Project Scoping Techniques

If you're looking to build a custom software solution for your organization, here's how to scope the project the right way to avoid scope creep. Because jumping into development without a well-defined scope is like starting construction with no blueprint. You’ll build something, but it may not be what the business actually needs. At BNMA, we’ve scoped and delivered dozens of custom software solutions — from fast-moving $100K MVPs to multi-phase enterprise platforms. Here's the process we follow to set projects up for success. Step 1: Start with the business case Ask: → What are we trying to improve? → How will we measure success? For example: “Reduce manual data entry by 70%” or “Give PMs real-time job costing insights." As a side note, look closely at the areas where your team is using spreadsheets to make critical business decisions. That’s usually a sign there’s a workflow that’s: → Highly manual → Repetitive → Dependent on one person’s knowledge → Prone to error These are often the best opportunities for automation or custom tooling. Step 2: Map the current workflow Get in a room with the people doing the actual work. Draw it out. Sticky notes, whiteboard, Miro — doesn’t matter. What steps do they take today? Where are the bottlenecks? You’re not just digitizing a process — you’re fixing it. Step 3: Identify must-haves vs. nice-to-haves features Every project has a wishlist. But we all know, if everything is a priority, nothing is. Rank features into: - Must-have (we can’t go live without this) - Should-have (important, but not mission-critical) - Could-have (can wait until Phase 2) This step alone can save you thousands. Step 4: Define user roles and permissions Who needs to log in? What should each person see or be able to do? → PMs may need to edit budgets. → Field teams may only need to input hours or upload photos. Clarity here reduces confusion (and development cost) later. Step 5: Document system dependencies Are you connecting to QuickBooks, Procore, Acumatica or another internal tool? Get clear on where data lives, how it flows, and what needs to integrate. You want to create one data source across multiple systems. Step 6: Set constraints → What’s the timeline? → What’s the real budget? → What internal resources will support this project? Be honest. If your dev partner doesn’t know your limits, they can’t help you succeed within them. __________ Scoping is your blueprint. You don’t need a 40-page doc. Just enough clarity to avoid confusion, rework, and missed goals. And if you’re not sure how to start? Start with your internal workflows. Talk to the people in the trenches — they’ll tell you exactly what needs fixing. #customsoftwaredevelopment #automation

🏗 How To Tackle Large, Complex Projects. With practical techniques to meet the desired outcome, without being disrupted or derailed along the way ↓ 🤔 99% of large projects don’t finish on budget and on time. 🤔 Projects rarely fail because of poor skills or execution. ✅ They fail because of optimism and insufficient planning. ✅ Also because of poor risk assessment, discovery, politics. 🎯 Best strategy: Think Slow (detailed planning) + Act Fast. ✅ Allocate 20–45% of total project effort for planning. ✅ Riskier and larger projects always require more planning. ✅ Think Right → Left: start from end goal, work backwards. ✅ For each goal, consider immediate previous steps/events. ✅ Set up milestones, prioritize key components for each. ✅ Consider stakeholders, users, risks, constraints, metrics. 🚫 Don’t underestimate unknown domain, blockers, deps. ✅ Compare vs. similar projects (reference class forecasting). ✅ Set up an “execution mode” to defer/minimize disruptions. 🚫 Nothing hurts productivity more than unplanned work. Over the last few years, I've been using the technique called “Event Storming” suggested by Matteo Cavucci to capture user’s experience moments through the lens of business needs. With it, we focus on the desired business outcome, and then use research insights to project events that users will be going through towards that outcome. On that journey, we identify key milestones and break user’s events into 2 main buckets: user’s success moments (which we want to dial up) and user’s pain points or frustrations (which we want to dial down). We then break out into groups of 3–4 people to separately prioritize these events and estimate their impact and effort on Effort vs. Value curves (https://lnkd.in/evrKJUEy). The next step is identifying key stakeholders to engage with, risks to consider (e.g. legacy systems, 3rd-party dependency etc.), resources and tooling. We reserve special timing to identify key blockers and constraints that endanger successful outcome or slow us down. If possible, we also set up UX metrics to track how successful we actually are in improving the current state of UX. When speaking to business, usually I speak about better discovery and scoping as the best way to mitigate risk. We can of course throw ideas into the market and run endless experiments. But not for critical projects that get a lot of visibility — e.g. replacing legacy systems or launching a new product. They require thorough planning to prevent big disasters and urgent rollbacks. If you’d like to learn more, I can only highly recommend "How Big Things Get Done" (https://lnkd.in/erhcBuxE), a wonderful book by Prof. Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner who have conducted a vast amount of research on when big projects fail and succeed. A wonderful book worth reading! Happy planning, everyone! 🎉🥳

I've watched it happen a thousand times with service businesses. The client meeting goes well, the proposal gets approved, and the project kicks off with high spirits. Then it happens-the slow bleed of scope creep that transforms a profitable engagement into a margin-killing nightmare. After analyzing hundreds of service business projects, here's what the data reveals: 50-60% of professional service engagements experience scope creep, eroding margins by 15-30% on average. Yet the top performers in our industry have figured out how to slash this risk dramatically. The difference? It's not luck. It's disciplined, systematic scoping. Professional services that implement structured scoping frameworks-complete with clear deliverables, explicit exclusions, and formal change management protocols-report up to 40% fewer disputes and significantly higher profitability. One agency I advised boosted their margins by 22% in just six months after implementing what I call "defensive scoping." The core principles of defensive scoping are straightforward but powerful: First, stop thinking of your scope as a simple deliverables list. Instead, structure it as a complete risk management tool with three critical components: what's explicitly included, what's explicitly excluded, and how new requests will be handled. Second, build your scope in layers-what I call the "pyramid approach." Start with the foundational requirements that must be delivered, then add incremental value layers that can be clearly priced and evaluated separately. This modular approach prevents scope confusion and gives clients transparent options. Third, implement structured change order protocols directly in your statements of work. The best-performing firms require client sign-offs at predefined milestones and have standardized processes for evaluating scope changes against both timeline and budget impacts. When one IT services firm implemented these principles, they cut scope creep incidents by 35% and improved their realization rate (actual vs. estimated project hours) from 65% to 89%. Remember: the most expensive scope creep isn't the dramatic client demand-it's the dozen tiny "quick changes" that compound into days of unpaid work. Your scope document isn't just a project description-it's the most powerful profitability protection tool you have. Deploy it with the precision and rigor it deserves.

🛠️ DEFINE SCOPE: TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES 👩🏫 Expert Opinion We consult subject-matter experts (SMEs) to understand the project requirements that must be fulfilled. 👥 Focus Group A group of 8 to 12 SMEs comes together. 🎯 Purpose: Focus on a specific topic. 🧑💼 A facilitator guides the discussion and leads brainstorming. 💡 Brainstorming A method for idea generation. 🌀 Ideas are created in a free-flow manner and later classified into categories. 🧠 Mind Mapping A visual tool to structure ideas: 🔁 Flowcharts 🧱 Hierarchies or any structured format 🧩 Affinity Diagram Used for categorizing ideas: 🏷️ Group by names 📏 Sort by sizes or other attributes 🛠️ Facilitated Workshop For larger groups (more than 8–12 people) 🗣️ Similar to brainstorming but more structured ✅ Ideas are generated → categorized → voted on for importance 📄 Documents Key documents used: 📜 Project Charter 💼 Business Case 📈 Benefits Management Plan 🔍 Review these to identify high-level requirements, then classify and define them. 🧪 Prototype A preliminary version of the product is created and shared with the client for feedback. 🎨 Visual and tangible preview of the project. 📘 Storyboarding / Story Map (Agile) 🧩 Break down requirements into small parts to create a Minimal Viable Product (MVP) 🎯 Focused on achieving the marketing or product goal with minimum effort. 🗺️ Value Stream Mapping (Lean) 🧭 Identify all project activities and classify them: ✅ Value-added tasks ❌ Non-value tasks (to be eliminated) 🎯 Goal: Focus on delivering value only 🖼️ Context Diagram A visual representation showing: 🌐 The entire system environment 🔗 How components interact with each other

My S.C.O.P.E. Framework Your essential project management approach. 🌟 S - Specify Requirements • Define project requirements. • Document expectations. • Set a solid foundation. • Understand stakeholder needs. • Establish clear goals. C - Clarify Objectives • Set measurable objectives. • Align with project goals. • Use SMART criteria. • Ensure clarity and relevance. • Achieve project alignment. O - Outline Boundaries • Define project scope. • Specify inclusions and exclusions. • Manage expectations. • Prevent scope creep. • Establish clear limits. P - Plan for Changes • Prepare for changes. • Set up change processes. • Assess change requests. • Approve and implement changes. • Adapt to evolving needs. E - Evaluate Progress • Regularly review progress. • Measure against scope. • Ensure project stays on track. • Address deviations promptly. • Maintain project integrity. Download and save this framework. Use it to enhance your project planning and execution. 🌟 Thank you for reading!

I’ve guided countless project managers in my career. The secret to mastering project scope management: Over the last 25 years, I’ve worked with managers of top-tier projects. I’ve also led numerous projects myself. During that time, I’ve identified 5 key stages for effective scope management. I call it, The Scope Mastery Process. 🔶 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 5 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲: → 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: to outline objectives and deliverables → 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: to specify detailed requirements → 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: to ensure scope meets stakeholder needs → 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥: to monitor and manage scope changes → 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞: to finalize and confirm project completion ... And what happens when each stage is skipped. • 𝑺𝒌𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 = "𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒐𝒔" • 𝑳𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍 = "𝑺𝒄𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝑪𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒑" • 𝑺𝒌𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒆 = "𝑼𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒚" • 𝑵𝒐 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 = "𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏" • 𝑰𝒈𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 = "𝑫𝒊𝒔𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕" And remember, effective scope management is a skill you can develop. 🔶 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞: 1/ 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: Identify key objectives and deliverables early. What are the project’s main goals? --------------------------------------------- 2/ 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Detail all requirements clearly to avoid misunderstandings. --------------------------------------------- 3/ 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Regularly check with stakeholders to ensure the project meets their needs. --------------------------------------------- 4/ 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥: Implement processes to manage and document any scope changes. --------------------------------------------- 5/ 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞: Ensure all deliverables are completed and approved by stakeholders. --------------------------------------------- The best project managers continuously refine their scope management skills. Start using this process today. And achieve project success every time. Your team and stakeholders will thank you! Follow Yad Senapathy, PMP Jedi Master for more such content.