4.1 integration management : project charter concept

as we mentioned before  ; project charter document could be small or long documents and it’s components could be vary , here some initial components that we recommend ( as networks pioneers ) to be included in project charter :

Project background   

• Why do this project?
• Is it triggered by a new market trend or a strategic direction?
• Is it initiated as a response to a change in organizational structure?
• Is it to support a marketing initiative?
• project background 
• sometimes called executive summary 

  Project Goals and Objectives

• define what’ll constitute success for this project.
• The goals need to be specific and measurable so you can evaluate progress and make adjustments along the way, if necessary.

 Scope

• What are the high-level attributes of the end product of this project (deliverables)?
• What actions do the team need to take to deliver this end product?
• What activities your team will NOT be involved in during the process
• The scope of a project defines the boundaries of the project.
• It helps you clearly delineate responsibilities to avoid confusion during production and implementation.
• It also helps you make the right decision on staffing and resource allocation.

 Governance

• This refers to the key stakeholders involved in the project – e.g. project manager, project sponsor, client, and team members –
• their responsibilities, and reporting relationships.
• In smaller projects, you may list out every individual team member.
• In larger projects, you may only list out the team leads to help streamline communication. 

 Key Dates or Milestones

• This section serves to communicate a general understanding of the timeline.
• Since the project charter is created before the planning phrase, it should be made clear that these key dates are “roughly manner ”. like : Start date , End date  , Invoicing dates
• Make sure to note any deadline that’s non-negotiable – let’s say you’re designing gift showroom and it should be opened before national day – SO … open showroom  before the national day is not a negotiable part of the project.

 Project Budget, or Cost

• This section lists out the estimated costs for resources  of the project.
• It should include all costs and expenses, categorized by fiscal year, one-time costs or recurring costs.
• Again, since this is done before a detailed project plan is established, make it clear that the information is a rough estimation.  

Assumptions, Constraints, Risks, and Dependencies

• This section lists out the various factors that could affect the success of the project
• Constraints are the internal and external factors that limit the project in a particular way
• They could pertain to technical limitations, available human resources or budget etc.
• Assumptions are factors that you assume to be true in order for the project to progress as planned.
• Risks are anything that may hinder your team from delivering on the project’s objectives. 
• Dependencies are essential parts of the project that need to happen before the objectives can be achieved, typically not under your team’s control.  

Project Manager Authority Levels

• The authority levels indicates what a project manager can make decisions on without getting further sign off from senior management or project sponsors.
• For example, “PM has a 17% tolerance on budget and a 5% tolerance on schedule.”
• The tolerance level is how far the project manager can stretch.
• This can also extend to cover the project manager’s authority to hire or fire staff from the project team.

Communication Plan

• This section indicates how project manager would communicate with project owners, stakeholders, team members, and other participants during the project.
• Besides channels of communication, this can also include the expectation on response time 

anyhow : >> we will provide you with some charter sample , and you will notice that it could include another components beside of initial components above