Running a Project
Writing the scope
Setting out what a project covers, what it delivers and what it excludes — and why the exclusions are the important half.
Last updated September 2, 2026
The scope is the project's definition: what it covers, what it delivers, and what it excludes. It is the first thing to write and the thing everyone refers back to when the work starts drifting.
Write the exclusions
Most people write what a project includes and stop. The exclusions are what actually prevents arguments — "this covers the five main pages, not the blog", "this is the new site, not a rebrand of the logo".
Keep it current
Scope changes. When it does, edit the scope and say so in a note rather than letting the work quietly grow — a project delivered against a scope nobody updated always looks late, even when it delivered more than was asked.
What good looks like
- Short enough that people read it — half a page, not five.
- Written in plain terms, so a person joining in week three understands it.
- Specific about the deliverable: what exists at the end that does not exist now.
- Explicit about what is out.