For instructional design, scope defines what a training effort hopes to deliver and at what cost.

As a managed project, an instructional design scope statement typically defines:
• Goals
• Deliverables
• Constraints
• Assumptions
• Milestones

Sometimes, project scope needs to change, but doing so typically comes with costs: The more that can be defined in advance, the better.

One way to minimize cost risk is to have smaller scoped projects, or even pilot or prototype projects, to help gauge larger production efforts.

In short, setting scope helps to assure that a training effort satisfies goals on time and within budget.