Scope Statement

Phase: Planning | Audience: Shared | Project: WEB-2026-01 Corporate Website Development

Understand it first

In simple words: The Scope Statement describes exactly what is included and what is not, and how each deliverable will be accepted. It is the main defence against scope creep.

Think of it like: The kitchen contract says 'cabinets, countertop and lights included; painting and plumbing not included.'

When is it created?	Planning (9 Oct 2026)
Who prepares it?	Project Manager
Who approves or uses it?	Client Head of Marketing and PM
What happens next?	Scope is broken down into the WBS

How it connects to other documents

Deliverables match the SOW.
Every item is broken into work packages in the WBS.
Anything outside it must go through a Change Request.

The sample document

Below is the actual document for project WEB-2026-01. Read the purpose first, then go through each numbered section.

Issued by: [Your Company] Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Purpose: Detailed description of what the website includes, how each deliverable will be accepted, and what is excluded.

Item	Detail
Document no.	WEB-2026-01/SS
Version	1.0
Date	9 Oct 2026
Owner	Project Manager
Audience	Shared with client
Phase	Planning
Status	Approved

1. Product description

A responsive corporate website built on WordPress with a custom theme, hosted on a cloud server in the Mumbai region, managed by the client's marketing team after handover.

2. Pages and features

Page	Key content and features
Home	Hero banner, services overview, featured projects, testimonials, enquiry call to action
About Us	Company story, leadership, values, certifications
Services (4 pages)	One page per service with benefits, process and enquiry form link
Portfolio	Filterable project gallery managed from CMS
Blog listing	Posts by category with pagination
Blog post template	Title, author, date, featured image, share links, related posts
Contact Us	Contact form, office address, embedded map, phone and email

3. Deliverables and acceptance criteria

#	Deliverable	Acceptance criteria
D1	Sitemap and project plan	Written approval of sitemap
D2	Final UI designs	Signed Design Sign-off Form; maximum two revision rounds
D3	Website on staging	All 10 pages match approved designs
D4	Tested website	All UAT test cases passed; no critical or high defects open
D5	Live website	Site live on client domain with valid HTTPS; forms deliver email
D6	Training and user guide	90-minute session held and recorded; guide delivered
D7	14-day support	Reported defects fixed within agreed response times

4. Exclusions

E-commerce, payment gateway, user registration or login.
Integration with CRM, ERP or other systems.
Writing original content beyond editing and SEO tags.
Translation or multilingual versions.
Digital marketing, paid ads, social media.
Maintenance after 23 Dec 2026 without a maintenance contract.

5. Constraints and assumptions

Go-live date of 9 Dec 2026 is fixed.
Fixed price of ₹5,96,500 plus GST.
Client supplies all content by 16 Oct 2026.
Client gives feedback within 3 working days.

6. Approval

Signed for

Signature

Date

Head of Marketing, [Client Name]

Name and signature: ____________

Date: ________

Project Manager

Name and signature: ____________

Date: ________

WEB-2026-01/SS · v1.0 · Shared with client. Bracketed items such as [Client Name] are placeholders.

Key takeaways

Exclusions are as important as inclusions.
Acceptance criteria must be testable, such as 'forms deliver email'.
Once approved, it becomes part of the scope baseline.

Common mistakes to avoid

Leaving out exclusions.
Using words like 'etc.' or 'and similar pages'.
Accepting small 'free' additions without updating scope.

Next lesson: 15. WBS and WBS Dictionary