Project Scope Management - Control Scope

This process monitors the status of the project and product scope and manages the changes to the scope baseline. This ensures all requested changes go through the Perform Integrated Change Control Process. There will always be change so using a Change Control Process is mandatory for every project.

• Scope creep - uncontrolled expansion to product or project scope without adjustments to time, cost, and resources

Let's take a look at Inputs, Tools and Techniques and Outputs of this process

1) Project Management Plan

• The following information is used to control scope
• Scope baseline - compared to actual results to determine change, corrective action, or preventative action 
• Scope Management Plan - describes how the project scope will be monitored and controlled
• Change Management Plan - defines the process for managing change on the project
• Configuration Management Plan - defines those items that are configurable (requires change) 
• Requirements Management Plan - describes how the project requirements will be analyzed, documented and managed

2) Requirements Documentation

• Good documentation makes it easier to detect any deviation in the scope agreed for the project or product

3) Requirements Traceability Matrix

• Helps detect the impact of any change or deviation from the scope baseline 

4) Work Performance Data

• Includes the number of change requests received, accepted and deliverables completed. 

5) Organizational Process Assets

• Items that can affect the Control Scope Process includes:
• Existing formal and informal scope
• Change- related policies
• Procedures
• Guideliens
• Monitoring and reporting methods 
• Templates

6) Variance Analysis

• Technique to determine the cause and degree of difference between the baseline and actual performance to help decide weather corrective or preventative action is required

7) Work Performance Information

• Includes information on how the project scope is performing compared to the scope baseline. It can include the following:
• categories of the changes received
• identified scope variances and their causes
• impact on schedule or cost
• forecast of future scope performance

8) Change Requests

• When you do an analysis of the scope performance it can result in change requests. This may include preventive or corrective actions, defect repairs, or enhancement requests. All are processed through the Change Control process. 

9) Project Management Plan Updates

• You may update the following:
• Scope baseline - scope statement, WBS, and WBS dictionary maybe revised
• Other baselines - cost and schedule baselines are revised and reissued

10) Project Documents Updates

• Documents you may update includes:
• Requirements documentation
• Requirements traceability matrix

11) Organizational Process Assets

• Process assets that you may update include:
• Causes of variances 
• Corrective action chosen and the reasons
• Lessons learned from project scope control

Source: PMBOK 5th ed.