How To Validate Scope in a Project – Validate Scope Process

The core feature of the Project Management process is to accomplish the project deliverables. These project deliverables must be formally accepted by the stakeholders. To ensure that the process is carried out smoothly, the validate scope process is implemented to verify and assure the quality of the deliverables.

What is Validate Scope?

Validate Scope is the process of formalizing acceptance of the completed project deliverables. A process that shows the stakeholders have received what was agreed upon and formalizes their approval. It is primarily concerned with the recognition of the product by validating each deliverable. This particular process is necessary for creating different documents like project document updates, work performance information, accepted deliverables, and change requests.

Since the validate scope process mainly focuses on the deliverables, the verified deliverables are obtained from the control quality team. The deliverables are reviewed with the customer to ensure that they have been satisfactorily completed before they are received formally by the customer. Different outputs of the Project Management knowledge area are treated as the baselines for the final acceptance of the deliverables like scope baseline and work performance data.

Validate Scope – Inputs

The following are included as the inputs in the Validate Scope process:

1. Project Management Plan
2. Project Documents
3. Verified Deliverables
4. Work Performance Data

Project Management Plan

The Project Management Plan contains the Scope Management plan which helps in specifying how formal acceptance of the completed project deliverables will be obtained. Described below are the Project Management plan components:

1. 1. Scope Management Plan
      The scope management plan determines how formal acceptance of the completed project deliverables will be obtained.
   2. Requirements Management Plan
      The requirements management plan in the process describes how the project requirements are validated.
   3. Scope Baseline
      The scope baseline is compared to the actual results of the project at the point of completion to determine if a change, corrective or preventive action is necessary to be implemented in the project.

Project Documents

The project documents that can be considered as inputs for the Validate Scope process are:

1. 1. Lessons Learned Register
      The lessons learned in the current project or in the previous project can be applied or implemented in the later phases or stages of the project, in an attempt to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of validating the project deliverables.
   2. Quality Reports
      The quality reports contain information regarding all the quality issues concerned with the project and the recommendations for improvement which were previously escalated by the project team. The quality report also includes details of finding provided by the control quality process. This information is reviewed and checked before product acceptance.
   3. Requirements Documentation
      The requirements documentation process lists all the project, product, and other types of requirements for the project and product, along with their acceptance criteria. Keeping these essential aspects in mind, the project manager has to deliver the required objectives to the stakeholder. A well-documented requirement makes it easier to detect any deviation in the scope agreed for the project or product.
   4. Requirements Traceability Matrix
      The requirements traceability matrix links requirements to their origin and tracks them throughout the project life-cycle. It also compares the performance of the project with the Project Management Plan and links a requirement to every objective to add business value to the deliverables.

Verified Deliverables

Verified deliverables are a process where the deliverables are completed and checked internally for correctness and quality through the control quality process.

Work Performance Data

The work performance data includes the degree of compliance with requirements, the number, and the severity of non-conformities.

Validate Scope – Tools, and Techniques

The validate scope process consists of the following tools and techniques:

Inspection

Inspection is the process of examining the work product to determine if it adheres to the documented standards. The results of an examination generally include measurements and may be conducted at any level. Inspections are sometimes also called reviews, product reviews, audits, and walk-throughs.

Group Decision-Making Techniques

The group decision-making technique evaluates alternatives in a group setting and reaches an agreement leading to a final decision, which will cater to delivering the desired objectives.

Validate Scope – Outputs

The following are included in the validate scope process outputs:

1. Accepted Deliverables
2. Change Requests
3. Work Performance Information
4. Project Document Updates

Accepted Deliverables

Accepted deliverables are the deliverables that meet the acceptance criteria of the Project Management plan and are approved by the appropriate stakeholders. Getting approval is the primary output of this process and is typically performed by the project manager, the customer, the sponsor, and the functional or operational managers.

Change Requests

It is assumed that all final deliverables would be entirely accepted by the stakeholders and such unaccepted deliverables are documented along with the reason for non-approval. In such cases, the deliverables will require changes, and that is when the process of a change request will come into effect to repair the defect. After the change request is executed, they are reviewed through – Perform Integrated Change Process method.

Work Performance Information

Information about which deliverables have been started, their progress, which deliverables have been finished, or which have been accepted. The Work Performance Information process takes place at every particular stage of the project life-cycle.

Project Document Updates

Documents that define the product or report the status of the product upon completion. Verified project documents may require approvals from the customer or sponsor in the form of signatures or sign-offs.

1. • Lessons Learned Register
     The lessons learned to register on a timely basis updated with information on challenges the project team encountered and how they could have been avoided as well as approaches that worked well for validating deliverables.
   • Requirements Documentation
     The requirements documentation will be updated with the actual results of the validation activity. In certain situations, the actual results obtained may on a more significant note outweigh the project requirements.
   • Requirements Traceability Matrix
     All the results derived through the validation process are updated within the requirements traceability matrix. It also includes information on the various methods used and the actual outcome of the process.

Conclusion

The validate scope process plays an important role as it mainly focuses on verifying the deliverables that are to be handed over to the stakeholders. The primary function is to achieve deliverables that meet the standards and criteria mentioned by the stakeholders in the Project Management plan. Without implementing the validate scope process, the deliverables will not be accepted and will have to undergo the change request process. Give yourself a chance to enhance your Project Management skills with PMP certification training, and excel in your career.

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