiable requirement.
- Explain the difference between verification and validation of requirements.
- Decompose scope into a work breakdown structure down to a manageable work-package level.
- Define a scope baseline and manage changes to it deliberately.
- Recognise scope creep and respond to it without alienating stakeholders.
Lesson plan¶
| # | Lesson | Session | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Requirements and Scope Management | S11 | Available |
| 02 | Work Breakdown Structure | S12 | Available |
Elicitation, functional and non-functional requirements, and writing verifiable requirements are all covered in Lesson 1; decomposition, the scope baseline, and scope control in Lesson 2.
Lab¶
- Lab 06 — Developing a Scope Statement — expose ambiguity in a real request and bound the project.
- Lab 07 — Creating a Work Breakdown Structure — decompose to work packages and apply the 100% rule, using the Work Breakdown Structure template.
Case study¶
A case on scope creep and how it is caught is planned. See the Case Studies overview.
Self-assessment¶
A module quiz is planned. See the Self-Assessment overview.
Key terms¶
Scope · Requirement · Functional requirement · Non-functional requirement · Work breakdown structure · Work package · Scope baseline · Scope creep · Gold plating — see the Glossary.