Define Scope

How to derive scope of the project from a busy Sponsor?

Fast Food Order-Taking
A harried executive rushes into the project planning meeting 30 minutes late saying, “I really don’t have time for all these meetings. The project is critical! We’ll have to plan this one as we go. Get started on the training
class for the customer service reps, get the systems folks gathering their specs and get the new computers and work desks installed. That’ll give us a great start on improving customer service!” The executive bolts out as the project manager pleads, “But, we need to plan the scope...”

Happy Executives at the Beginning... not at the End
This order-taking approach makes some executives happy at the beginning because the project team starts work so fast. It also allows them to avoid deciding exactly what they want. Many of the “be flexible,” “plan as we go” sponsors have other motives:
✦Some don’t know what they want
✦Others don’t want to be blamed for defining the wrong scope
✦Others want to be vague enough that they can alter the project as the political winds in the organization shift.
Whatever the reasons, the odds of the PM delivering a successful project and having a satisfied executive at the end are just about zero. In addition the PM’s order-taking approach invites new additions & changes each week. Why? Because the order-taking planning process does not produce a scope definition that we can objectively measure or control.

The PM Makes a Stand 
When this fast-food planning starts, the PM must politely make a stand.
First, it is the executive’s role on a project to identify the goal; the scope of the project. That is not a list of the first things to do. Rather it is describing the end result the project should deliver. That end result is not “improve customer service’ as the executive in the example above said.

The sponsor must describe what improved customer service means and how they will measure it. What our PM heard from the executive was “Improve customer service.” That is not a goal, it’s a wish. The PM needs to tactfully get the sponsor to do his job.

Here’s how to do it. 
The project manager follow the executive out of that meeting and says politely, “Sir, I can’t start the team working on those “to dos” you gave us without being able to specify the deliverables we must produce. I’ll just wait until you have time, 15 minutes will do, to plan this project. This project is too important for us to start off with no direction.” The executive gets angry and says, “I told you what to do. Get started on the training and systems!” “Yes, Sir.” The PM replies, “What business result should the new system achieve? What business benefit should the training deliver?” The executive glares at the PM, “Make us more efficient. Do you understand that?” The PM holds his ground, face expressionless, “No sir. What does “more efficient” mean? Do you want the customer reps to answer more calls per hour? Or, do you want better quality responses to calls? The executive clenches his teeth, “I want both.” The PM nodded and asked, “Fine now I understand. How will you measure that the quality of the rep’s calls with customers has improved? What metric will you use to measure the improvement?” The executive’s faced reddens but then his face relaxes a bit as he though about the question and said, “Customers should not have to call back about the same question. We should resolve the issue on the first call. Does that satisfy you? Can you start now?” The PM grins, “Not quite. What percentage of customers don’t get their problem fixed on the first call now? What should the percentage be when the project is done?” The executive shrugs then gives a little smile and said, “Come with me?” The executive whirled and speeds down the hall. The PM has to jog to keep up, wondering if he’s being led to the guillotine and will go home without a job. The ride up to the 14th floor and then hurry down the hall to the end suite...The president’s office. The executive leads the PM past the assistant to whom he nods, they stop in the president’s office.

As they stand before the president’s desk, white haired Mr.Englander looks up at the executive and says, “What’s up and who do you have with you? The executive answered, “This is project manager who’s running the customer service project and he is asking me questions I can’t answer.” Mr Englander smiles at the PM, “That’s our most important project this year. What are your questions?” The PM thinks for a moment than says, “If we are going to measure our success on the project by a reduction in the number of customers who don’t get their problem fixed on the first call to Customer Service, what is that percentage now and what should it be?” Mr. Englander gives a surprised smile and says, “That is exactly the right question but no one has asked it. It’s now running 22% and it should be much less. How low can you get it?” The PM says, “ I have no idea but we need a target before I can give my team their assignments. You need to set the scope metric so I can determine, if we can meet it, what it will cost and how long it will take. Then you decide if that combination is what you want. That’s how we need to plan projects.” Mr. Englander says, “I should have set this scope earlier, shouldn’t I? The PM gave a small nod. Englander laughs and says, “Let’s go for 5% call backs. How long will that take? The PM says, “I have no idea yet but I can start work planning and give you an answer by the end of the week.” Both executives smile and Englander says, “You ask the right questions, keep it up.” The Technique To avoid failing on a project in the first 5 minutes, you need to stop drive thru planning in its tracks. You must ask enough questions and learn enough about the executive’s business problem so you can subtly help them define the scope and the metric that will be used to measure the projects success. Executives who are not used to project managers asking questions may resent it. But a savvy project manager responds to these objections with a reasonable statement like, “I can’t I deliver the business end result you want if I don’t know precisely what it is.”