There are lots of creeps in our lives. The creepy guy that lives on the corner. The dance move. The Radiohead song. I’m thinking about an insidious workplace creep – scope creep. Several clients have requested project management training over the past few months. Time and time again, I hear about smart people who jump into projects without a clear plan. Without a well-documented project charter, scope creep is inevitable. A good project charter will include:
Roles:
Project Lead
Project Sponsor
Stakeholder Analysis
Initial team representation
Background
Why are we doing this?
What is the risk of doing nothing?
Intended Outcomes
Major milestones
Deliverables
Metrics
Budget
Financial Resources
Human Resources
Project Scope
And most importantly, what is NOT in scope
Team members come and go on longer-term projects. Executives have a “great idea” midway through a project. A previously unidentified stakeholder group is sending the project team on a detour. These situations can be addressed quickly with a strong and thorough project charter.
Can the scope be changed? Absolutely. It will probably require more time, people or money. With a strong charter and other strong project management tools, you can make better, more intentional decisions improve the odds of successful project and avoid the creeps.
If you are interested in bringing project management tools or training to your organization, contact us today. Our Department on Demand Toolkit has been recently updated and a new Project Management Essentials workshop has been created.
Project Lead
Project Sponsor
Stakeholder Analysis
Initial team representation
Background
Why are we doing this?
What is the risk of doing nothing?
Intended Outcomes
Major milestones
Deliverables
Metrics
Budget
Financial Resources
Human Resources
Project Scope
And most importantly, what is NOT in scope
Team members come and go on longer-term projects. Executives have a “great idea” midway through a project. A previously unidentified stakeholder group is sending the project team on a detour. These situations can be addressed quickly with a strong and thorough project charter.
Can the scope be changed? Absolutely. It will probably require more time, people or money. With a strong charter and other strong project management tools, you can make better, more intentional decisions improve the odds of successful project and avoid the creeps.
If you are interested in bringing project management tools or training to your organization, contact us today. Our Department on Demand Toolkit has been recently updated and a new Project Management Essentials workshop has been created.