Hi, and welcome back. In this video, we're going to talk about managing project scope. Managing scope goes hand in hand with goal-setting. For example, redefining the scope can change the goal, and a revision of the goal can change the scope. The concept of project scope is important throughout the project. While your project will have its own specific goals, the overall goal for you as the project manager is to deliver the project according to the scope agreements. This includes delivering the project within the given deadline and the approved budget. You'll quickly find that this is easier said than done. As you progress through your project, you will continually need to make compromises and weigh trade-offs as new challenges and changes and factors present themselves. Any time a team member takes on an unplanned task, more is lost than just the time spent working on that task. In order to decide if a scope change is acceptable and what impact it will have, project managers usually refer to the triple constraint model. The triple constraint model is the combination of the three most significant restrictions of any project: scope, time, and cost. We've talked a bit about what scope is, so let's focus now on time and cost. Time refers to the project schedule and deadlines. Cost includes the budget, and it also covers resources and the people who will work on the project. Both time and budget have to be carefully managed alongside scope. All three of these are linked; you can't change one without having an impact on the others. For example, a decrease in cost means a change in time or scope. An increase in time means a change in scope or cost, or both. Understanding how changing one impacts the other two constraints is key. It's important to consider what trade-offs you're willing to make as the project progresses. To do this successfully, you need a clear understanding of the project priorities. You have to know what is most important when it comes to scope, time, and cost. If there's a specific deadline that must be met, then you need to limit any changes to the scope that might cause the project to go past the deadline. If the product must look or function in a certain way, then the requirements are a priority, and you could justify changes in cost or time in order to meet the scope requirements. But just because you can make a change, that doesn't mean you necessarily should make a change. And even though the limits of scope, time, and costs have been set, you can still make changes if there's a good reason to do so. Don't worry, you won't have to decide on these changes all by yourself. If there are scope decisions that need to be made, the project manager will likely need to consult with the project sponsor and stakeholders to get their approvals. Let's go through a few scenarios, so you can get familiar with weighing the value of a trade-off and understanding the impacts of any changes. In the first scenario, a request has been made to improve the Plant Pals product features. The Director of Product at Office Green wants to use pots that indicate when the plants need to be watered. Making changes to the product is a scope change. You know that you can't change the budget, but you can extend the timeline. So you can accept the scope change requests and extend the timeline, as long as the budget doesn't increase. Here's another possible scenario. A request has been made to reduce the budget without making any changes to the scope. The final outcome of Plant Pals still needs to look and function as you all originally agreed. If you're going to reduce the budget and keep the scope, you may need to extend the timeline. Okay, here's another scenario. There's a request to tighten up the timeline and finish early, but you can't increase the budget. In order to do this, you need to make changes to the scope, like limiting shipping options. Doing this will give your project more time, because you'll have one less shipping contract to negotiate. The end result won't be exactly what was originally agreed on, but it means getting it out earlier as requested and within budget. Let's try one more. In this last scenario, the Director of Product informs you that the project deadline must be met— it's the most important thing. In this case, your stakeholders are willing to increase the budget and make any necessary changes to the scope requirements in order to meet the deadline. In the end, it's all about prioritizing which element of the triangle matters the most in the project. Are you getting the hang of trade-offs? Keeping in mind scope, time, and cost as you manage your project will help you navigate different conditions while still achieving your goals. Remember, change is inevitable when managing projects, and understanding this framework can set you up to plan and communicate accordingly so your project will succeed. When you understand the triple constraint model, you'll have the tools to evaluate scope changes. Understanding how changes will be evaluated, accepted, and performed is key to scope management. Don't worry if you still have questions. We'll be sure to talk more about this concept in Course 4. Up next, we'll talk more about successfully launching and landing your project. See you soon!