Scoping

noun
1.
Slang. the act or practice of eyeing or examining, as in order to evaluate or appreciate.
adjective
2.
of or involving an investigation or discussion to determine the effect a proposed policy or project would have on a community or the local environment:
The public is invited to the scoping meeting on the proposed new refinery.
noun
1.
extent or range of view, outlook, application, operation, effectiveness, etc.:
an investigation of wide scope.
2.
space for movement or activity; opportunity for operation:
to give one’s fancy full scope.
3.
extent in space; a tract or area.
4.
length:
a scope of cable.
5.
aim or purpose.
6.
Linguistics, Logic. the range of words or elements of an expression over which a modifier or operator has control:
In “old men and women,” “old” may either take “men and women” or just “men” in its scope.
7.
(used as a short form of microscope, oscilloscope, periscope, radarscope, riflescope, telescopic sight, etc.)
verb (used with object), scoped, scoping.
8.
Slang. to look at, read, or investigate, as in order to evaluate or appreciate.
Verb phrases
9.
scope out, Slang.

to look at or over; examine; check out:
a rock musician scoping out the audience before going on stage.
to master; figure out:
By the time we’d scoped out the problem, it was too late.

noun
1.
opportunity for exercising the faculties or abilities; capacity for action: plenty of scope for improvement
2.
range of view, perception, or grasp; outlook
3.
the area covered by an activity, topic, etc; range: the scope of his thesis was vast
4.
(nautical) slack left in an anchor cable
5.
(logic, linguistics) that part of an expression that is governed by a given operator: the scope of the negation in PV–(q∧r) is –(q∧r)
6.
(informal) short for telescope, microscope, oscilloscope
7.
(archaic) purpose or aim
verb (transitive)
8.
(informal) to look at or examine carefully