Chapter Two: Project Set Up
Presentation contents
Purpose of the chapter is :
Every successful project begins with a thoroughly planned
and implemented Set Up phase. The objectives of the
Project Set Up Phase include
Establishing the Project Governance Structure
Officially authorizing the start of the project.
Communicating the project launch.
Establishing the Project Governance Structure
In the context of project management, governance
defines the management framework within which project
decisions are made. A robust governance structure
clarifies:
Authority: Who has the power to make decisions and
within what tolerance levels;
Accountability: Who is accountable for the success of the
project? With no clear accountability for project success,
there is no one moving agendas to resolve project issues
Establishing the Project Governance Structure
Governance structures can take many forms. In its simplest form, a
governance structure comprised of a single individual – the Project
Sponsor – might be sufficient. In this scenario, the responsibility of the
Project Sponsor would be to:
Ensure organizational commitment and accountability for the project;
Decide on proposed project changes (scope, budget, calendar or others) that
extend beyond the project manager’s agreed tolerances;
Oversee the project, providing resources, direction and insight as necessary;
Monitor the ongoing viability of the project, making decisions to terminate
the project if necessary;
Support and advise the Project Manager on the management of the project,
especially on issues that extend beyond the span of control of a project
manager.
Advocate for necessary organizational support and resources for the project;
and
Ensure that the organization “owns” the process and results of the project.
.
Guidance provides insights into how Project Boards structured and
managed
Size There is no standard size for project boards. At minimum, there should be
two people and it is common to find boards comprised of three, four or
five representatives.
Com Board members should represent the following distinct knowledge/ management/
positi experience perspectives:
on
An Executive perspective - assessing whether the project is providing value as a
whole, and providing the funding and resources necessary to obtain that value.
There is only one representative with Executive Perspective on the Board.
A Senior User perspective - establishing that the project is meeting the needs of
the people who will be directly working with the project's outputs. There can be
more than one representative with Senior User Perspective on the Board. Another
alternative would be to establish a “senior user group” for the project, which in
turn identifies a single representative on the board to represent the opinions of all
group members.
Guidance provides insights into how Project
Boards structured and managed
Respo Collectively, the Project Board owns the project and its responsibilities include:
nsibilit
Decide on proposed project changes (scope, budget, calendar or others) that
ies
extend beyond the project manager’s agreed tolerances;
Oversee the project, providing resources, direction and insight as necessary;
Monitor the ongoing viability of the project, making decisions to terminate the
project if necessary;
Represent the interest of the perspective they represent;
Support and advise the Project Manager on the management of the project,
especially on issues that extend beyond the span of control of a project manager;
and
Advocate for necessary support and resources for the projects
Me It is recommended that Project Boards conduct regularly scheduled meetings
etin where the agenda is set by the Project Manager in cooperation with the Executive
gs Perspective representative. Important items on the agenda include the review of
the Risks Log and Issue Log to be discussed later. In addition, a Project Board
meeting is also necessary at all decision gates.
Officially Authorizing the Start of the Project
If a project has been following the decision gate model, a
number of go/no-go decisions will have already have
been made before entering the Project Set Up Phase – for
example, when the concept paper was developed, when
a statement of interest was presented, or when a project
proposal was reviewed and approved.
During the Project Set Up Phase it is important to ensure
that the project is formally authorized by the project
governing body (whether it is comprised of a project
sponsor or a project board).
Officially Authorizing the Start of the Project
The contents of the Project Charter can vary, but usually includes statements
regarding the:
Project Purpose – including a statement of the need the project will
address.
Project Deliverables – articulating the scope of the project, including the
project goal, outcomes, and major outputs.
High-level Project Estimates – including a high-level statement of:
The project activities;
The project schedule;
The project budget; and
A preliminary list of the roles and skills required to perform the necessary work.
Project Risks – identifying potential problems/risks that the project might
encounter.
Project Tolerances – articulating project tolerances regarding project
deliverables, schedule, cost and risk.
Project Change Control – establishing an exception handling process for
when the project exceeds a tolerance in any of these areas.
Officially Authorizing the Start of the Project
Once developed and signed, it is important that it not be
put on a shelf and forgotten. The project charter is an
extremely useful document that can be used to accomplish
the following objectives:
To officially authorize the start of project activities and the
use of resources for project implementation;
To ensure that there is shared understanding of the project
parameters among key project stakeholders and sponsors
(both internally and externally);
To document a shared commitment to the objectives of the
project and the resources/activities required for project
success
Officially Authorizing the Start of the Project
In summary, the Project Charter serves as the project
manager’s ally, and in the absence of a project charter
document, the project team runs the risk that:
The project team will begin to expend time, money,
materials, staff and organizational capital in executing a
project that lacks commitment and support from key
decision-makers (donors, implementing partners, decision-
makers internal to the agency);
Key stakeholders do not share a common understanding of
the project (scope, budget, schedule, benefits, and risks).
Communicating the Project Launch
One of the principle objectives of the Project Set Up Phase
is to communicate the launch of the project activities to
the many stakeholders who have interests in the
intervention. These stakeholders might include the
beneficiary communities, NGOs working in the intervention
area, representatives of government ministries, the general
public and many more.
There are multiple communications tools that can be used
to announce the project launch to the community of
stakeholders. However, regardless of the mechanism
employed, the purpose of the project launch
communications activities remains unchanged:
To formally acknowledge the beginning of project;
To ensure that key stakeholders have a consistent
understanding of the project;
To introduce stakeholders to the project.
Communicating the Project Launch
In many ways, the signed project charter is an ideal
document, in which to officially communicate the launch
of the project to the broad project audience. Because of
its brief, concise format, the project charter is especially
good for communicating the high-level parameters of the
project.
As a result, this document will frequently be very handy
when dealing with some people who have short
memories, unintentionally or otherwise.
Sharing the project charter with the larger community of
stakeholders is not only an effective communication
practice, but is also a way to promote transparency and
accountability in the project.
