1.8 Scope, Goals, Project Plan, and Phase Definition

AACE Planning and Scheduling Professional PSP

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1 Chapter 0: Introduction & AACE PSP Exam Structure

0.1 Current AACE PSP Exam, Eligibility, and Certification Facts 0.2 Planning and Scheduling Professional Roles and Competencies 0.3 Cost Engineering and Scheduling Terminology per RP 10S-90

2 Chapter 1: Scope Definition & Planning Fundamentals

1.1 Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Architecture & RP 33R-15 1.2 Organization & Resource Breakdown Structures (OBS, RBS, RAM) 1.3 Project Planning and Activity-Logic Development 1.4 Contract Requirements and Delivery Constraints 1.5 Stakeholder Identification, Needs, and Plan Review 1.6 Constructability Methods and Value Engineering 1.7 Resource Identification and Project Variables 1.8 Scope, Goals, Project Plan, and Phase Definition 1.9 Cost Breakdown Structure and Cost Estimate Development 1.10 Phase Relationships, Baseline Plan, Forecasts, and Risk/Recovery Planning

3 Chapter 2: Critical Path Method Mechanics & Network Logic

2.1 Activity Definition and Logic Relationships 2.2 Activity Durations, Productivity, and Work Calendars 2.3 Forward and Backward Pass Mathematical Mechanics 2.4 Float Calculations and Critical-Path Identification

4 Chapter 3: Advanced Network Techniques & Schedule Constraints

3.1 Schedule Constraints and Their Impact on Dates and Float 3.2 Advanced Logic Modeling: Ladders and Fragnets 3.3 Schedule Levels of Detail and Schedule Basis Documentation 3.4 Schedule Scope and Schedule Specification 3.5 Breakdown-Structure Relationships and the Cost Estimate Model 3.6 Stakeholder Feedback and Types of Schedules 3.7 Activities, Milestones, Schedule Quality, and Basis Documentation

5 Chapter 4: Resource Management & Leveling

4.1 Resource Planning, Allocation, and Histograms 4.2 Resource Leveling vs. Resource Smoothing 4.3 Cumulative Resource S-Curves & Productivity Tracking

6 Chapter 5: Baseline Management & Schedule Updating

5.1 Baseline Establishment, Forecasts, and Controlled Revision 5.2 Progress Measurement and Data Date Mechanics 5.3 Out-of-Sequence Logic: Progress Override vs. Retained Logic 5.4 Schedule Update Review and Quality Verification per RP 53R-06 5.5 Cost/Resource Management, Schedule Change, and Feedback 5.6 Acceleration and Recovery Scheduling per RP 54R-07 5.7 Control Schedules, Variance Analysis, Forecasts, and Management Summaries

7 Chapter 6: Schedule Risk Analysis & Monte Carlo Simulation

6.1 Schedule Risk Principles, Risk Drivers, and Three-Point Estimates 6.2 Monte Carlo Simulation, Criticality, Correlation, and Merge Effects 6.3 Risk Outputs, Confidence Dates, Sensitivity, and Contingency

8 Chapter 7: Earned Value & Earned Schedule Management

7.1 Earned Value Foundations: PV, EV, AC, and Variances 7.2 Traditional EV Performance Indices & Late-Project Quirks 7.3 Earned Schedule (ES) Theory, SV(t), and SPI(t) 7.4 Independent Schedule Forecasting & IEAC(t)

9 Chapter 8: Forensic Schedule Analysis & Delay Claims

8.1 Delay Classification, Criticality, and Contract Questions 8.2 RP 29R-03 Taxonomy, Data Validation, and Method Selection 8.3 TIA, Windowed Analysis, and Subtractive Models 8.4 Concurrency, Pacing, and Float: Technical Analysis Before Entitlement

10 Chapter 9: Executive Communication & Practical Scenario Applications

9.1 Official PSP Memo Writing Framework 9.2 Structured Technical Problem-Solving for PSP Scenarios 9.3 Current Exam Strategy and Core Calculation Review

1.8 Scope, Goals, Project Plan, and Phase Definition

Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI

Scope defines required deliverables, boundaries, acceptance criteria, interfaces, assumptions, and exclusions.

Goals translate business purpose into measurable success criteria and priorities that guide planning tradeoffs.

The project plan integrates execution strategy, governance, procurement, controls, resources, risk, communication, and acceptance.

Phase definitions establish decision gates and deliverables; they are not substitutes for activity logic within each phase.

Last updated: October 2026

1.8 Scope, Goals, Project Plan, and Phase Definition

Planning products move from purpose to execution. Goals explain what success means, scope defines what must be delivered, the project plan explains how the team will manage and execute, and phases organize decision gates and maturity across the lifecycle.

Define scope of work

A useful scope definition includes:

deliverables and required functions;
physical and organizational boundaries;
inclusions and exclusions;
interfaces with existing assets and other contracts;
acceptance and completion criteria;
assumptions and constraints; and

reference documents and change authority.

Scope should be specific enough to decompose into a WBS and identify activities. “Build the facility” is not sufficient; “design, procure, construct, test, commission, train operators, and hand over the defined systems” begins to expose complete lifecycle work.

Define project goals

Goals translate the business case into measurable outcomes. Examples include required capacity, regulatory compliance, in-service date, maximum authorized cost, safety performance, reliability, or phased revenue. A goal should identify the metric and decision priority.

Goals can conflict. An immovable outage date may require more resources; minimum capital cost may conflict with early operation. The plan should document priorities and escalation rules rather than pretend every objective can be maximized simultaneously.

Define the project plan

The project plan integrates subordinate strategies:

Plan component Planning question

Scope/execution What will be delivered and how?

Organization Who decides, performs, reviews, and accepts?

Schedule How will activities, milestones, calendars, and control cycles be managed?

Cost How will estimate, budget, commitments, actuals, and forecasts integrate?

Procurement What is bought, packaged, and delivered when?

Resource Which skills, equipment, and workfronts enable execution?

Risk/change How are uncertainty and approved changes governed?

Quality/safety What assurance, inspection, and safe-work processes apply?

Communication What information is reported to whom and when?

The project plan is not a Gantt chart. The schedule is one time-based model within the wider management plan.

Define phases and gates

Phases may include concept, definition, design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and closeout, but names and gates vary by organization and industry. Each phase should have:

purpose and entry criteria;
required deliverables;
review and approval authority;
exit criteria; and

authorized next-step decision.

Phase gates control maturity and commitment. They should not create artificial finish-to-start logic if work is intentionally overlapped. For example, procurement of a long-lead item may begin before all design finishes, provided the released information, risk acceptance, and change exposure are understood.

Maintain traceability

Use a chain:

Goal → Scope deliverable → WBS element → Work package → Activity/milestone → Acceptance evidence

If a goal has no deliverable, it may be aspirational rather than planned. If an activity maps to no authorized scope, it may represent scope creep. If a phase gate has no exit evidence, it cannot reliably authorize progression.

Scenario example

A data-center program has a goal to energize one hall by 1 December while later halls remain under construction. Scope and phases should support phased turnover: utility readiness, life-safety acceptance, commissioning, operational separation, and partial occupancy become explicit deliverables and milestones. A single final-completion bar would hide the actual business objective.

Clear scope, goals, plans, and phase gates give the detailed schedule a stable planning foundation.

Applied review: preserve traceability from purpose to work

Start with the project's required product and acceptance conditions, then decompose that scope into deliverables and manageable work. Goals describe the outcomes the plan should support—such as a turnover date, operating capacity, safety performance, or phased occupancy—but goals do not replace defined scope. Each scheduled work package should be traceable to an authorized deliverable, interface, management activity, or necessary support effort.

The project plan explains how the organization intends to execute: contracting strategy, design releases, procurement packages, construction sequence, testing, turnover, controls, communications, and change governance. Phase definitions establish entry and exit criteria. A phase gate is useful only when the evidence for passing it is clear; a decorative “design complete” milestone without defined deliverables and approvals provides weak control.

Review alignment in both directions. From a high-level milestone, trace down to the work and decisions that achieve it. From a detailed activity, trace up to the scope or control purpose that justifies it. Gaps reveal omitted work; orphan detail may reveal scope creep or unnecessary granularity. When objectives conflict, document the tradeoff and escalate through governance. The planner should not silently optimize a deadline at the expense of required scope, safety, quality, or authorized cost.