Convincing Your Stakeholders that You Need a Project Charter
March 24th 2010 19:53
Developing a Project Charter is one of the most important aspects of ensuring the successful delivery of your project.
Unfortunately, by the time you are assigned to manage a project, the stakeholders may already feel that the project is behind schedule. As a newly appointed Project Manager, this type of situation can create challenges well beyond the normal issues of creating a Project Charter.
One of the first tasks is to help educate your stakeholders about the benefits of a Project Charter. You need to help them understand that it isn’t just a formality or a piece of paper that stands in their way of moving forward with the project.
What is one of the best ways to get your project stakeholders to agree with you?
Convince them that unless you are able to prepare a worthwhile Project Charter, that the project is more than likely doomed to failure. This may seem a bit drastic, but if you can’t manage your stakeholders from the beginning of the project, you probably are setting yourself up for failure.
You also need to help your project stakeholders know that you understand their urgency and that you agree that everyone must get started on the project as early as possible. After you finish agreeing with your stakeholders, you will need to tell them that the primary reason most projects fail is because …“fill in the blank for your situation here”.
If your stakeholders are concerned about budget overruns, tell them that the Project Charter can help to set the groundwork to ensure that the budget is set and managed properly. If they are worried about on-time delivery, then let them know that the Project Charter helps set the stage to help manage delivery timelines. In reality, all of these statements are true.
A well prepared Project Charter is one of the first steps to ensuring a successful project.
It is your job as a Project Manager to help your stakeholders understand this concept. Also, note that I said a “well prepared Project Charter” is critical for success. I’ve seen a large number of Project Charters during my career that weren’t worth the paper they were printed on. Don’t make the mistake of rushing through the development of your Project Charter.
If you convince your project stakeholders to give you the time to prepare the Project Charter, you had better make sure that it is truly a valuable document that will help you and your project team be successful. I will provide insights in future posts about what your Project Charter should contain, formatting tips, templates, etc.
Unfortunately, by the time you are assigned to manage a project, the stakeholders may already feel that the project is behind schedule. As a newly appointed Project Manager, this type of situation can create challenges well beyond the normal issues of creating a Project Charter.
One of the first tasks is to help educate your stakeholders about the benefits of a Project Charter. You need to help them understand that it isn’t just a formality or a piece of paper that stands in their way of moving forward with the project.
What is one of the best ways to get your project stakeholders to agree with you?
Convince them that unless you are able to prepare a worthwhile Project Charter, that the project is more than likely doomed to failure. This may seem a bit drastic, but if you can’t manage your stakeholders from the beginning of the project, you probably are setting yourself up for failure.
You also need to help your project stakeholders know that you understand their urgency and that you agree that everyone must get started on the project as early as possible. After you finish agreeing with your stakeholders, you will need to tell them that the primary reason most projects fail is because …“fill in the blank for your situation here”.
If your stakeholders are concerned about budget overruns, tell them that the Project Charter can help to set the groundwork to ensure that the budget is set and managed properly. If they are worried about on-time delivery, then let them know that the Project Charter helps set the stage to help manage delivery timelines. In reality, all of these statements are true.
A well prepared Project Charter is one of the first steps to ensuring a successful project.
It is your job as a Project Manager to help your stakeholders understand this concept. Also, note that I said a “well prepared Project Charter” is critical for success. I’ve seen a large number of Project Charters during my career that weren’t worth the paper they were printed on. Don’t make the mistake of rushing through the development of your Project Charter.
If you convince your project stakeholders to give you the time to prepare the Project Charter, you had better make sure that it is truly a valuable document that will help you and your project team be successful. I will provide insights in future posts about what your Project Charter should contain, formatting tips, templates, etc.
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