Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Day 2 Topics
• Project Initiation Phase Key Deliverables

• Purpose of a Software Project Charter

• Defining the Problem/Opportunity

• Defining the Project Outcomes

• Defining the Project Approach

• Creating a Project Charter

• Describe the key deliverables from the Initiation Phase of a software

project.
• Describe the importance of a Project Charter
• Perform a preliminary problem/opportunity analysis to identify the
business case for the project.
• Create a clear and concise Project Objective Statement describing the
outcome of the project,
• Use a Trade-off Matrix to clarify how you will manage the Triple
Constraints of Schedule, Resources, and Scope.
• Create a Software Project Charter.
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software -Project Charter

Initiation Phase Deliverables

Project Announcement
Fonnally announce at the executive sponsor level that a new project has begun.
Assign (in writing) the project manager and authorize them to apply resources to
initiate the project.
Communication Matrix
Identify the communication needs of all individuals and organizations involved in
the project. For each individual or organization, the matrix specifies what
information is needed, why, when, who is responsible, and how it will be delivered.
The Communication Matrix defines the essential information needs and
communication paths.
Project Charter
Document and gain agreement on key aspects of the project including what it will
accomplish, the benefits, project team members, high-level schedule, cost
information, risks, issues, and assumptions. At Project Initiation, the charter is used
to make a sound go/no-go decision. As the project progresses, it is used to track the
project and manage scope, schedule, and resource trade-offs.
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software -Project Charter

Project Announcement

• Publicly announces the start of a project

• Formalizes Executive Sponsor ownership

• Assigns the Project Manager

• Commits resources to accomplish initiation
and planning

The Project Announcement:

• Publishes sponsor ownership
• Formally delegates authority to the project manager
Formally commits sufficient resources to initiate the project

Prior to announcing a large project, the Executive Sponsor is responsible for

ensuring that executives from key areas affected by the project have been consulted
and buy in to the project concept.
The project announcement presents the project name to the company. Pick a name
that is short and energizing, a memorable acronym, specific to the project.
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Example Project Announcement

Date: September 5, 2005

From: Sally Green, IT Division Chief
To: All Staff
New Project Announcement!!
I am pleased to announce that our Division is initiating the Quick Answer
Help Desk project. This exciting project will acquire and implement new
Expert Solution and Request Tracking software to help our support staff
respond more quickly and accurately to our customer requests. I, Sally
Green, am the Executive Sponsor and George Boyd is the project manager.
We will establish a core team comprised of Division staff and customer
representatives. Alicia Monfort, the Support staff supervisor, will represent
the support staff and customer needs throughout the project. We intend to
have the new Help Desk process and software in place by the end of this
fiscal year.
If you have any questions or ideas about this project, please contact George
Boyd, at 777-7776.

Sally Green
IT Division Chief
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Communications Matrix
• Identify who needs to know about the
project, what they need to know, when,
and how it will be communicated
• Establish a formal reporting structure for
the project
• Determine Core Team
reporting responsibilities

Timely and appropriate communication builds project success. Project

communication includes regular reports to the Executive Sponsor, progress reports
to functional management, shared information between core team members and
project manager, and general "What's in it for me?" information for all
stakeholders.
Initial communication planning is essential early in the project as it provides the
information necessary to begin project reporting.
The Communications matrix provides a structure to ensure that all the necessary
information is provided to the Executive sponsor, the project team and the
stakeholders. It is created in the Initiation Phase and reviewed and revised as needed
to ensure that all those involved continue to get the information they need.
 Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Example Communications Matrix

AUDIENCE WHATIWHY WHEN RESPONSIBLE MEDIA HOWIWHERE

Project Sponsor: Project Charter for Approval Project Initiation/ George Boyd Hard Copy/ Status Meeting/
Sally Green On update Electronic Project File
Project Status for Review Monthly Georqe Boyd Hard copy Status Meeting
Open Issues for Resolution As Required George Boyd Issue Log Status Meetinq
Stakeholders: Project Charter for Project Initiation/ Alicia Monfort Hard Copy/ Joint Status
Linda Williams Coordination On update Electronic Meetinq
(IT Support Mgr.) Project Status for Coordination Monthly Alicia Monfort Hard copy Joint Status
Meeting
External Customers: Project Benefits for Buy-in Bi- Monthly George Boyd Hard copy Bi-Monthly
(Division Employees) Newsletter

Internal Customers: Project Status for Buy-in Monthly George Boyd Verbal Staff Meeting
(IT Staff) Report
Project Manager: Task Estimates for Planning Planning Core Team Members Work Team Planning
George Boyd Breakdown Meeting
Structure
Task Status for Tracking Weekly Core Team Members Email/MS Team Status
Project Meeting/Email
Open Issues for Resolution As Required Core Team Members Issue Log Team Status
Meeting/Email
Project Team Project Charter for Buy-in Initiation George Boyd Electronic Team Status
Members: Meetina/Email
Core Team Project Direction Information Weekly George Boyd Electronic Team Status
Meetina/Email
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Project Charter

• Clarifies the business reasons for the project

• Documents the expected project results
• Obtains executive commitment to the project
approach
• Provides a foundation for
making project decisions

In a relatively short time, the project team determines:

Why the project is important
• Who will be involved
• What the project will accomplish
• Where in the organization
• When the project will be completed
• How much it will cost (estimated)
This information is documented in the Project Charter so that the executive staff can
make a sound go/no go decision on whether or not to continue the project. The
Project Charter provides formal agreement on:
• Business reasons for the project
• Project objective, scope, and final deliverables
• Commitment to resource, schedule, and scope
Getting agreement in writing formalizes the the goals for the project team, the
sponsor, and the customers. If the project team can not reach agreement at this
point, the project is headed for trouble
The Project Charter provides the baseline for creating the project plan and for
monitoring changes in scope. Future decisions are matched against the baseline
agreed to in the charter. If changes to this baseline are required, the Project Charter
is updated and approved by the Executive Sponsor.
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter
Project: Quick Answer Help Desk
Start Date: Sept 1, 2000
Sponsor: Sally Green Estimated End Date: June 30, 2001
Project Mgr: George Boyd
Charter Version #: V 1.1 Triple Constraint Trade-off:
Updated by: George Boyd Resources S Select a different flexibility letter
Approved By: Sally Green for each constraint.
Approval Date: Oct 15, 2000 Schedule N Flexibility letter choices are:
N = Not Flexible
Project Objective Statement: Scope M =
S Somewhat Flexible

Implement an automated Expert Solutions Database

=
M Most Flexible

and Request Tracking system that enables Help

Desk staff to provide top quality service to our aJor Igi - eve I estones

expanding customer base. Milestone Planned Actual

1. Project Charter 10/15/00 10/15/00
Approved
Strategic Fit: 2. Help Desk Req'ts 12/01/00
Improved Operating Efficiency and Customer complete
Service 3. Software Vendor 1115100
Selected
4. Database Tailoring 3/01/00
Customer/Stakeholder: Design Complete
• Help Desk Staff 5. Help Desk Server 3/15/01
• IT Support Organization installed
• Division Employees who make Service Requests 6. Expert System 4/15/01
Installation & Test
7. Help Desk Analysts 5/15/01
TraininQ complete
Customer Benefits:
8. Help Desk 6/15/01
1. Ability to provide correct response to Procedures
frequently asked questions implemented
2. Ability to build knowledge base of successful
responses
3. Automated tracking of call volume and
response time
4. Improved response time and customer
service

Successful Completion Criteria:

1. Expert Solution Database includes answers
to 60% of all customer requests
2. Maximum wait time for solution database
search is 30 seconds
Risks:
3. Customers receive response from 2nd tier
support within .5 day of original call 1. New Expert System Technology
2. Staffing the new Help Desk
Project Deliverables:
1. Vendor Selection Documentation
2. Software Interface Tailoring Current Issues:
3. Installed Help Desk Server and network 1. Need buy-in for single-point-of-contact from all
4. Installed Expert Solutions Database Customer areas
5. Installed Service Request Tracking Database 2. Creating expert solutions database for in-house
6. Help Desk Escalation Procedure developed applications is out of scope for this
7. Training Materials for Help Desk Analysts phase --- may cause problems in acceptance.
Software Project Management Ses ion 2: The Software Project Charter
Project Background: Project Scope:
Our Information Technology Division supports the In Scope: • Help Desk process to cover
Consulting and Professional Services Branch of a Applications Support, Desk Top
large corporation. We provide desktop support, as Support, and Network Support
well as develop and support software used for the calls
sales and scheduling of a variety of professional nd rd
• Definition of 2 and 3 tier
services. The customer base supported by our IT support process for Help Desk
organization has grown from 100 to over 1000 sales
• Purchasing of software and
and marketing and customer support personnel
hardware
world-wide. We have two staff in Network Support
• Expert Solutions databases for
who respond to customer requests, although they are
standard office automation
nor formally designated as a Help Desk. They do not
applications
have any automated support --- all tracking of
customer requests is manual. In addition, they and
other staff are often asked to respond to problems in Out of scope: • Organizational changes to create
areas they are unfamiliar with, resulting in delays and the Help Desk
inconsistent or incorrect problem resolutions. A • Help Desk process to cover
recent customer survey gave us a "Low" in customer procurement and training
satisfaction. Reasons stated included: assistance calls.
• Long delays in getting problems resolved • Development of Expert Solutions
database for in-house applications
• Need for multiple calls to get problems
resolved
• Poor credibility of staff
Organizational changes are underway to create and
staff a Help Desk that includes network support as
well as software support. This Help Desk will be a
single point of contact for all customer calls. The
Help Desk needs automated support to both track
requests and to provide a data base of solutions to Assumptions and Constraints:
frequently asked questions. They also need a 1. The current budget cycle allocated sufficient
business process in place to cover hand-off of money for purchasing hardware and software
problems they can't resolve immediately. This project for this project.
addresses the need for automation and for an 2. Minimal tailoring of the purchased solutions
organized way to hand-off calls to IT staff who databases.
perform second level support. 3. The procurement cycle for new equipment
requires no more than a 3 month lead time.

Reference: Customer Support Survey, Help Desk

Process Analysis, Help Desk Automation Feasibility
Study (FSR) report

Dependent Projects: pr~ect Budget: 1$_5_0_0_,0_0_0 _

1.Work with Personnel to define job classifications IEXJ}endedto Date: _
for the Help Desk Analysts
2. Recruit and hire two more analysts to staff the
Help Desk
3.lmplement the phone service for the single point
of contact number
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Creating a Project Charter

• Analyze the
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Approach

The Project Charter is the tip of the iceberg. It is like an "elevator speech," a very
short time to present the key points about your project. A successful Project charter
is short, clear and concise --- and it is based on solid analysis.
The amount of analysis required to complete a charter varies with the complexity
and size of the project. However, there are always three general areas of analysis,
carried out in roughly sequential order. For some projects, the necessary analysis
will have been performed as part of tactical planning, business process re-
engineering, or feasibility analysis. On other projects, the analysis is performed as
part of the project Initiation phase.
In the following template, the sections of the Project Charter template are color
coded to show which area of analysis results in the information in the charter.

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Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Start Date: When did the project start?

Estimated End Date: When will it finish?

Triple Constraint Trade-off:

Resources Select a different fleXibility letter
or each constraint.
Schedule Flexibility letter choices are:
N = Not Flexible
Scope =
S Somewhat Flexible
Project Objective Statement: =
M Most Flexible
What must the project do? By When? Keep this
statement short --- 25 words or less. Make it SMART
Maior HiQh-Level Milestones
(Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and
Milestone Planned Actual
Time-based.)
1. What events measure
progress? E.g.
Initiation Approved,
Analysis Complete,
[Strategic"Fii:~-_i~r""-~;~P""""$W'f{;-"
=~TffRi?'!'
etc.
lWhat is the Strategic Initiative IdentififJ/ for tpis 2.
•project? 3.
t
L?L \Ii<
4
5
!Customer: 6
Who is the Customer? 7

Project Core Team Members

rustomer Sine Team Member Role
iWhat customer b, Who is on the project? What role do they plav?
project address? Relate these to one of the
tollowing: increase revenue",;f!voidgosts, improve
service,and/or comply reate
,short numbe ','·····d·

lSuccessful Completion Criteria: Risks:

How will the success of the project be determined
from the customer's perspective? Make these criteria
measurable so there is no doubt as to the project's
success. (Create a short numbered list.)
What characteristics or situations could cause this
project to fail? Identify those items which are outside
the jurisdiction of this project and could result in a
"show-stopper" to the project success. (Create a
short numbered list)

Project Deliverables:
What is the project going to produce? (Create a
numbered list of tangible products that will be
available as a result of this project.)
Current Issues:
What immediate situations (if any) need to be brought
to the attention of executive management for
esolution? (Create a short numbered list)
 Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Project Scope:
In Scope: List the business areas and
functionality that will be included in this
project.

Out of scope: List the business areas and

functionality that will not be included in
this project.

ssumptions and Constraints:

What assumptions were made in defining the project?
ssumptions can affect scope, schedule, resources,
stakeholders, etc. Are there constraints to the
execution of the project? .Constraints describe
. oundaries within which the project must operate.
(Create a numbered list of assumptions and
constraints.) .

Dependent Projects:
What projects must be underway or completed before
this project can be successful? What projects depend
on this one for their successful outcome?
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Project Problem/Opportunity

• Project Background
• Customer/Stakeholders
• Customer Benefits
• Strategic Fit

These sections of the charter answer the following questions:

Why is the project important?
What are the strategic or operational reasons for the project?
Who are the direct customers? Who needs to be involved?
What are the specific benefits to the bottom line?
Project Background -- Include key points describing the current situation, the
desired situation, the gap between them, and proposed solutions. Previous analysis
information could include: Business Process Re-engineering documents, Business
Procedure manuals, Feasibility Study Report (FSR), Performance measurements,
and tactical planning.
Customers/Stakeholders -- List the organizational units who will benefit most
from the project results, as well as any organizational unit that will be affected by
the project outcome. Remember to include the appropriate control agencies if
required.
Customer Benefits -- Identify the effect on the business bottom line. Benefits
should: Increase Revenue, Avoid Costs, Improve Service, (IRACIS) and/or Comply
with a Mandate.
Strategic Fit -- State the strategic or operational goals that the project supports.
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Project Background
• Describe the current situation
• Describe the desired situation
• Describe the contributing factors
• Describe what it would take to
bridge the gap

NOTES:
The Project Background section summarizes the results of problem analysis. This
should always be the first step in a project. Without a clear statement of the
problem, the correct solution is left up to a lucky guess.
Problem analysis steps are as follows:
Current Situation: Ask "What is happening now? What is the effect on the
organization? What is the effect on our customers? What is the effect on our ability
to compete?"
Desired Situation: Ask "What should happen? How should employees be able to
handle this situation? What would satisfy our customers? What should we do to be
more competitive?"
Contributing Factors: Ask "What is forcing us to do business in the current
manner? Why does the current system work the way it does?"
Bridging_the Gap: Ask" What changes could we make to move toward the desired
situation? Would the use of information technology help? Ifso, how?"
Avoid the tendency to jump to solutions without first carefully stating the problem.
Your problem statement needs to pass the "So what?" test. It takes discipline to
keep asking, "Am I describing a solution instead of a problem? If so, what is the
problem that this solution solves? Is it really the root problem, or is it merely a
symptom.
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Customers/Sta ke holders
• Who are your customers?
Are they external or internal to your organization?
• Who will use the end product?
• Who will need to change their processes as a result of
your project?
• Who interfaces with your project?
• What agencies can regulate the project?
• Is there anyone else who needs to know about your
project?

This step helps to identify who needs to be on the core team as a customer
representative and who needs to be identified as a stakeholder so that the project
team will keep them informed.
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Project Outcomes
• Project Objective Statement
• Project Deliverables
• Successful Completion Criteria
• Project Scope

These sections of the charter ensure that all those involved have the same
understanding of what the project will produce. The following questions are
addressed:
• What will the project accomplish? By when?
• What are the specific end products that will be available for use when the
project is completed?
• How will the project team and the customers measure the completion of the
project?
• What specific aspects of the problem/opportunity will be addressed by this
project? What aspects will not be addressed?

Project Objective Statement: Short, overall objective for the project. States what
will be accomplished, by when, and for how much.
Project Deliverables: High-level list of what the customer will have when the
project is completed.
Successful Completion Criteria: Provides a measurable answer to the question
"How do we know we are done?"
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Project Objective Statement

• Make it SMAR T*
• Make it SHORT
• Make it ENERGIZING!

* Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant,

Time-based

NOTES:
The Project Objective Statement (POS) is a high-level, written summary of the
project. The POS states what the project must accomplish in order to be successful.
It reflects the current understanding of the project and is used tofocus the team
members, the sponsor, and other key stakeholders on the primary objective of the
project.

The POS should be concise, 25 words or less, and avoid jargon as much as possible.

A word of caution -- Make sure that the POS is measurable and achievable. The
project's success will be determined by how well it achieved the POS. The
following are example POS's for different projects:

The Apollo Project: By the end of the decade, send a man to the moon
and return him safely to earth.

A process improvement project: Implement a Cannery Project

Management Office by Q3 2000 to provide standard project
management processes and guidelines and to assist Project Managers in
tracking and reporting progress.

A Training Information System Project: By the yd Quarter ofFY 99,

develop a centralized training information database to be the sole
source of scheduling and registration activities for the department.
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Identifying Deliverables

• What will the customer have when we finish?

• What will the support staff have when we
finish?

Deliverables are tangible products that will be in place as a result of your project.
What does your customer expect to receive when this project is completed? What
do the supporting organizations need? What about each of the stakeholders?
The deliverables match the project objective. If your project objective is to deliver
a complete system, then the deliverables will include installed source code,
documentation, and training materials as a minimum. If your objective is to
evaluate alternatives and plan the implementation of a system, then the deliverables
will include the evaluation results and an implementation plan.

The deliverahles list should include those deliverables that satisfy the sponsor and
the customers, and ensure that the project has achieved its objective and provides a
useful end product.
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Defining Completion Criteria

How do we know we are done??

~ Acceptable
~ Measurable
~Testable
~ Achievable

Describe how the success of the project will be determined from the customer's
perspective. The completion criteria should be in quantifiable/measurable terms so
that there is no doubt as to the project's success.

If the functional requirements have been sufficiently quantified, meeting them

constitutes the successful completion criteria. Quantifiable measures of customer
use and/or satisfaction with the final product also can be used to measure the
successful completion of the project.

The completion criteria are:

Acceptable - if they describe the level of performance of system characteristics that
satisfy the customers
Measurable - if they describe a characteristic that can be quantified
Testable - if a test or a simulation can be constructed to verify the level of the
measurable quantity
Achievable - if the desired level can be realistically achieved by this project given
the limits of the Triple Constraint
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

What's in Scope?
• What parts of the problem will
we address?
~Geographic areas?
~ Business processes?
~ Equipment?
~Training?
~ Installation?
~ Infrastructure?
• What parts of the problem will we not
address?

The scope of a project sets the boundaries so that it can be completed successfully.
The project boundaries are defined by specific customer business areas to be
supported, functionality to be included, and/or technologies to be addressed.

If the project needs to be accomplished in phases, state the specific boundaries for
this phase at part of the scope.

It is usually beneficial to clearly state what the project does NOT include to help
identify the project boundaries.
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Project Approach

• Core Team Members

• Triple Constraint Trade-off
• Major Milestones
• Risks
• Current Issues
• Dependent Proj eets
• Assumptions/Constraints
• Budget

These sections of the charter contain general information about how the project will
proceed. They answer the following questions:
What are the relative flexibility levels of the Triple Constraint?
What specific dates does the project need to meet?
Who is plays the various roles on the core team?
What is the level of risk associated with this project?
What related areas should we pay attention to?
Core Team Members: Identify team members by skill set provided and by name.
Triple Constraint Trade-off: Determine which of the three constraints this project
must meet in order to be successful.
Major Milestones: IdentitY major dates for measuring progress and reporting to
management.
Risks: Use general risk areas to determine if this is a "risky" project.
Current Issues: Identify issues that need to be addressed now.
Dependent Projects: List projects that are outside the scope of this project and either
depend on us or upon which we depend.
Assumptions/Constraints: List assumptions which if they prove wrong will cause
problems for the project..
Budget: If known, state the total budget allocated to the project.
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Core Team Members

• Committed to the proj ect

• Should include at least one user representative
• Includes skill sets needed to create each
deliverable

The following definition of a team is taken from Jon Katzenbach and Douglas Smith in
the "The Wisdom of Teams."
"A team is a small number of people with complementary skills who are
committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which
they hold themselves mutually accountable."

Thus, the core team for a software project is a small group of people (2 - 8) with
complementary skills who are committed to the project objectives. The exact roles on
the team vary depending on the project. However, all project teams should include at
least one representative from the customer organization. At the beginning of a project,
the core team may consist of the team leads who are responsible for accomplishing the
various deliverables.
The core team members are dedicated to the project. In reality, this may not mean
100% of their time is committed, but it does mean that core team members are held
accountable for timely completion of their tasks.
Additional team members needed as subject matter experts on a temporary basis are not
counted in the core team.
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Negotiating The Triple Constraint

Scope

Managing a project requires balancing three constraints: resources, schedule and

scope. These three constraints are interdependent -- and the quality of the end result
is dependent on selecting the proper balance. A change in one factor causes the
others to change as well.
Use the Triple Constraint Trade-off on the Project Charter as a tool to identify
which one of these three factors is the least flexible on this project. For example, if
your project must be delivered at a particular time, the schedule is "Not Flexible."
If it should have a pre-defined set of features, the scope is "Somewhat Flexible."
The remaining constraint, resources, is "Most Flexible." Note that only one
constraint is identified as "Not Flexible."
The Triple Constraint Tradeoff negotiation occurs with the Executive Sponsor and
is a crucial part of managing the project. This negotiation re-occurs as the project
progresses and the Triple Constraint trade-off is adjusted accordingly. An
adjustment to the Triple Constraint requires that the Project charter be updated and
approved by the Executive Sponsor.
Concerns that help to identify the constraint that is not flexible include:
• Legislative or other requirement to meet a particular date where the penalty
for not meeting the date is greater than the cost of meeting it.
• Customer safety dependent on a specific set of features.
• Operating with a fixed budget.
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Major Milestones

• What events will the team use to

measure progress?
• What are major approval points?
• Are there externally imposed required dates?

Major milestones establish interim goals and deadlines to guide team toward
accomplishing the final project objective. The milestone schedule forms the
foundation upon which the project schedule will be constructed. It provides an
understanding of the major accomplishments and when they need to be completed
in order to complete the project successfully.
List the major events by which you intend to measure your progress on the project.
Keep the list relatively short (10 or less) -- these are major milestones. A major
milestone may include several smaller milestones that lead up to the major event.
Choose milestones based on the major events that the Executive Sponsor needs to
hear about.
For each milestone, describe the event and include a date based on your current
knowledge of the project. This date could be an imposed deadline or an estimate of
when the team thinks they can complete the tasks. In the initial versions of the
Project Charter, some dates may be left blank until further planning has been
accomplished. Adjustments to the milestone dates require an update to the charter.
Example milestones include:
Initial Project Charter approved
Customer approval of system requirements
Testing complete
Procurement completed
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Evaluating the Level of Risk

Would project failure be a

lli~-
major blow to the organization?
Is there significant commitment
of funds?
Is the proj ect team likely to lack necessary
skills or equipment?
Is this a new and unproven technology?
Does the project require major changes to the
customer's way of doing business?

Risks are events that that could cause the project to fail. Concentrate on those
events, which are outside the jurisdiction of the project and could be "show-
stoppers" to the success of the project.

The Risks section of the Charter identifies general risks that the project team is
aware of at the beginning of the project. These serve as a "heads-up" warning and
identify the overall risk level of the project. The "Risk Management Plan" created
in the Planning Phase, identifies specific risks in detail and defines preventive
actions and contingency plans.
Example risks to consider at the beginning of a project include:
• Affect that project failure would have on the business
• Availability of skilled project team members
• Facilities and equipment not ready in time
• New technology that may not work as planned
• Difficulty of defining the project business requirements
• Likelihood of creeping scope.
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Project Name: I Start Date: I

Estimated End Date: I
Sponsor:
Proiect Mar: Triple Constraint Trade-off:
Charter Version #: Resources Select a different flexibility letter
Updated by: for each constraint.
Approved By: Schedule Flexibility letter choices are:
Approval Date: N = Not Flexible
Scope S = Somewhat Flexible
M = Most Flexible
Project Objective Statement:

Major High-Level Milestones

Milestone Planned Actual

Strategic Fit:

Customer: Project Core Team Members

Team Member Role

Customer Benefits:

Risks:

Successful Completion Criteria:

Project Deliverables:
Current Issues:
-
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Project Background: Project Scope:

In Scope:

Iproject Budget:
Funding Source:
Software Project Management Session 2: The Software Project Charter

Session Two Review

• What is the purpose of the Project Announcement?
• What is the purpose of the Communications Matrix?
• Why is a Project Charter so important
for a Software Project?
• What are the three types of analysis that are essential
for a Software Project Charter?
• What is the purpose of a Trade-off Matrix?
• What parts of the Project Charter can be completed at
Project Initiation?