Scope in project management is a process that helps in determining and documenting the list of all the project goals, tasks, deliverables, deadlines, and budgets as a part of the planning process. Developing a project scope is the initial phase of the project planning process. Scope involves getting information required to start a project, including the features the product needs to meet its stakeholders' requirements.

Project scope is oriented towards the work required and methods needed. If requirements are not completely defined and described and if there is no effective change control in a project, scope or requirement creep may ensue.

Project scope is critical because without it project managers would have no clue what time, cost or labor was involved in a project. It forms the basis for every decision a project manager will make on a job and when it needs to change, proper communication will ensure success every step of the way.

Scope management ensures a project’s scope is accurately defined and mapped and enables project managers to allocate the proper labor and costs necessary to complete the project. This is primarily concerned with what is and is not part of the scope. Proper scope in project management helps in managing the expectations of clients and stakeholders.

With proper scope in project management we can manage common problems like:

• Requirements that constantly change
• Requirements that need a rethink mid-project
• The final outcome not being what the client expected
• The budget overrunning
• The project is way behind schedule

Proper scope management can help to avoid some of the above issues by clearly defining and communicating the scope to all parties involved in the project. Project scope helps to distinguish what is and is not involved in the project and controls what is allowed or removed as it is executed. Scope management establishes control factors, that can be used to address elements that result in changes during the lifecycle of the project.