01122118

Component

Project scoping is a process where the purpose and need, budget, schedule, and scope of a project are developed. Detailed interviews with 27 Virginia professionals in this field offered a rare opportunity to investigate why project scoping remains challenging, despite advances in the field of project management over the past two decades. Problems related to the link between scoping and other processes were the lack of a clear purpose and need statement from the planning process, the lack of alignment of planning cost estimates and scoping estimates; the fact that some projects are scoped for which full construction funding is inadequate; and that although the participation of outside agencies is essential, some lacked the staff to participate fully in the scoping process. Problems related to the scoping process itself included a lack of clarity regarding what the scoping process should deliver and a need to document follow-up commitments that are fulfilled after the scope is established. Solutions related to these problems focused mostly on process rather than technology. These included distinguishing the pre-scoping meeting (where questions are raised and field visits are proposed) from the scoping meeting (a “day of decision” where the budget and schedule are finalized), providing an accounting mechanism that allows some scoping to be performed prior to programming (thereby using those results to influence which projects are programmed), and strengthening the link between scoping and planning (through involving planners in scoping or having a clearer purpose and need from the planning process).

01120148

09-0727

English

17p

2009

Transportation Research Board 88th Annual Meeting

DVD

References (29) ; Tables (2)

Budgeting; Construction management; Construction scheduling; Cost estimating; Planning and design; Project management; Road construction; Technological innovations

Project scoping

Virginia

Administration and Management; Construction; Highways; I10: Economics and Administration; I50: Construction and Supervision of Construction

Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting 2009 Paper #09-0727

TRIS, TRB

Jan 30 2009 4:57PM