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Learn how to quickly identify project boundaries using the W questions.

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Quick reference

Project Boundaries

The Project Boundaries are the list of project goals, assumptions, and constraints that are agreed upon by the project team and stakeholders and form the basis for project planning.

When to use

The project boundaries are clarified by the project team as they transition from initiation to planning.  These boundaries act as objectives and constraints in the development of the project plan.

Instructions

Project Boundaries are most beneficial early in the project and whenever the project is undergoing change.  An agreement between the project team and stakeholders on boundaries will reduce the likelihood of confusion on project goals and missed expectations at the end of the project. Setting the project boundaries at the time of initiation allows the project team to plan the project with a clear understanding of project goals, assumptions, and constraints.  This speeds and simplifies the planning process.  In addition, whenever there is a request for a project change, the boundaries help the team evaluate whether that change is within scope or out of scope.  Clear boundaries will reduce the likelihood of scope creep.

There are a variety of ways to capture and identify boundaries.  Typically, some of them can be found in the Project Charter and, if it exists, a requirements document. A best practice for identifying boundaries to be used in planning is the ask the “W” questions:

  1. What is the project supposed to accomplish?
  2. Why do we need to do this project?
  3. Who are the customers, stakeholders, and team members for this project?
  4. When does the project need to start and end?
  5. Where is the project activity to take place?
  6. How should the project team approach the project? (procedures, examples, constraints)

The answer to some questions may be, “It doesn’t matter” or the answer may be very specific. If it doesn’t matter, that is an area of flexibility the team can use to optimize the project plan.  If it is very specific, that becomes a constraint the must be addressed in the plan.

Hints & tips

  • Ask each stakeholder all six questions.  Look for inconsistencies between stakeholders and resolve them.
  • Answers of “It doesn’t matter” or, “I don’t care” are great answers.  They give the project team flexibility on those boundary conditions.
  • Vague answers like, “As soon as possible.” for the “When” question, or “Everybody.” for the “Who” question often lead to missed expectations on the part of the stakeholders.  If that type of boundary is important to them, work to get a specific answer.
  • I use these questions whenever I am being asked to start a project – even if it is just a small action item.  The questions only take a few seconds to ask, and the answers are very helpful for planning and executing the work.
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  • 00:04 Hi, this is Ray Sheen.
  • 00:05 I'll talk with you now about setting the boundaries for the project so
  • 00:09 that you can ensure the project plan will meet the project goals and objectives.
  • 00:14 Setting boundaries is often a negotiation process between the project team and
  • 00:18 the stakeholders.
  • 00:19 Stakeholders have a vision for the project with goals and objectives.
  • 00:23 The project team often is aware of constraints and limitations.
  • 00:27 Together they can determine the direction of the project and
  • 00:30 the boundaries that the team will stay within.
  • 00:33 This will assist the team by allowing them to focus on what is inbounds for
  • 00:37 the project and not be distracted by what is out-of-bounds.
  • 00:41 The boundaries normally describe the result of the project so
  • 00:45 that the team knows what must be done.
  • 00:47 The rationale for the project so that the team knows how to weigh options and
  • 00:51 choose the best.
  • 00:52 And finally any other boundary parameters that will impact the project planning and
  • 00:58 the project execution such as time or money.
  • 01:00 Some projects have a detailed requirements document prepared well in advance of
  • 01:05 project planning, but most do not.
  • 01:07 When there is no document to refer to, we use the W questions.
  • 01:11 The answers to these six questions will set our project boundaries.
  • 01:15 The first one is the what question.
  • 01:18 It gives the project description.
  • 01:20 From this we can derive the project deliverables.
  • 01:23 The second is why.
  • 01:25 This provides a context for the project and
  • 01:28 helps the team make trade offs in the project.
  • 01:31 This is the key question to help us manage risks.
  • 01:34 The next four W questions address assumptions and constraints.
  • 01:38 Who will be involved?
  • 01:40 When is the expected start and finish time?
  • 01:43 Where will the project activities be conducted?
  • 01:45 And finally, how should the project be planned and executed?
  • 01:49 Yeah, I know, the W is at the end of how, but there's still a W so
  • 01:53 we're going to count it.
  • 01:55 Once we have the answer to the W questions,
  • 01:57 we can put a fence around the project.
  • 01:59 And then keep all of our project activities inside the fence,
  • 02:03 and keep the distractions and irrelevant items outside the fence.
  • 02:07 Let's now consider each of these W's in just a little more detail.
  • 02:13 For the what question, it's the result of the project, all of the deliverables and
  • 02:17 any other actions that the project team is supposed to complete.
  • 02:21 It also includes the quality characteristics of the deliverables.
  • 02:24 This is sometimes called the definition of done.
  • 02:28 Let's talk about the why question next.
  • 02:30 This answer helps the team to understand, what is the underlying driver for
  • 02:35 the project?
  • 02:36 Is it linked to strategic plans or other major initiatives?
  • 02:39 Is it a compliance project with a rigid finish date?
  • 02:43 What are the business benefits, growth or cost savings?
  • 02:46 When the team understands the rationale, they're better able to make trade offs
  • 02:51 between various options while planning the project.
  • 02:54 The who question is next, sometimes many of the who are obvious.
  • 02:59 There may only be one or two customers, users or stakeholders for the project.
  • 03:03 But sometimes there are many customers and users.
  • 03:07 Or who the project team members are could influence the project plan and tracking.
  • 03:12 And finally, approval authorities in a project create the need for
  • 03:16 additional documentation or interactions.
  • 03:19 The next W is when, are there constraints on the expected start date and
  • 03:23 expected finish date?
  • 03:25 Are there any other external milestones that the project team must be aware of
  • 03:29 because it will drive the project plans and execution?
  • 03:32 For instance, if the project spans two fiscal years, is there a milestone at
  • 03:37 year end that is tied to how much money they can spend in one year or the other?
  • 03:42 The next W question is where.
  • 03:44 This is becoming more and
  • 03:46 more of an issue in many businesses today as many companies are global in nature.
  • 03:50 And using suppliers as part of their project team.
  • 03:53 Activities on projects are now often spread across multiple locations, often in
  • 03:58 multiple countries on multiple continents and speaking multiple languages.
  • 04:02 The difference in managing a co-located team or a virtual team is significant.
  • 04:07 This will drive the type of communication processes that must be used.
  • 04:11 Finally, the use of remote contractors and
  • 04:14 vendors will change the nature of some of the project management activities.
  • 04:18 Our final W is the how, how is a category to capture any constraints or
  • 04:23 assumptions that had been missed in the other categories.
  • 04:27 In addition, there may be constraints concerning methodology or
  • 04:30 oversight that will be identified under this W.
  • 04:33 Even the budget limitations show up at this time as we ask, how much?
  • 04:37 Now what order you do the W's in does not matter.
  • 04:40 The point is we need to do them all.
  • 04:42 Understanding the project boundaries eases the project team's work during both
  • 04:47 planning and execution.
  • 04:49 It also points to what must be demonstrated as part of closing.
  • 04:54 The W questions are the simplest and
  • 04:56 most straightforward method to get a complete view of the project boundaries.

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