Establishing the Product Vision and Project Scope

Chapter 5 Establishing the Product Vision and Project Scope 91
Chemlsts
Figure 5-3 Gontext diagram for the Chemical Tracking System.
You might expect to see chemical vendors shown as a terminator in this
diagram. After all, the company will route orders to vendors for fulfillment, the
vendors will send chemical containers and invoices to Contoso Pharmaceuticals,
and purchasing will send checks to the vendors. However, those processes
take place outside the scope of the Chemical Tracking System, as part of the
operations of the purchasing and receiving departments. The context diagram
makes it clear that this system is not directly involved in placing orders with the
vendors, receiving the products, or paying the bills.
The purpose of tools such as the context diagram is to foster clear and
accurate communication among the project stakeholders. That clarity is more
important than dogmatically adhering to the mies for a ··correct" context diagram.
I strongly recommend, though, that you adopt the notation illu.strated in
Figure 5-3 as a standard for drawing context diagrams. Suppose you were to
use a triangle for the system instead of a cirde and ovals rather than rectangles
for terminators. Your colleagues would have difficulty reading a diagram that
follows your personal preferences rather than a team standard.
Keeping the Scope in Focus
The business requirements and an understanding of how customers willuse the
product provide valuable tools for dealing with scope creep. Scope change isn't