Project Scope Management is a required component of any Project Management effort, because without it the project would proceed everywhere and nowhere fast until resources run out. Precisely because Project Decision Makers need to manage project resources well, Project Scope Management should be undertaken as well.
In Project Scope Management, steps are undertaken to assure that only necessary work will be completed in the duration of the project, with unnecessary work totally excluded. This helps clarify the scope or coverage of the work for all concerned parties.
The processes or steps that Project Scope Management entails are: Scope Planning, Scope Definition, Components Division, Scope Verification, and Scope Control.
Under Scope Planning, a plan will be created wherein the scope will be thoroughly defined, undergo verification, and be controlled. This is also where the work will be broken down into sub-processes.
Scope Definition requires creating a well-defined scope statement so that project decisions later on can be based on this statement.
Components Division means that the work which was earlier broken down into sub-processes will be further subdivided into more manageable steps or portions.
In Scope Verification, the project deliverables will be completed and delivered, with formal acceptance assured.
Scope Control is the final step and means that any changes to the project scope will be managed here.
Each of these steps may require input from just one person, or from the entire team, where necessary. It may be observed in practice that the steps do not occur in the order they appear here, but may overlap or be interchanged as the Project Decision Makers see fit.