2.1.2 Knowledge Check (with solutions)
2.1.3 Bonus Assignment - Charter & Stakeholder Grid
Develop charter.
Overview
This learning module (Lesson 1 of Unit 2) is part of a course called Project Management Fundamentals and may either be completed individually as a stand-alone topic, or part of a trio of learning modules on external management, or as part of the course.
Learning outcomes.
In project management, charters are the essential document for initiating a project. Project charters capture key project information and help ensure all stakeholders are "on the same page."
Upon successful completion of this module, you'll be able to:
- Describe the chartering process.
- List elements of a project charter.
- Create project charter.
What is a project charter? | 5-10 minute read
Porf. Christianson considers his Project Management Fundamentals textbook a work-in-progress (version 0.5). It is available at OER Commons as PDF download. He also provides a nice companion student workbook also available as a PDF download. For each chapter, the workbook provides a skeletal outline and knowledge checks (with answer keys). In many chapters, there are exercises and examples. It may be provided to students as a whole workbook or subsections may be provided with each chapter.
Read chapter 4 (Project Charter) of Christianson's Project Management Fundamentals text (PDF resource attached).
FYI: J. Scott Christianson is a professor at the University of Missouri and has an interesting website about technology (from AI to blockchain to crypto and everything in between).
How do I develop a project charter? | 5 minute watch
Even though ProjectManagement.com is a software company, they have long-produced a series of informational "chalk talks" hosted by Jennifer Whitt Bridges, who is a PMP. These short videos are suitable for explaining basic project management topics and are widely available on YouTube.
What are the key elements of a project charter? | 4 minute read
Read this article about the (12) elements of a project charter by ProjectEngineer.net (2022).
Test your knowledge.
- Project charters provide high-level details obout the proposed project, but do not provide the "mandate" or formal authorization to start the project.
- True
- False
- Which of the following elements are contained in a project charter? Select all that apply.
- Broad description
- Business case
- Summary budget
- Summary schedule (with major milestones)
- High-level requirements
BONUS: Putting what you learned in action.
If you are using the Project Management Fundamentals course over the course of a semester, it is often effective to engage students in teams on a term project. I have had students work with for-profit, governmental, and non-profit (i.e. NGO) organizations to plan events, create digital products, and also prepare strategic initiatives.
To support this idea of a project that allows students to apply what they've learned on an actual project, I have created a series of five transparent assignments:
- External Management - charter creation and stakeholder analysis
- Internal Management - team contract and RACI chart creation
- Scope Management - work breakdown structure and disctionary creation
- Schedule Management - Network analysis to identify critical path and Gantt chart creation
- Risk Management - Risk identification and analysis, creation of risk register
I have omitted the Cost Management competency group because often student projects do not have a budget, other than that of the students time.
Project Work 1 > External Management
For a project you and your team are about to start, try creating a charter and a stakeholder grid. These two project management tools are essential in the initiation and planning phases of a project - the charter is the authorization document and the stakeholder grid allows you to understand how may influence your project.
A set of transparent assignment instructions (resource attached) have been provided that includes the following:
- the purpose of the assignment,
- the knowledge and skills that will be developed by the assignment,
- the task involved,
- a checklist of what will need to be accomplished,
- a rubric of how to assess your work, and
- a sample of finished work.
Transparent assignments are a way for you to get clarity on expectations (see the "Unwritten Rules").