Earlier this month, PMHut.com posted an article, “So What’s Your Project Charter.” It caught my eye. As I hope you’ve noticed, I’ve been considering the various tools and processes that PMs can use on projects and trying to determine which are most relevant to our environment, Cottage PM (see About Cottage PM on the left nav bar).
And I fully intended to suggest that the formality of project charters is usually not needed for Cottage PM environments. I tend to shun formalities in general in my environment; they’re often quickly interpreted as process overhead with little value, and once that conclusion is made, it’s hard to overcome.
But then a colleague of mine latched onto the project charter as a solution to a huge new project problem he’s facing. I had my doubts, but today began to see some fruits of his approach, so my anti-charter stance is softening. In fact, I’m beginning to think that some form of charter is probably essential to Cottage PM success.
What’s a Project Charter?
Well, for a really good write-up, see PM Hut’s article here: http://www.pmhut.com/so-whats-your-project-charter. It’s worth the read.
PM Hut provides this short definition of a Project Charter:
…a formal agreement between the creators and consumers of project deliverables that establishes the purpose, boundaries, directions, limitations and participants of a project.
The Charter is the first run at formally defining the project. Expanding on this quick definition, PM Hut offers a few more ideas on content. The following are those that my colleague is using to define his project.
- Project Goals
- Project Scope (boundaries)
- Project Objectives
- Project Approach
Project Charters in Cottage PM
So, why am I shifting my stance on project charters in Cottage PM? Maybe we’re not building rocket ships, but our projects carry significant impact and investment and risk for our organizations. For all projects, small and large, clarity of expectations and direction are essential to producing the right output and to creating value for the enterprise.
In Cottage PM, we work where there is little formal knowledge or formal practice around projects. We work with really talented, creative people who know how to get things done. Really talented people get lots of ideas. Lots of different ideas. That’s both a boon and a bane to the PM. Lots of ideas are good for finding solutions. But at some point you have to reign that all in and align it to a single project vision.
The Project Charter is perhaps the first tool the PM can use to begin to align all those stated and unstated expectations; the first step to being able to paint a picture, to create a vision that everyone can get behind. It’s also a more formal way to validate one’s own understanding of what’s intended.
You need that just as much in Cottage PM as in larger projects. We could argue that in the absence for project formalities, you need this early definition even more than others may.
How To Use A Project Charter
The answer to how to use a project charter depends on your organizational norms and expectations. In my case, we’re getting away with using the word “Charter” — more on that below. But the charter, like any other project process or tool, should not be created and sent out as a notification. Do that, and you might as well not bother. Instead, you can either create it collaboratively with your sponsor and key stakeholders, or you can distill your own understandings into a charter, then meet with them to present it, to discuss it, and to adjust it.
For example, today my colleague introduced this idea during a staff meeting with the VP. On the agenda was a quick update about this project. As part of the update, he indicated that he was drafting a charter and would be meeting with the VP soon on that. He briefly define the charter in non-threatening language. He even shared some key points of the charter already so that it didn’t appear that he hadn’t done anything on it or that he was saving it all for later. Very open communication, but also setting a stage for more formal, more complete understanding. Now the VP has both an update and a plan for further definition. And he’s not surprised or confused by a new process. Score one for the project manager!
I Still Hate the Term “Project Charter.”
Typical teaching about Project Charter centers both on this definition value and on the idea of “authorization.” This angle of authorization may not be so meaningful in Cottage PM. Often, the PM is also the functional manager and has natural ownership over the project. Declaring some separate authority seems redundant and can lead to that perception of meaningless process overhead. However, if you work in an environment where declaration of authority is needed, then by all means, leverage the Charter for that, too.
If we remove that idea of “Authority” from the Charter, then the term “Charter” itself seems empty to me. I dislike the term. It says to me: “You’re trying to process me; we’ve already talked about this; quit forcing me down a PMBOK path and just go do what I need!”
If you face that perception risk, too, then change the name if you need to. Label it something meaningful for your environment. Or, if the term “Project Charter” is simply unknown, you may do better to simply define in meaningful terms and move on. Just don’t feel trapped by the label. I bristled at the label for a long time, and am now realizing that I rejected the value of the tool because its name and its focus on authority. All the while, I was fighting problems created by a lack of early formal project definition.
So, I stand converted to charters, though perhaps by another name.
Related posts:
Usually I would agree that small projects don’t need the formality of a project charter. However if there is time, or more importantly if the scope if confused then writing a project charter can be really useful.
This is especially the case if there is no project justification document.
Admittedly when I used to run small projects I never bothered with any documentation. There was simply never enough time to do it before the project was over. However now that I turnaround failing programs and large projects I have realised how key such documentation is.
However it really it a judgement call for the project manager to make. It depends on their experience and the complexity of the project as to whether a project charter will be benefical or not.
Regards
Susan de Sousa
Site Editor http://www.my-project-management-expert.com
[Reply]
Max Walker Reply:
January 21st, 2010 at 13:49
@My-Project-Management-Expert.com, Thanks for the comment, Susan! I agree with you; there’s a lot of judgment call for us in smaller projects. Like you, I’ve not used charters much. It suddenly became relevant as we recognized some project risk recently stemming from a lack of definition and a plethora of drifting stakeholder expectations. I think the use of charter in that case matches your comments. Thanks for the additional insight.
[Reply]
Hi Max,
Thanks for the heads up.
This is indeed an excellent article and Chuck Tryon (the author of this article) is a very experienced Project Manager.
What do you think is a better name for the Project Charter?
[Reply]
Max Walker Reply:
January 22nd, 2010 at 13:45
Howdy – and thanks for the comment. I wondered if someone would call me on not offering a substitute name for “Project Charter.”
Alas, I have no new snazzy term to offer instead. My complaint is the emphasis on authority, when that hasn’t been the most meaningful use of Charter in my environment.
The key angle for me is the early documentation of the project definition. That content is universally meaningful, I think. Calling it project scope is too generous and intrudes on later planning. Perhaps simply referring to it as a Project Definition Doc?
[Reply]
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