What is the purpose of a scope document?

Purpose of the Project Scope Statement:

The Project Scope Statement is the output of the Project Scope Definition activity. The project scope statement serves the following purposes:

• It serves as a component to the baseline that will be used to evaluate whether the request for a change or additional work falls within or beyond the scope of the project.

• By providing a common understanding of the project scope, the scope statement helps bring the stakeholders onto the same page in their expectations.

• Because the scope statement describes the deliverables and the work required to create those deliverables, it is used to create a WBS, which helps in scheduling the project.

• It serves as a guide for the project team to do more in-depth planning, if necessary, and to perform work during project execution.