Project Charter

Project Charter (Individual project)

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Overview

The purpose of this Indivdual assignment is to develop a project charter based on the Case Study. The
charter is the initial document that ensures everyone has a common understanding of the project and
authorizes the project to proceed. Details of the project will be developed later.

Details of the Project Charter assignment

Read “Mamma’s Bakery and Sandwich Shoppe Case Study” (Course Resources).

Determine the initial project management roles of each team member (assume a team size of 6-8) on
the IT project team for planning, designing, and installing the IT system.

Some team roles might include:

• Project Manager

• Functional or technical managers, such as telecommunications, application software designer,
database developer, Web page designer, etc.

• Budget/Finance

• Project Management Support such as procurement or human resources

Use the textbook and other academically credible sources, as a minimum, to define an IT System and
then to determine the proposed scope for this project. For example, including a scheduling software
package may be within the scope. Providing a learning application for new employees might be not be
within the scope of this IT project.

Use the Case Study to be clear on the basic requirements for this project. What will the IT project team
provide if the proposed plan is accepted? You may email the client/stakeholder (your instructor) to
further define requirements, if you do not have enough information.

As in many real-world projects, the requirements are the weakest part of the project. The lack of detail
is deliberate to encourage identify what might be missing and then work with the client/customer to fill
in the blanks. Does it seem as though perhaps there is not enough information to complete the project
and the charter? If so, please ask the customer (your instructor).

Now prepare a Project Charter for your project. This document becomes the basic agreement to
describe the project with enough detail that the approximate scope and magnitude is clear and
understandable by both the team and the client/customer or executive sponsor.

Project Charter Contents

Executive Summary
Begin the document with an Executive Summary, which contains:

• A summary of the document’s purpose.

• A problem statement (need for the project).

• Project objectives and how they align with the business strategy.

• The project management approach.

• Technical solution (a high-level description of the IT system, which might include a graphic).

This is a Summary, so it should be a paragraph or two, not to exceed one page.

Project Scope
The scope statement expands on the Executive Summary with a clear and concise statement of what the
outcome of the project will be. Although it is the anticipated scope at this time, the intent is to set the
project boundaries as you know them at this time. State (at a high level) what the project will deliver.

Project Charter (Individual project)

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You should be able to draw this from the Case Study. Do not over promise here. State what is in scope
(to be delivered) as well as what is not in scope (not to be delivered).

Project Estimates
At a high level, show the estimated project schedule. The easiest to understand is a list (perhaps in table
format) of projected major milestones/deliverables for the project and their forecasted completion
dates. This information is preliminary only, or a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM). Once the project has
been approved to move forward, a comprehensive project plan will be developed

In addition, show the current estimated project costs, as a ROM. Identify the source of the needed
funding, i.e., Software, Hardware, Networking, Internal Resources, Contractor Resources. Include a Total
ROM Budget Estimate.

Primary Stakeholder(s)
List the individual(s) who will use the final product, influence decisions about the project, and (most
importantly) pay for the project.

Project Team
Identify team roles and responsibilities on the project (you can use actual names based on who is in your
group).

Project Constraints and Assumptions
Constraints are any events or circumstances that may restrict or limit a project (and the team’s options).
Examples of constraints are things such as due dates, fixed budget, skill levels, or resource availability.

Assumptions are the driving force that determines project success and they are typically outside the
total control of the project team. Stakeholders must agree on these assumptions to produce a shared
understanding of project success.

Preliminary Risk Statement
List any risks that can be identified from, for example, the project constraints and assumptions. Included
briefly stated (short sentence) risk mitigation strategies.

Preliminary Communication Plan
Lay out the proposed methods of gathering and communicating project progress to the sponsor. This
could include team standups, task progress updates, project status reports, project reviews, project
post-mortem. Also identify the communication frequency, i.e., daily, weekly, at milestones, at end of
project.

Change Threshold
This identifies the magnitude of changes requested by the customer that would exceed the bounds of
the original charter with relation to cost, resources or schedule. Once the threshold is met or exceeded,
a new Project Charter would be required with signature from the customer.

Definition of Project Complete
This is a high-level statement of the criteria that define when the project has been completed. This is
date and funding agnostic. In other words, “End date reached” or “Funding is exhausted” do not define
Project Complete. This statement should present the completed deliverables that evidence a completed
project.

Signatures
This includes signature blocks of the parties that are agreeing to the charter.

Project Charter (Individual project)

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Formatting Your Assignment

Consider your audience – you are writing in the role of a project manager and your audience is Mamma
Mia. Do not discuss Mamma’s Bakery as if the reader has no knowledge of the organization. Do not use
the term “case study” – this is terminology used in a classroom and would not be in a business report.
Use third person consistently throughout the report. In third person, the writer avoids the pronouns I,
us, you, your, we, my, and ours. The third person is used to make the writing more objective by taking
the individual, the “self,” out of the writing. This method is very helpful for effective business writing, a
form in which facts, not opinion, drive the tone of the text. Writing in the third person allows the writer
to come across as unbiased and thus more informed.

The format could be modified to improve readability. You could use tables in certain spots, i.e., Project
Estimates. Tables are single-spaced, so that would make the document neater looking.

• Create an APA format title page that includes: The title of report (Project Charter), your name,
Course and Section number and date (use assignment due date); do not include graphics or
themes.

• No running header required for this document.

• The body of the paper should be double spaced, and no longer than 7 pages.

• Tables should be single-spaced, and use no shading.

• Use 1″ margins on all sides.

• Font should be 11-point Calibri, 11-point Arial, 10-point Lucida Sans Unicode, 12-point Times
New Roman, 11-point Georgia, or 10-point Computer Modern.

• Font should remain consistent throughout the paper, i.e., not changing from one font to
another.

• Use at least one external reference and one from the course content (from the class reading
content, not the assignment instructions or case study itself) with APA formatted citation and
reference. For information on general APA format and specifics related to citing from the class
content, refer to Content → Course Resources → Writing Resources. Resources must not use
Wikipedia, general information sites, blogs, or discussion groups.

• The list of References must be its own page at the end of the document and it must be in APA
format, i.e., double spaced, .5″ hanging indent. No more than 10% of the paper may be in the
form of a direct citation from an external source. All in-text citations must appear in the
References list and all entries in the References list must be used as in-text citations.

• Run Microsoft Word’s grammar/spell checker; there should be no errors in grammar, verb
tenses, pronouns, spelling, punctuation, first person usage, or contractions.

• If headings are used, do not leave blank lines after the previous section, and do not use sub-
headers.

• Submit your paper as a Word document, or a document that can be read in Word.

Submit this assignment in your Assignments folder.

IMPORTANT: The submission file should be named as “LastnameFirstname” ” Assignment Name”, such
as – MylastnameMyfirstname Project Charter x

Project Charter (Individual project)

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Grading Rubric

Criteria
90-100%

Far

Above Standards

80-89%

Above Standards

70-79%

Meets Standards

60-69%

Below Standards

< 60%

Well Below Standards

Criterion
Score

Executive Summary

Provides a brief overview of the
Project Charter and is the first
thing your reader will see.

14-15 Points

Contains all five of the
specified Executive
Summary elements,
accurately summarizes the
Charter, and is no more than
two paragraphs.

12-13 Points

Contains four of the
specified Executive
Summary elements,
somewhat summarizes the
Charter, and is no more than
two paragraphs.

10-11 Points

Contains three or four of the
specified Executive
Summary elements, refers to
the Charter, or is more than
two paragraphs.

8-9 Points

Contains one or two of the
specified Executive
Summary elements, wanders
off topic, or exceeds the
specified length.

0-7 Points

No Executive Summary
included, or does not include
any specified elements.

15

Project Charter

The basic agreement describing
the project in enough detail that
the approximate scope and
magnitude is clear and
understandable by both the team
and the client/customer or
executive sponsor.

41-45 Points

Contains all ten of the
specified Project Charter
elements, clearly laying out
the size and cost of the
project, and is no more than
seven pages.

36-40 Points

Contains eight or nine of the
specified Project Charter
elements, giving an idea of
the size and cost of the
project, and is no more than
seven pages.

32-35 Points

Contains six or seven of the
specified Project Charter
elements, giving some idea
of the magnitude of the
project, and is no more than
seven pages.

27-31 Points

Contains up to five of the
specified Project Charter
elements, talks at a high
level about the project, or
exceeds the specified length.

0-26 Points

Most of the specified Project
Charter elements are
missing, or do not follow the
assignment guidelines,
and/or exceeds the specified
length.

45

Research

Use at least 2 references from
academically credible sources
with APA formatted citation (in-
text).

18-20 Points

Required references are
incorporated, used
effectively, and cited using
APA style. References used
are relevant and timely and
contribute strongly to the
analysis.

16-17 Points

Required references are
relevant, and somewhat
support the analysis.
References are appropriately
incorporated and cited using
APA style.

14-15 Points

Only one reference is used
and properly incorporated,
and/or reference(s) lack
correct APA style.

12-13 Points

A reference may be used, but
is not properly incorporated
or used, and/or is not
effective or appropriate,
and/or does not follow APA
style for references and
citations.

0-11 Points

No course content or
external research
incorporated, or reference
listed is not cited within the
text.

20

Format

Uses format provided. Includes
Title Page and References Page.

18-20 Points

Well organized and easy to
read. Very few or no errors in
sentence structure,
grammar, or spelling; double-
spaced, written in third
person, and presented in a
professional format.

16-17 Points

Effective organization. Has
few errors in sentence
structure, grammar, and
spelling; double-spaced,
written in third person, and
presented in a professional
format.

14-15 Points

Some organization. May
have some errors in
sentence structure,
grammar, and spelling;
double spaced and written in
third person.

12-13 Points

Not well organized, and/or
contains several errors in
grammar and/or spelling,
and/or is not double-spaced
and written in third person.

0-11 Points

Not well organized, and/or
contains several errors in
grammar and/or spelling,
and/or is not double-spaced
and written in third person.

20

Case Study Scenario
The Shoppe
Mamma Mia has been the primary baker and bakery owner since its opening 15 years ago. The bakery is a walk-up-and-
order configuration with no seating space, one of a dozen shops in a strip mall in Alexandria, Virginia.
The bakery currently employs one other baker and two wait staff who serve customers at the counter. All paperwork,
bookkeeping, ordering supplies, hiring and firing, and tracking inventory is done by Mamma. Because the bakery is now
a small operation, Mamma does all business using telephone and paper documents. There is one cash register, and
Mamma uses cash or checks to buy all bakery goods.

Future Plans
Because the bakery has grown more successful over the years, Mamma Mia has decided that the time is right to expand
the bakery. The store space next door is vacant, and she has signed a contract to connect and remodel the two stores.
This space will double the size of the current bakery, and Mamma Mia can offer bakery items, sandwiches, and café-type
seating.

When the expansion construction is complete, Mamma Mia expects to hire six more people full-time:
• Two food-service certified sandwich makers
• One more baker
• One more counter server
• One person to track inventory and order supplies
• One person to manage the bookkeeping, bill paying, and finance parts of the business

To coincide with the expansion, Mamma would like an IT system installed for point-of-sale, inventory, and bookkeeping
purposes. Mamma would like the system to “connect” to her suppliers, the health department (see vdh.virginia.gov) for
food services and other business relationships. She would also like a website so her customers can make advance orders
for pickup. Related to that, she would like the system to process debit and credit cards.

Mamma Mia wants an IT system that will be:
• Modern
• Easy to use
• Employee and customer friendly
Most of all, Mamma wants the system to make her bakery and sandwich shop more efficient.

Your Task
Imagine that your team works for a company specializing in designing, developing, and installing information technology
(IT) systems. Because of this experience, Mamma has selected your company to plan, perform and manage this project.
Your team’s charge is to build a project plan demonstrating the ability to plan, manage and control the project of
designing and installing the IT system for Mamma. Your team’s assignment will be to prepare the project plan and
proposal for installing Mamma’s new IT system. Team members will be assigned as resources for the hands-on technical
IT work of the project.

Challenges
The requirements are pretty general, so you will need to use creative thinking and decision skills to develop the specifics
of what the client needs (hardware, software, PCs, servers, networking, cabling, wireless, application systems, Web sites,
Cloud storage, what?) and the scope (how much, how many, how, and for whom?) and extent thereof. You will need to
refine Mamma’s needs by working directly with her.

Mamma has little experience working with computers and IT systems. She feels a bit “old-fashioned” but is willing to
learn and wants to be sure that her employees also learn how to work with the IT system. Mamma is your point of
contact and the person you will work with while completing the IT system’s requirements, design, and implementation.
This means you will need to define and explain terms as you work with her (Your instructor will fill in for Mamma).

Final Notes
• Mamma Mia is the primary stakeholder
• There is no networking, LAN, or Internet installed
• You may clarify requirements with Mamma Mia
• The Bakery Shoppe has no productivity software or other applications
• Mamma’s budget for the IT system is $100,000
• Internet connectivity is available in the area, whether via ISP or satellite
• Mamma has little IT experience and no IT staff
• The IT team should have 6-8 members, real or fictional
• Mamma wants the project to complete in no more than six months

Business Model Assessment: Organizational and System Views

Current Environment – “As Is” View Planned Environment – “To Be” View

Current Business Model Future Business Model

In business for 15 years – reasonably successful
Approximately 1500 SF retail space
The area is considered “up and coming.”
Bakery only – no other food items
Walkup – no customer seating available
All food is taken out
Cash or check only – no credit/debit cards accepted
All business functions are manual, including:

• Ordering/Inventory

• HR/Payroll

• Finance/Bookkeeping

• Productivity

• Customer Experience

• Sales/Point of Sale (POS)

Expand to takeover adjacent retail space
Retail space more than doubles to 3200SF
Expand menu items to include sandwiches
Add “café-style” customer seating
Customers can dine in or take out
Offer online ordering for pickup
Modernize/automate business functions (see current)
Expand customer experience and contact by adding:

• A website with online ordering

• Customer WiFi in the seating area

• Social media presence

• Process Card payments

Current Employee Organization Future Employee Organization

Mamma – owner & lead baker
(1) Baker
(2) Counter attendants

Mamma handles all business functions listed above

Mamma – owner & lead
(3) Counter attendants
(2) Bakers
(2) Sandwich makers
(1) Inventory/supply clerk
(1) Bookkeeping/bill pay/finance clerk**

Note: ** will also be IT Admin to manage:

• Infrastructure (user level)

• Accounts and services

• IT service contracts & SLA compliance

Current IT Architecture & Capabilities Future IT Architecture & Capabilities

Voice: Landline telephone
Data: Notepad and pen
IT Services: None

Voice: VOIP
Data:
High-speed business-class broadband
CAT-6 premise wiring for wired workstations
802.11ac WiFi for employees & customers
Services:
Hosted Ordering/Inventory services
Hosted HR/Payroll services
Hosted Finance/Bookkeeping services
Hosted Productivity services:

• Office 365 services, including employee email

• Hosted network security service
Hosted Customer Experience services:

• Hosted website and domain

• Online payment integrated into the website

• Complete ordering and payment workstation

• Tabletop POS for payment

• Integrated with credit/debit systems

SWOT Assessment

Strengths

• Strong reputation for good food

• Longevity as a business owner

• Name recognition

• Loyal customer base

• Not concerned about being hacked

• No pesky data/services bills

Weaknesses

• Menu limited to bakery items

• No social media for relationship building

• No customer loyalty program

• No website

• No online ordering

• Not integrated into food delivery services

• Limited payment options

• Large amounts of cash on hand

• Cash management losses and errors

• Take out only

• No customer seating is available

• Mamma manages everything – no backup

• No business continuity plan

• Business functions are all manual

• No offsite records

Opportunities

• Expand menu options

• Add customer seating

• Expand customer contact

• Improve customer experience

• Add sales channels

• Add payment options

• Reduce cash intake & management

• Automate business functions to increase
efficiency

• Increase sales through a loyalty program

• Increase sales through delivery service
integration

Threats

• Business becomes “out of date.”

• Loss of sales to competitors

• Loss of paper records

• Business stoppage if Mamma is hospitalized

• Increased exposure to robbery due to cash on
hand