Goals, deliverables, scope, and roles

Before people spend time or money, they need a shared picture of the work.

The TBS glossary describes a project charter as a document that records:

• the project’s goals and objectives
• key deliverables (the results you will hand over)
• conditions for success
• constraints (limits, such as a fixed date or a fixed budget)
• roles and responsibilities

You may not write a formal charter at work or at a community group. You can still write a short version: What are we trying to finish? What will we hand over? What are we not doing? Who does what?

Project scope is the work that must be performed to deliver a product, service, or result with the specified features and functions. If the plan is “paint the main hall,” adding “and rebuild the roof” is extra scope. Extra work needs a clear yes or no before it starts (see Lesson 4 on change control).

The project manager is the person assigned to achieve the project objectives. A project sponsor is a senior person responsible for the success of the project; TBS says that person often approves the start, helps secure funding, and does not usually run the project day to day. Stakeholders are people who are actively involved, or whose interests may be affected.

Skills for Success collaboration includes acknowledging the roles of yourself and others and working toward a common goal.

On a small project, names matter more than titles: who decides, who does the work, and who must be told.