Validate Scope is about acceptance: the customer or sponsor reviews completed, verified deliverables and formally accepts them. It is distinct from Control Quality — quality control checks correctness internally, while scope validation secures external acceptance against the agreed requirements.
Inspection and review against acceptance criteria drive the decision. Doing this periodically, not just at the end, catches misunderstandings early and reduces the risk of a big rejection late in the project.
Common pitfalls. Confusing validation (customer acceptance) with verification (quality control); deferring all acceptance to the end; unclear acceptance criteria that make sign-off subjective; and accepting deliverables informally with no record.
Inputs, Tools & Techniques, and Outputs
Inputs
- Project management plan
- Project documents
- Verified deliverables
- Work performance data
Tools & Techniques
- Inspection
- Decision making
Outputs
- Accepted deliverables
- Work performance information
- Change requests
- Project documents updates
How This Process Connects
Every process hands artifacts to other processes. Follow the flow of this one:
Where its inputs come from
- Control Qualityproduces: Verified deliverables
- Direct and Manage Project Workproduces: Work performance data
- Develop Project Management Planproduces: Project management plan
Where its outputs go
- Close Project or Phaseuses: Accepted deliverables
- Monitor and Control Project Workuses: Work performance information
- Perform Integrated Change Controluses: Change requests
More in Project Scope Management
In the Domains & Principles View
The PMBOK® Guide frames this work through performance domains and principles:
In the Eighth Edition
This process describes the framework as set out in the Sixth and Seventh Editions. The Eighth Edition reorganized it into 6 principles, 7 performance domains and 40 processes.