Fail to Prepare and You Prepare to Fail
It’s a quote from Benjamin Franklin.
And is very applicable to delivering projects.
Opportunity comes a knocking
If you've been tapped on the shoulder to deliver a project. It's a great opportunity to prove yourself, as well as hopefully getting to apply your knowledge as well as learn new skills.
But there's the potential stress that comes with it. Doing something new, not wanting to fail and having to balance this with your BAU activities.
It can be tempting to go straight to execution mode. Don't!
Invest time in the preparation. When I first got tapped on the shoulder to deliver a project it was part of a large high-profile program with a lot of senior management attention (it was in response to an APRA report on irregular trading).
Given the attention (both internally and externally), I felt like we should get a shifty on. I was working with an experienced program manager who knew the importance of extensive preparation and planning. I found this ridiculously frustrating and it felt like we were wasting valuable time.
But in time I realised how valuable this was. We got clear on where we were going, how, and who was doing the work. We looked at the road ahead and considered what might go wrong, unpacked assumptions. Time was taken to map out the stakeholders and plans developed on how to engage them.
It wasn’t too long before I could see the madness to his ways.
Preparation step 1
For anyone with a project to deliver a good starting point is a Project Charter.
This isn't war and peace - it's a short document that gets on paper the why, what, who, and when at a relatively high level. It includes items like the purpose, scope, deliverables, success criteria, benefits, milestones and critical dates, budget, project team, key stakeholders, and an initial review of risks, constraints and assumptions.
The benefits of a Project Charter
A project charter serves as a roadmap for the project team by outlining its purpose, goals, and scope. Key components to include in your project charter are project objectives, stakeholders, risks, constraints, and assumptions
Purpose: establishes why the project is required and the problem it will solve and the benefits it will bring
Clear destination: a project charter defines the purpose, and objectives and avoids any incorrect assumptions
Define scope: the outline of what is in and out of scope is included. This sets a baseline for the scope, to help prevent scope creep (the underdoing of many a project!)
Key stakeholders: these are identified to ensure their inclusion in the planning process and it helps get their buy-in and approval
Roles and responsibilities: the project team and any additional resource support is defined along with their roles and responsibilities, so they understand what’s expected of them
Minimise risk: an initial identification of risks along with a mitigation approach, plus establish the assumptions made and any constraints
Costs: the budget is documented
Manage expectations: clearly defining the project's objectives, scope, costs and timelines, helps manage stakeholders’ expectations.
Decision-making framework: by documenting the objectives and scope you have a baseline against which to make informed decisions, understanding the impact they will have.
By getting this signed off by the Project Sponsor and key stakeholders, you've got an agreed starting point.
Summary
An effective project charter clarifies roles and responsibilities, helps prevents scope creep, and aligns team members and stakeholders on the project's purpose and expectations.. In a nutshell, a project charter provides a clear roadmap that helps ensure a project’s success.
There are plenty of templates out there. If you'd like one, DM me or pop 'Project Charter' in the comments and I'll send you a copy.
PS It’s also a handy document to use as part of your project close to confirm that everything has been completed and expectations have been met.
If you’d like a Project Charter template, message me at sarah@sarahjdavis.com - just pop Project Charter in the subject field.
Sarah