CompTIA Project+ Practice Test 2025 – All-in-One Guide to Ace Your Certification!

The project scope should be defined during the planning process because this phase is crucial for establishing clear boundaries for the project. Defining the scope early helps to identify the project's objectives, deliverables, tasks, and timelines. This clarity directly influences the project's success as it aligns stakeholder expectations and provides a framework for decision-making throughout the project lifecycle.

During the planning process, project managers conduct various analyses and gather information regarding stakeholder requirements, thus ensuring that everyone involved understands what is included and excluded from the project's scope. This proactive approach minimizes the risk of scope creep—unplanned changes that can derail a project—by setting a clear foundation for what the project aims to achieve.

Defining the scope during the execution phase can lead to confusion and altered expectations among team members and stakeholders, as the groundwork for what the project should deliver has not been solidified. Similarly, addressing scope at the project closure phase is far too late, as it would mean that work has already been carried out without clear direction. Finally, defining scope after stakeholder approval could compromise the understanding and alignment necessary for a successful project and lead to conflicting expectations. Hence, undertaking scope definition during the planning process is the best practice to ensure successful project management.