# Strategies for Cutting the Project Scope

No change can affect your project as much as cutting its scope, an action that produces a cascade of benefits. In one stroke, you can shorten the project duration, reduce the number of required resources, and slash costs.

The most obvious way to cut the scope is to remove critical tasks. For example, if a software developer can’t complete all the planned features of a new software program by the deadline, he or she can cut some of the features, and thus the tasks required to implement those features. This can also be the most difficult method, because you must first identify the tasks that are not absolutely necessary for completing the project.

Another way to cut the project scope is to reduce the scope of individual tasks. A task’s scope consists of the specific task goal and the amount of time and effort required to achieve it. By reducing a task’s scope, you may reduce the overall time, effort, and cost required to complete your project.

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