The Planning phase of a project is where a project manager can utilize guidance from the PMBOK in order to professionally control the overall planning of the project. This means learning what documents are needed as well as forming a cohesive project plan.
Because this phase is so important, we are going to look at it several times in the book. The other times will be in relationship to knowledge areas. In this section, we are going to examine some key documents you need to produce and the relationship between them. Without these key planning documents, it is almost impossible for a project manager to maintain control over time. It's possible to leave out a few of the documents we are going to discuss, but we will focus on the ones that absolutely, positively must be done for project success.
Scope Statement
The Charter is the first major document that is produced in the Initiation phase. After the Charter, the next important document in sequence is the Scope Statement. According to the PMBOK, "Project Scope Management includes the processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully." The key phrase in this definition is meant to ensure that you aren't adding anything to the project that shouldn't be there. When the definition says, "only the work required," it means that you as the project manager know the boundaries of the project, and in fact the scope of the project. The process is called Project Scope Management; the major document is the Scope Statement.
You should note that there are actually two types of scope: product scope and project scope. Product scope determines the features and functions of the output of the project. Project scope determines the work to be done in order to deliver that output. The exam will have questions on both, so it is necessary to have these two clear in your mind before you take it.
It's important to note that there are several different levels of deliverables. In a project lasting for six months, you may find that you have deliverables for each week or for every two weeks. Certainly you do not want to have only one big deliverable for the project because you can't manage six months of time without something against which to measure progress. So you should always manage deliverablesthat is, you should be focusing on intermediate deliverables that you can manage and measure. Doing this will make it easier on you as the project manager, and easier on the sponsor and the project team as well.