Project Scope Definition for Management Consultants

Before we move to consulting projects, in this section, we will show you what we generally mean by a scope and how we can define it.

Let’s start with a short definition of a project

• A temporary organization that is created for the purpose of delivering one or more business products

• Usually, after the products are delivered, the project team disbands

Let’s start with a short definition of a scope:

• It is a detailed description of what the project will deliver

• It is the common understanding among stakeholders about what goes into a project and what factors define its success

• The scope of the project is critical because, without it, project managers would not know whether they successfully completed the project or not

Sometimes there are some doubts as to how to distinguish between goal and scope. Let’s compare both

Let’s imagine that Olivia and Tomasz just got engaged. The project, in their case, will be the organization of the wedding. Let’s try to define the scope for this project. The aim will be to organize a great wedding for our lovely couple.

Let’s start with a short definition of a milestone

• A significant key event in a project timeline

• We use it to measure the progress of a project toward its goal

• Milestones can be used to symbolize anything that has started or finished, though they’re primarily used as a scheduling tool

• Milestones have a fixed date but no duration

Just as a reminder, our friends are getting married, and we want to define the milestones for the project: wedding preparation.

We will try to define milestones for a project where we will be building apartments in the city center.

In this section, you will learn how you can define the scope for consulting projects. We will look at a general framework and some useful case studies.

As we have mentioned, a well-defined scope will help you do a project faster and better. The scope gives everybody involved clarity. Let’s look at the benefits of the scope.

The scope tree is a tool that can help you define the scope. It provides standard questions and potential answers that will help you translate the wishes of the customer into scope.

Usually, in the proposal, you have to show the scope of the project. Let’s see the most often used slides.

Usually, in the proposal, you have to show the scope of the project. Let’s see the most often used slides.

The scope will be used to create a lot of documents. Let’s see where you will be using it as the starting point for further work.

Defining the scope is, in most cases, a process that will involve a lot of information from the customer. Let’s see what it will look like.

Imagine that a firm that offers fitness cards wants you to research 10 markets in Europe for them. Try to define the scope by creating templates for deliverables.

Imagine that a firm that offers fitness cards wants you to research 10 markets in Europe for them. Try to define the scope by creating templates for deliverables.

Imagine that you were asked by a beer producer to propose a scope of the project devoted to M&A. Use the process slides to show the scope.

Imagine that you were asked by a beer producer to propose a scope of the project devoted to M&A. Use the process slides to show the scope.

We have mentioned that the Scope will be included in the Proposal Presentation and quite often in the Kick-off Presentation, which starts the project.

In order to provide social proof and show that you are the right firm to get the contract, you have to provide some sort of summary of your experience, along with the results and success you have generated for your clients. Here we show how you can build the section on your experience. It can be a separate document or a section in the proposal. 

You can also download the example we are showing as a PowerPoint version

The kick-off meeting is the first meeting you will have for the project. The purpose of it is to show what you will do, how, and who will be involved. The main target of this presentation is the employees of your customer who will actively participate in the project. You can also download the example we are showing as a PowerPoint version

As I have mentioned, the scope will be evolving as you will learn more about the customer and their needs. In this section, we will look at a case study to show you how it may proceed.

In this lecture, I will show you what RFP I got for this project. We will also talk briefly about different types of Request for Proposal (RFP) you can get.

In this lecture, we will analyze in detail the RFP I got from the customer and see what the implications of it are for the whole project, the offer, and the real underlying problem

Here I will show you the first proposal I have created for the project. I will explain to you the logic behind it and why certain things are presented in such a way.

Here I will show you the first proposal I have created for the project. I will explain to you the logic behind it and why certain things are presented in such a way

The meeting totally changed the approach to the project, and I learned a lot. I will show you what I have learned during the meeting, and how it influenced the whole project. I will also show you the result of the negotiations

During the negotiations, I learned enough information to adjust the offer for the customer. The aim was to create a more appealing (for both sides) offer that would reflect what we have agreed on during the negotiations.

Before you start solving the problem, you have to make sure that the problem you are trying to solve is the real one and not a consequence of other hidden problems. This is especially important when you have to define the scope of a consulting project. In the last section, you will learn what techniques can help you find the problem and create a better scope.

In production, you will know far less than your customer’s team, so you have to use smart ways to get to the bottom of things. The 5-Why method is one such method. In this lecture, I will show you how to use it in practice

Let's see what we mean by an issue tree

Now let’s have a look at different examples of applying the issue tree. We will look at 4 examples:

1. Logistics for a chicken producer. We will use in the first cases study the issue tree to identify potential problems in the logistics producing meat from chickens

2. Retail. In the second example, we will apply the issue tree to a retail firm

3. FMCG. In the third example, we will apply the issue tree to a firm producing consumer goods

4. John’s flat. In the final example, we will help John improve his apartment

That’s in short. Enjoy the case studies. If you have any questions regarding this method or any other method please let me know. I am always more than happy to help with whatever I can

Here, I will show an example of an issue tree in Logistics

Here, I will show an example of an issue tree in Retail.

Here I will show an example of an issue tree in FMCG.

Fishbone Diagram, also known as Ishikawa Diagram or Cause-and-Effect Diagram

The graphical method used to identify the root cause of defects that are causing problems in the process

The name of this tool comes from its similarity to the bones of a fish.

The bones, an area of potential causes, are connected to a spine leading into the fish’s head, which symbolizes a defect or a problem

Let's apply this method to restaurants

Depending on your needs, you can adapt the categories in the Fishbone Diagram according to your needs. Let’s see what it would look like for a problem in a restaurant.