The Project Charter The most Important and Powerful Document to use for Initiating, Controlling and Preparing a Project in order to ensure Project Quality Presented by Mark Troncone, MBA, PMP ®, ITILv3, CSM ®

Agenda Why do you need a Project Charter? When is a Project Charter Created? Why is a Project Charter Important? When should a Project Charter be used? How to Create a Project Charter The Traditional Sections to Include The New Sections that Must be included for Quality When should it be Updated? Who Should Sign Off?

About Me PMP ® Certified – Project Management Institute CRM Certified SCRUM Master ® – SCRUM Alliance ITILv3 Foundations ® Certified - Certified IT Business Analyst – IFS State of Connecticut MT Associates - Active career transition mentor MBA – Management, BS – Marketing, AS – Accounting Work Experience: Save the Children Transact Technologies Starwood Hotels Affinion Group Hewitt Associates Wachovia Bank Bayer Pharmaceuticals Reader’s Digest James River Corporation

Why do you need a Project Charter As a Project Manager – it is your “Power Document” to use throughout the life of a project You cannot start nor run a Project without one The Project Charter formally recognizes /authorizes the existence of the Project A project does not exist without a Project Charter The Project Charter gives the Project Manager authority to spend money and commit corporate resources The Project Charter provides “high-level” requirements and scope for the Project The Project Charter links the Project to the on-going work of the organization Any changes to the Project Charter after “Sign-Off” will necessitate questioning whether or not the Project should continue

When is a Project Charter Created Tasks developed during the Initiating Phase: Select a Project Manager Determine company culture and existing systems Divide large projects into Phases Understand the Business Case Uncover “Initial” requirements and risks Create Measurable Objectives Identify Stakeholders (I would do this before the Project Charter) Develop Stakeholder Management Strategy Create Project Charter

Why is a Project Charter Important Defines how success will be measured Defines Deliverables/Scope (Project and Product) Defines the Project Manager Authority Level Defines Project Team roles and responsibilities Defines the Business Case Defines the Stakeholders and their Expectations Defines Measurable Objectives Defines Project Approval Requirements Defines “High Level” Project Risks I will define other areas to add later in the presentation

When should a Project Charter be used As mentioned, the Project Charter should be developed during the Initiation Phase of the Project The Project Charter should be reviewed after the Project “Kick-Off” meeting with: The Stakeholder(s) Key Business User(s) Subject Matter Expert(s) 3 rd Party Vendor lead(s) Project Team Project Sponsor(s) The Project Charter should also be referenced throughout the project conflict resolutions concerning any area of dispute of how the project should be run. This then becomes the Project Manager’s Power Document - to say “This is what we agreed on”

How to Create a Project Charter You should have a template document created with all of the sections included in this presentation to quickly - fill out / update / amend Also include: Revision History (in the front) Table of contents (in the front after the Revision History) Sign Off Section (last page of the document) Sign Off Section to include: Project Sponsor(s) Key Stakeholder(s) Project Manager Other Representatives as determined

The Traditional Sections of the Project Charter to Include Cover Page: Company Name/Logo Project Name and Project Number Date Created (MM/DD/YYY) Version Number Revision History (Type / Date / Change and Section / By Whom) Table of Contents Project Title and Description Project Scope (High Level Deliverables and end result of the project) Business Case (Why is the Project being done) Project Manager Assigned and their Authority Level Stakeholders and Stakeholder Requirements

The Traditional Sections of the Project Charter to Include Project Agreements: What your business will provide What the other entity will provide (if necessary) What a 3 rd Party Vendor will provide (if necessary ) Responsibilities of any entity or 3 rd Party Vendor Project Manager Products to be Installed/Upgraded Exclusions (What the company is excluded from delivering) Assumptions / Constraints Acceptance Criteria Measurable Project Objectives (measurable strategic goals) Project Approval Requirements (items needing approval) High Level Business Risks (potential risks and opportunities)

The New Project Charter Sections that Must be included for Quality I suggest adding the sections mentioned on the following slides to ensure quality is delivered throughout the project: For larger projects (> one year, > $$$ Budget and > X amount of resources) you may want to have separate documents addressing these areas with separate meetings and sign-offs. This can be time consuming but necessary. For smaller projects it will improve the process to have all of these sections combined in one document (Project Charter) that can be referenced and updated easily. Also all topics within this Project Charter can be reviewed, discussed and agreed upon in one meeting with all of the significant team members present.

The New Project Charter Sections that Must be included for Quality Project Plan and Milestones (without dates) Describes how the project will be run and managed Names the Milestone Tasks to achieve for each phase Project Communications Plan ◦ Describes how the project team will communicate: To Stakeholders, Project Sponsors, Key Business Users To the Project Team, Partnering Entity, 3 rd Prty Vendor To any other resource needing updates How the Project Team will communicate Project Tasks updates Contains a Visual Project Task Spreadsheet Project Meetings – Structure / Agenda / How Often / Schedules Weekly Project Dashboard and Status Reports – Schedules

The New Project Charter Sections that Must be included for Quality Communications of any “Sub-Teams” – Structure and agenda Chart for Scheduled Meetings (meeting name, method, attendees, leader, frequency) Contacts Lists (Name, Title, Phone, Address) Subject Line Structur e  Project Name  Project Categories  Project Level (1= High Must Read, 2 = medium Be Informed, 3 = Low FYI)  Subject Line Message Requirements Plan High level plan describing how requirements will be gathered Estimates Business Analyst effort and Business Commitment

The New Project Charter Sections that Must be included for Quality Requirements How they will be gathered (Functional and Non-Functional) Method for Reviewing Requirements with business Commitments of time from the business to ensure requirements are delivered on time How Sign-Offs will be obtained Project Risk Management Plan How Risks will be Captured / Scored / Responded To Contingency Plans developed here Project Issues Management Plan How Issues will be Categorized / Rated for Severity / Monitored and resolved – then communicated back to all Team Members

The New Project Charter Sections that Must be included for Quality Project Change Control Management Plan To Log a Requested Change / Prioritize / Note Effects / Approve Change Approval while project is in-flight Change Enhancement after Project Closure Change Dismissed as Not Needed Project Training Plan Training Plan including system modules and written manuals Training Plan Schedule and who will need to be trained Project Testing Plan Unit Testing – by developers and review with the business QA Testing – Test Scripts and Sign-Off UAT Testing – Test Scripts and Sign-Off

The New Project Charter Sections that Must be included for Quality Project Implementation Plan Technical Cut Over – High Level Tasks – incl. Non-Functionals Project “Go Live” Plan Go Live Plan (duration) and Monitoring Project Closure Project Closing Plan Project Lessons Learned Management Plan Identify Type / Severity / Escalation Process / where to keep Project – Application Support Plan How will the application be supported (Customer Service and Help Desk) – who will need training

When to Update the Project Charter Update up and to the final presentation to the: Stakeholders Project Sponsors Key Business Users and Subject Matter experts Project Team Can be updated after reviewed and signed-off only if all Team Members agree to the amendment But if continually changed or questioned after Sign- Off the question should be raised “Do we continue with the project?”

Who should Sign-Off on the Project Charter At a minimum the Project Charter should be signed off by: Stakeholder(s) Project Sponsor(s) Project Manager / Tech Lead / Business SME(s) Can be updated after reviewed Key Business Users and Subject Matter experts Other Key Department Stakeholders that this project may effect Key Project Team Members: DBA QA Lead Lead Developer Network or Technical Leads

QUESTIONS? Tell me what you think