Product Scope vs Project Scope

Projects are undertaken to deliver a product, service, or result. It will be difficult to achieve your objective if you don’t understand both the project and product scope. In project management, you will find many important concepts vital to complete your project with minimal obstacles. Among these terms and concepts, project scope and product scope stand out.

Project scope depends entirely on the product scope. You must understand the product scope to define the project scope. These are the most important concepts in project management. I have noticed that many professionals incorrectly use these terms synonymously.

I saw a related question posted in a PMP forum a few days ago. Someone was asking for clarification on the differences between project scope and product scope. There were many replies; however, some were incomplete, and a few of them were wrong. It seemed like the posters were more concerned with supporting their own opinions.

None of the answers met the asker’s expectations, and honestly, the query was left unanswered.

This is one of the main disadvantages of a forum: you cannot identify the correct answer. It is possible that you may accept any wrong answer that fits with what you already believe. Forums are good for reading lessons learned and other stories but not good for getting your technical questions clarified.

So, I decided to write a blog post on project scope and product scope.

Before starting the discussion, let’s make sure we understand the terms product, project, and scope.

What is a Product?

The PMBOK Guide defines a product as an artifact or a quantifiable that can either be an end item in itself or a component item. These items are also called materials or goods.

换句话说,一个产品被定义为一个substance or article produced during a natural, chemical, or manufacturing process. You can characterize a product in many ways, such as by its physical properties and chemical properties.

For example, if a computer is a product, its characteristics are its processor, screen size, memory, and hard disk.

什么是项目？

According to the PMBOK Guide, “A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.”

The first half of the definition says the nature of the project is temporary. This means that once you deliver the output,your projectwill cease to exist because you’ve achieved the objective.

The second half says that the项目产生可交付的。Projects are undertaken to produce a particular output, which can be tangible or intangible.

What is Scope?

A scope can be defined as the range, detail, or boundary of a term it is attached to. The word scope is not always standalone; it is used as a suffix or a prefix of another term.

If used with the term product, it means the details of the product, or when used with the project, it means the details of the project.

根据PMBOK指南，范围是作为项目bob手机客户端提供的产品，服务和结果的总和。

Product Scope

简而言之，产品范围是关于产品详细信息的；产品的外观，如何工作，其功能等等。

According to the PMBOK Guide, product scope is the features and functions that characterize a product, service, or result.

For example, if the product is a bridge, the product scope might be its length, width, and load strength. If the product is a cell phone, its product scope will be its screen size, battery backup, processor speed, camera type, and memory.

However, for services, the product scope will give you details on the tasks and responsibilities of the person who will deliver.

In the case of a result, the product scope can be the information required from the result.

How to Determine the Product Scope

Most of the time, the product scope is defined by the people who have higher levels of business expertise. Usually, a business analyst defines the product scope, and although the project manager can be consulted, their role is limited.

The business analyst will meet with every利益相关者to understand their expectations and requirements regarding the final product. Once these are finalized, the analyst will get them signed by stakeholders and then process them for approval.

确保所有的需求都是离开啊ut during this process, as adding more towards the end of the project can be costly. A slight change in the product scope can cost you a lot more money than an initial change in theproject scope statement。The product scope should be well defined because the project scope is defined according to the product scope.

The product scope is what binds you and your organization to the user who will use the product. You should make every effort to get these specifications exact and complete.

但是，如果您有合同将产品交付给客户，您会发现附在的产品范围contract document。

项目范围

The project scope defines the requirements of the product and the work required to create it. This also defines what is inside and outside of the scope, which helps you avoid范围蠕变。

According to the PMBOK Guide, the project scope is the work performed to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions.

The project scope statement explains the expected result along with theconstraints and assumptions。This helps in achieving the product scope.

如果您获得了建造桥梁的项目，则项目范围将提供有关如何建造桥梁的洞察力。它为您提供所有必需的信息。在这种情况下，项目范围定义了您确切需要建造桥梁的内容。而已。

How to Determine the Project Scope

The project manager defines the project scope, which depends on many factors.

For example, if you receive afirm-fixed-price contract，客户将为您提供定义明确的产品描述，以帮助您开发项目范围声明。在这种情况下，您不必过多担心项目范围。

However, this isn’t always the case. Let’s consider another case.

Your organization initiates a project, and you are the project manager.

在这种情况下，您可能必须从头开始构建项目范围语句。您与有关利益相关者联系以收集要求并编译要求，然后通过管理层批准它们。

同样的,可能有几个因素,潜艇雷达rmine the project scope, such as the client asking you to do everything on their behalf.

A well-written scope statement makes the life of a project manager much more comfortable, and the project will be completed with fewer obstacles. Project scope is an agreement between you and the client or yourorganization。

项目范围将您和您的项目团队绑定到您的组织；因此，它应该非常清晰和详细。该文档必须在项目的早期阶段完成。有效的范围声明是指导项目成功完成的必要范围。

Determining the project scope is the first step in establishing the project’s schedule, budget, and resource allocation. Project management plans are made after the project scope is defined.

I hope that now you understand the product scope and project scope.

Now it is time to explain these concepts to you with our trademark school building example.

A Real World Example of Project Scope and Product Scope

You get a project to construct a school building. The client gives you their requirements, such as the size of the building, number of rooms, details of the playground, number of toilets, and paint color.

You start working on the project. You estimate the budget, develop the plan, and create a schedule.

After developing and approving the plan, you gather the team and move on to the execution phase. You bring workers to the site and start construction. You complete the school building and then verify with the client whether it is as per their requirements.

客户满意后，您将学校建筑物交给他们，获取最终付款，并关闭项目。

There are two parts to the above example.

In the first part, the client asks you to make a school building and gives you their requirements for it. The school building is the “product,” and the requirements are the “scope.” Therefore, the client gave you is the “product scope.”

In the second part, you construct the school building within the specified time and budget, meeting all the client’s requirements. Lastly, you deliver the product. In this part, the work you have done to construct the school building is the “project scope.”

How Product Scope and Project Scope are Monitored and Controlled

监视产品范围的最重要工具是需求可追溯性矩阵。这样可以确保在整个过程中生产，对项目的所有功能进行彻底分析，审查和批准project life cycle。

This also helps manage change in the product along with theconfiguration management plan。

Project scope is monitored and controlled using variance analysis.

The Difference Between Project Scope and Product Scope

These are a few differences between project scope and product scope:

• Project scope is the work that delivers the product, while the product scope is the sum of all features, functions, and characteristics of the product.
• Product scope is oriented towards the “what” (functional requirements), while project scope is oriented towards the “how” (work-related).
• Product scope is defined by the business analyst, though the project manager may have a role. The project scope is totally defined by the project manager.
• An example of the project scope is constructing a bridge, while its product scope might be its technical specifications such as length, width, and the amount of load it has to withstand.

Summary

Product scope and project scope are covered in the scope management knowledge area in the PMBOK Guide. The product scope is the end result of the project, and the project scope is how you are going to achieve it. The project is defined according to the product scope. These are fundamental terms, and you must understand them. To complete the project, you must achieve these two scopes successfully. Product scope is the characteristics of the product, and the project scope includes all the work you will do to make the product.

Project scope is discussed in-depth, while product scope is covered briefly as it is not in the scope of the PMP Certification Exam. You will see many questions on your test from this topic, so understand these concepts well.

You can enroll in our onlinePMP Training ProgramorPMP Exam Preparation Toolprogram to earn the 35 contact hours, learn about project management, and prepare for the PMP exam. Our programs will give you a unique learning experience that will help you pass the exam on your first attempt.

How do you manage product scope and project scope in your organization? Please share your experience through the comments section.