“There is nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency something that should not be done at all.”

Peter F. Drucker

So, start a project with alignment

One of the big challenges of project management is the project alignment between the stakeholders. 

According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) guide, a project charter is a critical document that serves several important purposes:

1. Authorizes the project: The project charter provides formal authorization for the project to begin, ensuring that everyone is aligned and committed to the project goals and objectives.

2. Defines the project scope: The project charter defines the scope of the project, outlining what is included and excluded from the project, as well as the key deliverables and requirements.

3. Establishes project governance: The project charter establishes the project governance structure, including the roles and responsibilities of the project manager, project sponsor, and other stakeholders.

4. Identifies stakeholders: The project charter identifies all stakeholders involved in the project, including project team members, sponsors, and external stakeholders.

5. Sets project expectations: The project charter sets clear expectations for the project in terms of performance metrics, timeline, budget, and quality.

6. Provides a reference point: The project charter serves as a reference point throughout the project, ensuring that everyone stays aligned and focused on the project goals and objectives.

Overall, the project charter is a critical and living document that helps ensure the success of the project by providing a clear understanding of what the project aims to achieve, how it will be executed, and who is responsible for what.

When working with stakeholders to define the scope of a project, it is important to ask the right questions to ensure that everyone has a clear understanding of what is included and excluded from the project. 

I prepared a checklist of topics that I believe that are relevant to discuss and ensure that everyone is aligned and I would like to share it with you:

Contrat Type	Fixed-Price Contracts Cost-Reimbursable Contracts Time and Material Contracts
Life Cycle	Predictive (or Waterfall) Life CycleAdaptive (or Agile) Life Cycle Hybrid Life Cycle
Scope	What problem are you trying to solve with this project? Are there any technical or functional requirements that the project must meet? Are there any out of scope requirements?
Goals and objectives	What are the specific goals you want to achieve through this project?
Stakeholders	Who are the stakeholders and what are their expectations for the project?
Billing plan	Which are the payment conditions? Is there any acceptance criteria?
Inputs	Which are the documents and artifacts that shall be considered in the project execution?
Timeline, Deliverables, Milestones	What are the key features or deliverables you expect to see in the final product? What is the desired timeline for the project, including any key milestones?
Risks and Constraints	What are the project constraints, such as time, budget, or resources? What are the risks associated with the project and how can they be mitigated?  Are there any assumptions being made about the project that need to be clarified?
Budget	What are the budget constraints? What is the financial capital required to fund the project?
Resources	What are the available resources (people, equipment,…)?
Communication	Which will be the communication channels with the stakeholders and the team?  What shall be the frequency of communication?
Tools and Access	Which will be the tools to be used in the project? Which access shall the team have?

Remember, the more answers you have, the bigger the step towards success.

Let’s rock!