The Plan Scope Management process is dedicated to creating the scope management plan. This plan is the primary output and serves as a comprehensive guide for the project team. It explicitly documents how the project and product scope will be defined, developed, monitored, controlled, and, crucially, how it will be validated by stakeholders. This process establishes the framework and activities for managing scope effectively throughout the project's lifecycle, ensuring that all subsequent scope-related activities are performed consistently and correctly.

1. Project Management Institute. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th ed.). Project Management Institute. Section 5.1, Plan Scope Management, p. 134. The text states, "Plan Scope Management is the process of creating a scope management plan that documents how the project and product scope will be defined, validated, and controlled."

2. Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (7th ed.). Project Management Institute. Section 2.4, Planning Performance Domain, p. 53. This section discusses how planning produces "a holistic approach to delivering the project outcomes," which is documented in the project management plan and its subsidiary plans, such as the scope management plan.

3. Crawford, J. K. (2006). The project management maturity model. Information Systems Management, 23(4), 50-58. https://doi.org/10.1201/1078.10580530/46352.23.4.20060901/95113.7. This academic article discusses the importance of standardized processes, such as planning for scope management, as a key component of project management maturity.