Charter Non-Starter

Utilizing the Scope of Work document as a Charter alternative

Eric Stedfeld, CAPM, NYU LibrariesDLF Fall Forum, Baltimore MD, November 2, 2011

Charter Non-Starter

• An evolving approach and how we got here• Charter vs. Scope Statement – defining the

rules• PMBOK Guide, also evolving• Observations, conclusions and questions

Progress…?

Particular Needs

• Standardize and better document our processes and deliverables

• Streamline documentation and keep it lightweight

• Communicate simply, clearly and quickly to clients and team

• Provide guidance early in the project, rather than after the fact

Initiation Process

Initiation Process

• Sequencing workflow diagram• Project Proposal form• Initiation meeting• Follow-up email• Project charter

Initiation Process

Initiation Process, the Good

• Better channeling and documenting of project requests

• Quicker responsiveness to received requests• Better articulation of expectations - “on the

same page”• Repeatable process for initiating similar

projects

Initiation Process, the Not-so-good

• Unclear and cumbersome approval process• Initiation documentation creation too slow -

“after the fact”• No standardized change request process

Charter to Scope of Work

Scope of Work, the Good

• Buy time in approval process• Buy time for adding dates to later deliverables• Allow revisions while pinning down what’s

needed• Goal: once deliverables and dates are fixed,

lock down document and rename it Charter

Scope of Work, the Not-so-good

• No overt approval• Delayed dates for deliverables• No transition to Charter

It’s Working – Factors in Our Favor

• Fairly predictable set of projects• Experienced team with high level of

understanding and trust• Continues tacit approval process from

previously• Most (non-grant-funded) projects have

modest deadlines

New Challenges

• Defining roles and responsibilities of a smaller number of project managers

• Growing number of projects and expectations• More choices, priorities and “approvals” will

need to be made

Charter vs. Scope Statement - Defining the Rules

Charter vs. Scope Statement

“The Charter is developed by the sponsor, and the Scope Statement is developed by the

project manager as a response - keep these two documents separate”

“The project Scope Statement is a part of the project Charter”

“The project Charter defines the scope of your project”

Charter vs. Scope Statement

• Charter: product description; Scope Statement: project description, project product

• Charter: project manager; Scope Statement: project manager and team members

• Charter: basic needs of the work to be performed; Scope Statement: project objectives, client/sponsor’s expectations, critical success factors

• Charter: high level schedule; Scope Statement: deliverables and milestone plan

- Ricardo Vargas, past Chair of the PMI Board of Directors

Charter vs. Scope Statement

• Diversity of definitions and distinctions• The Scope Statement may bring more detail and

specificity to the Charter• A lot of potential overlap between the Charter and

Scope Statement• Separate sources?

Charter vs. Scope Statement – PMBOK Guide

Scope Processes - PMBOK 3rd Ed.

• “Develop Preliminary Scope Statement”• “Scope Planning”• “Scope Definition”• Create WBS• “Scope Verification”• “Scope Control”

Scope Processes - PMBOK 4th Ed.

• “Develop Preliminary Scope Statement”• “Scope Planning” “Collect Requirements”• “Scope Definition” “Define Scope”• Create WBS• “Scope Verification” “Verify Scope”• “Scope Control” “Control Scope”

Scope Components• Stakeholder Register ->

Requirements Documentation• Requirements Documentation ->

Project Scope Statement, WBS, Accepted Deliverables, Change Requests and Work Performance Measurements

• Project Scope Statement -> WBS• WBS and WBS Dictionary• Scope Baseline - includes the Project Scope

Statement, WBS and WBS Dictionary

“In short…” (conclusions)

• Preliminary Scope Statement – Miss U!• “Satisfice” – satisfy and suffice• Know the rules before breaking them – align

where possible, stray with caution• Stay tuned, as guidelines get further refined• Adopt practices that work for your

organization

Questions?

Eric StedfeldNew York University Libraries

Digital Library Technology Services (DLTS) eric@nyu.edu