Software Project Management For Dummies®

Chapter 3. Creating the Software Scope

In This Chapter

• Analyzing stakeholder needs

• Creating the software scope

• Managing software requirements

• Dealing with project constraints

• Creating the work breakdown structure

You wouldn't build a house without a blueprint. You wouldn't start cooking dinner without some idea of what the meal was actually going to include. You wouldn't head out for vacation without an idea of how to get to your destination. So you wouldn't start creating a new piece of software without knowing what the software will actually do.

Out here in the real world, where we hang out, stakeholders present project managers with software wish lists, Picasso‐like dreams, and impossible anticipations. They expect the project manager and the project team to create a stellar deliverable. You can't create a stellar software product unless you know what it is supposed to do. You must work with the stakeholders to create the product scope.

This chapter shows you how to identify the key elements of the product so that you can determine the best path to successfully completing the project. We also show you how to work with your project team and your stakeholders to gather requirements and how to understand and manage potential conflicts.

Understanding Product Scope and Project Scope

Before you can really get started on a project, you need to know the end product's essential ingredients — as well as its limitations. The product scope is the summation of the attributes and features that will ...