Project management
Topics 1 – 3: Develop a Charter
Contents
1 Developing a charter: 3
1.1 Charter elements. 3
1.2 Charter decision-making. 4
1.3 Project Selection Prioritization Matrix. 5
1.4 Assessment task one: 5
1.5 Examples of Scope Statements. 6
1.6 Scope Overview (word limit: 150). 7
1.7 Milestone Schedule and Deliverables. 8
1.8 Initial Risk Identification. 9
1.9 Resources Required. 10
1.10 Initial Stakeholder Identification. 10
1.11 Team Operating Principles. 10
1.12 Lessons Learned. 11
1.13 Commitment. 11
2 References: 11
1 Developing a charter:
There are a number of steps to develop a project charter, and a number of charter elements. The table below (Exhibit 3.3) displays the common elements in a project charter.
1.1 Charter elements
(Kloppenborg, Anantatmula & Wells 2018, p. 65)
1.2 Charter decision-making
But not every project needs a charter, and not every charter is identical. Charters are scaled to reflect the size of the project. Exhibit 3.2 from the book provides a useful guide to whether a charter is needed, and the complexity of the charter if one is required.
(Kloppenborg, Anantatmula & Wells 2018, p. 64)
1.3 Project Selection Prioritization Matrix
Below is an example of how calculations in a trade-off matrix are performed:
| Project/Selection Criteria | Criteria A | Criteria B | |||
| Weight: | 5 | 10 | Total | ||
| Landscaping project | 7 | 5 | |||
| (5*7=) 35 | (5*10=) 50 | (35+50=) 85 | |||
Using the example, score each of the projects in the table below. Based on the score, which project would you choose?
| Project/Selection Criteria | Potential Monetary Gain | Success Probability | Social Opinion | ||||
| Weight: | 5 | 10 | 3 | Total | |||
| Construction Project: International Hotel, Hawaii | 10 | 5 | 5 | ||||
| Construction Project: Local Hotel, Brisbane | 8 | 6 | 4 | ||||
| Infrastructure Project: High Speed Rail – Sydney to Melbourne | 9 | 3 | 8 | ||||
| Investment project: The Old Farm House | 7 | 7 | 10 | ||||
Answer:
- _________________
Reference: (Kloppenborg, Anantatmula & Wells 2018, pp. 42-9)
1.4 Assessment task one:
The ProjectCharter is the first Assessment Task. See the UIG for more information, and the Assessment Task instructions on the learning site. You should use these documents, along with the marking criteria (also known as a rubric) to guide your development of your assignment. The assessment task has two parts: the first is to describe the theory behind the Project Charter – you should do that first, before you start you Charter so that you understand the underlying concepts. Then complete the Charter. DO NOT submit this workbook as your assessment task – you must create a new document.
1.5 Examples of Scope Statements
The first thing you need to do is decide what your project will be, and create a “Scope Statement”.
(Kloppenborg, Anantatmula & Wells 2018, p. 71)
1.6 Scope Overview (word limit: ~150)
Use your own words to convert your own project brief into a short scope overview.
The scope statement is a SMART summary of what the project will entail, i.e. what the project will deliver to the project customer.
Project goals, on the other hand describe what the customer expects to do with the project deliverables, e.g. increase sales by X%, reduce customer wait times by X minutes, etc.
For this exercise focus upon what the project will entail.
(Kloppenborg, Anantatmula & Wells 2018, pp. 65-6)
| Write your scope statement in this text box
|
1.7 Milestone Schedule and Deliverables
The milestone schedule is “a high level plan that indicates a few significant accomplishments that are anticipated over the life of the project.” (Kloppenborg, Anantatmula & Wells 2018, p. 66).
Based on the project brief and the list of tasks, please list the milestones you would identify for this project. The start and the end of the project are already given for you. Estimate a completion date for each milestone, as well as what the acceptance criteria would be. Also think about who should judge whether or not the criteria have been met(Kloppenborg, Anantatmula & Wells 2018, pp. 66-7).
The exhibit below is an example of a milestone table. Note that the table must have a milestone (usually a major deliverable), the completion date (not “from-to”, but a discreet date), how the milestone will be judged to have been delivered (or not), and who will decide if the milestone is acceptable.
(Kloppenborg, Anantatmula & Wells 2018, p. 73)
Now create your own milestone schedule:
| Milestone | Completion Date | Acceptance Criteria | Stakeholder Judge |
| Charter signed off | |||
| Project completion |
Hint: to add extra lines in the table position the cursor outside the right border and click “enter”.
1.8 Initial Risk Identification
Projects are undertaken in an environment of uncertainty, thus there is no such thing as a “risk-free project”. Think about the risks associated with your project. What could go wrong? Could someone get hurt? Could the project be delayed somehow? Could the budget be exceeded? Could a law be broken? Have you made assumptions about your project that could be incorrect? You need to think creatively about your own project.
Based on the project brief, examples from the book and your own interpretation, please identify at least 4 potential risks to the project(Kloppenborg, Anantatmula & Wells 2018, pp. 67-8).
| Project (Potential) Risks | Risk Owner | Contingency Plans |
1.9 Resources Required
Based on the project brief, examples from the book and your own interpretation, please identify the funding, workers and equipment required for this project, as well as potential other resources. Don’t overthink this activity and keep it short and simple(Kloppenborg, Anantatmula & Wells 2018, p. 69).
| Funding: | |
| People: | |
| Equipment: | |
| Other: |
1.10 Initial Stakeholder Identification
Based on the project brief, examples from the book and your own interpretation, please identify at least 4 stakeholders to the project, their interest and priority to the project(Kloppenborg, Anantatmula & Wells 2018, p. 69).
| Stakeholder | Interest in Project | Priority |
| (High/Medium/Low) | ||
1.11 Team Operating Principles
Please list a minimum of 3 Team Operating Principles you believe will be important for your project(Kloppenborg, Anantatmula & Wells 2018, pp. 69-70):
| # | Team operating principle |
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 |
1.12 Lessons Learned
Please list a minimum of 3 Lessons Learned from past projectsyou believe can contribute to your project(Kloppenborg, Anantatmula & Wells 2018, p. 70):
| # | Lesson |
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 |
1.13 Commitment
Fill out the first column of the table below(Kloppenborg, Anantatmula & Wells 2018, p. 70):
| Sponsor | Department / Organization | Signature |
| N/A | ||
| Project Manager | Department / Organization | Signature |
| N/A | ||
| Core Team Members | Department/ Organization | Signature |
| N/A | ||
2 References:
Kloppenborg, TJ, Anantatmula, V & Wells, KN 2018, Contemporary Project Management, 4 edn, Cengage Learning, Boston, MA, USA.
