Mike’s Pretty-Good Project Definition Checklist

(or… Pretty Good Project Chartering Questionnaire)

Problem Statement

· What is the problem (or puzzle) to be solved?

· How does not solving this problem get in the way of achieving the organization's objectives?

· What value does the organization gain from solving this problem?

· What is the chronology of the situation - how did we get here?

· Are there trends at work - social, industry, financial, economic?

· Is this a 'solution' that has turned into a problem - if so, what is the original problem that this solution-turned-problem was supposed to solve?

· What alternatives to doing this project have we explored?

Stake Holders

· Who will be affected by the problem?

· Which employees?

· Stakeholders?

· Customers?

· Others?

· Have they been involved sufficiently up to this point?

· Should they be brought in to the project? When?

· To what degree do they share the belief that this is a problem that needs to be solved?

· Who ought to 'champion' this project?

· To whom should the project team report?

· Do we need a Steering Committee to provide resources and resolve disputes?

· Has a project leader been selected yet?

Scope, Size and Perspective

· What written definition clearly distinguishes between what is inside this project, and what is outside?

· What is the level of detail and precision involved in this effort - is this a sweeping global effort (like a vision or strategy) or is this a project to produce specific outcomes (like install a system, or build a house)?

Goals & Objectives

· What tangible, deliverable things do we want to see when this project is completed?

· How will this project;

· Increase revenue

· Reduce costs

· Increase quality

· Make us more nimble

· How do we know when the project is done?

Critical Success Factors

· What things do we need to do well in order for this project to succeed?

· What are the attributes of projects like this that have succeeded in the past?

· Describe some projects of this type that have failed.

· Do we have any doubts about our ability to do this project? Are we doomed before we start?

· What can we do to avoid those problems this time?

· Should we do this project at all, or should we kill this one right now?

Preferred Problem-Solving Approach

· Who will do what tasks, with whom, by what date?

· What are the intermediate milestone events and deliverables that we can use as checkpoints to monitor the progress of the project?

· Are they more than 1 or 2 weeks apart?

· Do we need more (or fewer) tasks and milestones to keep the project under a reasonable level of control?

· Who is responsible for monitoring progress?

· What’s the mechanism for getting things back on track if the project is missing key dates?

· Do we have a project organization chart with roles and responsibilities defined for;

· the project team members,

· the project leader,

· the steering committee,

· any advisory groups that need to be formed?

Readiness

· How dissatisfied are people with the current state of affairs?

· How clear is the vision?

· Do people think this project needs to happen?

· Do people have the tools and training they require in order to perform their role in the project team?

· What do people in the organization need to do in order to “get ready”?

· Does the project team need some time to establish how they are going to work together, or have they succeeded as a group before?

· If they need “get ready” time and resources, are they in the budget?

· Does the project have an appropriate sponsor, who’s really committed to seeing the project through?

Resource Requirements

· What do we estimate this project to take? Examples include;

· people

· time

· money

· access-to-decision-makers

· technology

· space

· How well do people understand the resources required to solve the problem?

· Are those resources available, or do we need to redirect from somewhere else?

· Is there wide support, and willingness to commit the resource, across the whole organization?

· Do people think the change is worth the investment?

· What are the organizational impacts (how broad, how deep)?