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CAPITULO IV. EVALUACIÓN Y CONTROL: SISTEMA DE INFORMACIÓN

Gráfica 3.3. Composición de los pisos de las viviendas en el Perú

The project sponsor and project manager use the project charter to determine if they should proceed. They need the following informa- tion to make this determination:

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• Project purpose and requirements • Objectives and success criteria • Description and boundaries • Key risks

• Assumptions and constraints • Milestones

• Budget • Stakeholders • Acceptance criteria • Approvals and date

These sections of the project charter include the following information:

Project Purpose and Requirements: The project purpose answers

the question of why the stakeholders are doing this project. Sometimes, the purpose influences the design of the project. For example, if the primary purpose of the deck is to grow and display flowers or vegetables in planters, the project man- ager considers the amount of sun and shade. If the primary purpose is for reading and computer activities, the project manager might consider a canopy to ensure enough shade for these activities.

The requirements identify what the project and stakehold- ers need from the product of the project to meet the proj- ect objectives. The deck may need space for grill, a table, and chairs in order to fulfill the objective of spending more time outdoors.

Objectives and Success Criteria: In this section, the project sponsor

and project customer identify what the project must accom- plish to be successful. In some cases, they may not be able to determine project success until the project is complete, and the consumer of the product of the project has an opportunity to use the product. The objective is descriptive while the suc- cess criteria allow measurement of the extent to which the project has met its objectives. For example, the objective of the deck might be to spend more time with family outdoors; success criteria might be a minimum of 2 hours per day or 12 hours each week spent using the deck as a family. Often,

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ProjeC t Charter

the satisfaction of the success criteria cannot be assessed until the project is finished and the stakeholders are using the product of the project.

Description and Boundaries: Stakeholders expect that the project

description supports the objectives and requirements.

The project manager identifies project boundaries by speci- fying what is out of scope. Listing out-of-scope items early in the process provides an opportunity for discussion as to whether selected items are part of the project or beyond the boundaries of the project. It is better to have these discus- sions early in the process so that all stakeholders have the same expectations. For example, the project charter (Figure 2.1) for the deck states that railings are out of scope. Since a raised deck without railings is likely to pose a safety hazard, this restriction implies a deck that is low to the ground. The charter also describes the deck as a three season deck; this suggests protection from excessive heat or cold.

Key Risks: Early identification of project threats and opportuni-

ties allows an early assessment of what might go wrong and provides opportunities to improve project outcomes. Project stakeholders use this information to make an early go or no-go decision for the project.

Assumptions and Constraints: An assumption is a statement that

is considered to be true for planning purposes. Although the project manager doesn’t know if the statement is true or not right now, he will find out over time. Assumptions either prove to be true, in which case, they are facts and the proj- ect manager removes them from the list of assumptions, or they prove to be false, in which case, they may be a risk to the project, and the project manager adds them to the list of risks.

Constraints limit the project team’s options. If the deck must be at least 5 feet from abutting property, the team may not be able to situate the deck in certain places.

Milestones: This is the first attempt at a project schedule and tests

the feasibility of delivering the product of the project within the required time frame. If the team cannot start on the deck

18 ProjeC t ManageMent siMPLified Project Charter

Project Name: Deck for Rental Property

Project Purpose and Requirements: Create an outdoor space to enjoy family activities during nice weather; enough room for grill, table, and 6 chairs; easily accommodate 10 people

Objectives and Success Criteria

• Objective—spend more free time outdoors • Success Criteria—used on average 5 days per week

• Success Criteria—enhances rental value by 2% over equivalent properties Description and Boundaries

• 3-Season deck, wood fl oor, aesthetic fi t with house • Out of scope—railings, lighting, stairs

Key Risks

• Th reat—soil cannot support weight of deck; need to “reinforce” the soil at extra cost/time

• Th reat—neighbors concerned about loud parties

• Opportunity—abutting neighbors hear about the idea and want to build decks also; opportunity for reduced costs in case of bulk purchases

Assumptions and Constraints

• Assumption—owner secures any necessary building permits prior to construction

• Constraint—sides of deck must be at least 5 feet from abutting property Milestones

• Kickoff and charter approved—Project start • Permits secured—week 1

• Materials purchased—week 3 • Construction begins—week 4 • Construction complete—week 5

• Town inspection complete; approved for use—week 6 • Lessons learned and project completion—week 6 Budget

• Costs: building supplies, permits—$3,000 • Revenue—none

• Note that grill and deck furniture are out of scope for this project Stakeholders

• Project manager, property owner, renters, neighbors Acceptance Criteria

• Property owner signs off on project; decides if project meets the requirements • Renters’ evidence approval via use of the deck

Approvals and Date

Project Manager: _____________________________ Date:____________________________ Sponsor (Property Owner): ________ ___________ Date:________________________ Figure 2.1 Project charter for deck project.

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ProjeC t Charter

until August or September due to other commitments, it may make more sense to delay the project until the following spring. Milestones are significant events; they do not address the process to get work done, they identify the dates by which work must be complete.

Budget: This is the first estimate of costs and revenue, if any. Stakeholders: This is the list of people involved with, or impacted

by, the project. It is a best practice to keep the most influential stakeholders involved in project planning and execution.

Acceptance Criteria: This is slightly different from the success cri-

teria listed earlier. The success criteria focus on whether the project satisfies the project purpose and may require evalu- ation many weeks or months after the project completes. Acceptance criteria focus on conditions at the time the project completes; it may be less stringent than the success criteria. The project sponsor and customer may be willing to accept a project that is less than 100% successful, such as a deck that is a bit smaller, more expensive, or completed late. The accep- tance criteria are the conditions that, if met, then appropriate stakeholders sign off on the project, make final payments, and accept ownership and responsibility for the ongoing main- tenance of the product. The project customer defines project acceptance criteria; the project manager documents this proj- ect acceptance criteria.

Approvals and Date: Both the project manager and sponsor must

sign the project charter indicating their support and approval of the effort.

Figure 2.1 illustrates a project charter for the scenario of building the deck for the owner of rental property.

Appendix B contains the project charter for the Community Gardens project.

2.2.1 Checkpoint

At this point, you need to begin your project plan. Select a project that you consider “plan-worthy.” Use the sample charters for the deck and the Community Gardens projects to guide your efforts. Write down

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the preliminary information required for the project charter. Obtain the appropriate sign offs on this information.

Once the project charter is complete and approved, the project manager further identifies the work of the project in the form of the project scope statement.

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Project scoPe

Once the project manager has an approved project charter, he is ready to develop the details of the project core. As illustrated earlier, the project core is like a jigsaw puzzle with four pieces (scope, schedule, budget, and quality), and project risk bounds this core project. Project scope and project quality determine how long a project takes and how much a project costs; project risk influences the ease or difficulty of delivering the scope and quality on schedule and within budget.

The journey through project core begins with an exploration and elaboration of project scope from the preliminary information in the project charter.

Think of the project charter as a preliminary assessment before committing to a larger project. For a medical issue, it is common to have x-rays or MRIs to determine if more extensive medical treat- ment is warranted. People often request an estimate of repairs for a car or appliance before committing to larger and more expensive repair work. In business, companies often build a prototype before committing to full scale development and production. And, home- owners often request a proposal from contractors before committing to extensive renovations.

In the project scope, the project manager expands on the informa- tion in the project charter and answers the questions of “who, what, why, where, when, and how.” He validates the preliminary go or no-go decision made based on the project charter and aligns key stakehold- ers around the project core. Once he has a sign off on the project scope statement, he creates a work breakdown structure (WBS) to capture and organize the key project and product deliverables.