39 Put it in writing

Once you have an idea of who your stakeholders are and what the project will achieve, it’s time to put it all in writing. This module will look at four key project documents: the statement of work, the project requirements document, the project planning worksheet, and the project charter.

Creating a Statement of Work

What is the Statement of Work (SOW)? The SOW defines what the project will do and when it will be done. It forms a binding contract of expectations between all project stakeholders. As such, it should be created by the project team, and then signed off by the team and the stakeholders. It can be used to create other project documents, including the project charter. The SOW often varies widely between organizations. However, the following basic elements should be included.

• Project Team: Include all members of the project team and each person’s role, as well as a list of stakeholders and the sponsor.
• Project Details: Include the name of the project, its estimated start and end date, and the client(s) involved. (Every project should have a client, whether it is an internal or external customer.)
• Purpose: What is the purpose of the project? Try to keep this as simple and concrete as possible. If a business case or a cost-benefit analysis has been prepared, those documents should be referenced (but not included) here.
• Scope: What will the project encompass? What items will the project not encompass? This section is extremely important as it will help avoid miscommunication and disappointment down the road.
• Goals, Deliverables, and Requirements: Include your SMART goals, deliverables, and requirements here.
• Basic Finances: List applicable rate and payment schedule information.
• Assumptions: List any assumptions that have been made in the planning thus far.
• Agreements: List any agreements that will apply to this project, such as union contracts or professional service agreements.

Completing the Project Planning Worksheet

Once the basics of the project are laid out, it’s time to put together your project planning worksheet. While the Statement of Work will remain static throughout the project, your worksheet will be a living, breathing document. As such, there are parts that you will not complete until after the Planning phase, but this worksheet will give you one place to capture the essential information about your project.

Like the SOW, you may need different fields based on your project and your organization, but we have included a sample worksheet on the next page.

Completing the Project Charter

The project charter is the final, formal project document. It establishes the project as an entity and it gives the project manager the authority to get started. For small projects, the charter may be just a few pages. For large projects, the charter itself can be hundreds of pages and can take months to build.

Just like other project documents, the charter can be customized for your organization. At a minimum, it should include the following information:

• Project name
• Project due date
• Team list, including responsibility matrix
• Stakeholders
• In scope and out of scope items
• Goals
• Requirements
• Deliverables
• Estimated cost vs. budget
• Benefits of project (including cost-benefit analysis if appropriate)
• Milestone descriptions and dates
• Possible risks and opportunities
• Communication plans
• Assumptions and Constraints
• Plans for documenting lessons learned
• A page for sign off by the important parties

Ask your organization if they have a charter form that they would like you to use. This is especially important as a charter can be a legally binding documents.

Planning (I)

Congratulations! With the completion of the SOW, planning worksheet, and project charter, the initiation phase is complete. Now it’s time to plan the nuts and bolts of your project.