Statement of Work (SOW)
Produced at the beginning of the Initiation by the Project Sponsor or Client. It describes what the sponsor wants the project to deliver in terms of:
- Description or narrative of the product or project
- Buisness results to be delivered
- Project’s alignment with the organization’s strategic plan
- Product of the project and other deliverables
- The sponsor should also describe the business need that will justify the project.
The SOW is input to the buisness case and Charter.
Be sure to differentiate between this SOW and a Procurement SOW which is created by the PM in procurement
Business Case
Prepared by the sponsor and/or PM or BA to justify the project to the organization. Must include a narrative and a cost-benefit justification of the money and time required by the project.
- organizational need (Market demand, government requirement, customer request)
- Organization’s Strategic plan, need for the project
- Identify cost, time and requirements
- Cost/Benefit analysis (payback, ROI, IRR, etc.)
- Business case feasiblity and justification
- comparison to project selection criteria
Project Initiation Process Group
Two Processes:
- ID Stakeholders
- Develop Charter
Starts with SOW ideas, needs & strategies from the sponsor or client then transforms the SOW into business case describing how the project meets the orgs project seelction criteria (ROI, payback period, ROA) AND justify the project with cost-benefit analysis.
- ID Stakeholders
- High level scope & major deliverables
- high level risks, constratins & assumptions
- create charter Present charter to organization & gain approval to move forward
- Give PM authority to use resources
Initiation Process Flow
SOW -> Business Case -> ID Stakeholders->High Level Scope->Risk&Constraints Assumptions -> Charter- Approval Meeting
Identify Stakeholder Process INPUTS
- SOW
- Business Case
- OPA Archives
- Charter (Iterative)
Identify stakeholder Process T&T
Stakeholder Analysis:
- Planning meetings
- Brainstorming
- Focus Groups
- Power/Interest
- Power/influence
- OPA Archives Search
- historical procurement docs
- Org Hierarchay and reporting stuctures
- stakeholdeer registers and leassons learned from previous projects
Identify stakeholder Process Outputs
Stakeholder Register
- Expectations
- Potential Influence
Stakeholder Register
Lists stakeholders by name and for each identifying the following:
- project role
- expectations
- their impact/influence on the project
- whether or not they support the project
High Level Scope
Starts with buisiness case and clarifies customer expectations via interviews & group decision making; documenting project-objectives & major deliverable in the Scope Statement which Includes:
- Success criteria
- major deliverables
- Can include
- rough costs
- timeline
- milestones
- what will and what will not be produced
High-Level Risks
ID Positive and Negative risks:
- Search past projects
- Interview SME’s, Stakeholders and your network
- Brainstorming risk session covering scope and high-level deliverables
- Gather data on potential risks (positive & negative)
- document riks and potential responses
- document constraints/boundaries of project
Develop Project Charter INPUTS
- SOW
- Business Case
- Existing Agreements/contracts
- OPA Archives
- Stakeholder register
- data on risks, constraints and assumptions
- Enterprise environmental Factors(EEF) proivde information on the organizations strategy and performance issues
Develop Project Charter Tools & Techniques
- Expert judgement
- facilitation techniques
- document Search
- Organizations project Management methodology
- Project Management Information System (PMIS)
Develop Project Charter Outputs
The project charter is produced and is a CONSOLIDATION of:
- SOW, Buisness case, risks, requirements
- Business need
- Scope
- Milestones
- Summary budget
- PM authority to use resources in planning
- Request to proceed with the development of the PLAN??
Charter Approval Meeting
Charter issued by project sponsor
- Formally authorizes the project and PM to use resources
Use effective written & Oral communiction to:
- Build support amoung stakeholders and executives
- Surface and address objections early
- Manage expectations
What does the approval of the charter denote
Completion of the initiation process group allowing us to proceed into the planning process group
