The Project Charter

A project charter can be described as an officially written document that initiates a project. It is a document that offers direction from the beginning to the end of managing a project (Brasse et al., 2015).  Project management has five phases which include the initiation phase, project planning phase, execution phase, monitoring and closing phase. In this case the project involved is the Luther King Bridge Crossing. It will start and end in five years. The funding of the project will come from state, federal, and city governments. The bridge is going to be improved in order to enhance highway safety as well as reduce the traffic congestion between the two states.

Initiation

The purpose of the project charter

The purpose of this project data is to make aware the project authorities that a new project has started (Armstrong and Banks, 2017, pp.290-312). Other main reasons for a project charter include the authorization of the project, expectations of the management team and defining the deliverables of the project (Furterer, 2016, pp. 354-405). Two state governments of Minnesota and Wisconsin made the approval of the project to improve two highways which are Wisconsin H31 and Minnesota PQ22. Therefore, this project charter is aimed at defining the scope, objectives and the ultimate approach for it to be completed.

Project Executive summary

A project charter is an important document in managing a project. It is a document that provides the initial and progressive guidelines to the project manager including the whole team about the project boundaries, the scope and the scope. In many occasions the charter provides the formal authority to commence a project. If the project charter is not signed or if it does not exist, no project will be carried out. This is an official document that initiates a project.  In the project charter, the name of the project manager will be included. The authority which they are going to exercise will be spelled out in the charter. The project manager is authorized by the charter to spend the money as well as allocate the resources.

According to Walker, Harley and Mills, (2015), the person who creates the charter is the project initiator. This is an individual who originally came up with the project idea. This individual will then look for the project sponsor in the organization to do the job. A project sponsor is responsible in providing money, time and resources to the manager to carry out the project.

The project sponsor is the one who is going to sign the project charter. It is not the responsibility of the manager to sign the charter. It is important to note that, the project manager can take part in the creation of the project charter but can never sign it. Anyone who is above the project manager can sign the project charter. The one who signs this document is described as the manager external to the project. This is due to the fact that an external manager is not involved in day to day running of the project. 

In this case, the project is to initiate the Martin Luther King Bridge Crossing Project. The sponsors are the state, federal, county and city government executives. The bridge is going to serve the people in both Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is set to reduce the traffic congestion and enhance highway safety between the two states. The project will take approximately 5 years to complete.

The project charter assumptions are those taken for granted circumstances and their outcomes (Badewi, 2016, pp.761-778). Any project can be influenced by issues or events that the project team have no control over or even does not understand. In the renovation of this bridge, the weather is considered as a possible hindrance to the development of the project. It requires extra funds to deal with this situation or extend the construction time. People living near the bridge will be compensated their land which is going to be required for the expansion of the bridge.

Project overview

Snyder and Dionisio, (2017) stated that, the project overview expresses business justification of the project. When all stakeholders understand why the project is being carried out, the entire development project will be approached with respect. The bridge is going to be improved in order to reduce traffic congestions and enhanced highway authority between the two states.  Movements between these two states will enhance the business partnership between the two states.

Planning

Scope

This is where project deliverables are established.  The project scope includes the project overview, analysis of the project, expert judgment, and milestone project, analysis of the stakeholder and the milestone of this project (Ahmed, 2016). Sometimes it is not advisable to include the scope statement in order to avoid delay in the project approval. The Bridge that is going to connect Minnesota and Wisconsin will enhance trade between the two states.   It is going to take 5 years to complete this project. The funding will come from the two government states. The main goal of this project is to reduce traffic and enhance high level of highway security. It is going to have environmental issues therefore; the memorandums of understandings will be included as the project is a part of stakeholder in Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement development.

Work breakdown structure

Many things can go wrong in projects and very experienced project managers must be prepared for it. A poorly configured plan can lead to unclear assignments of work, frequent change of the project plans, regularly altering the scope and overrun of the budget (Schwartsmann, 2016, pp.164-178). It is a basic spine in initiating, execution, monitoring and controlling of the project. In the development of this bridge, various people have been tasked to carry out various tasks.

Initiation

Initiation is the authorization of the commencement of the project. The governments of Minnesota and Wisconsin will sign this project charter and therefore authorize the project. The project manager can be a part of the development of the charter development but has no authority to sign it (Charter and Tischner, 2017, pp. 57-76). The project sponsor in this case is the two governments of Minnesota and Wisconsin. This document will be signed for the project to commence. 

Planning

Planning must be done exclusively and should be detailed. It has to be very detailed and all facts must be considered regardless of their impact to the project. The two governments of Minnesota and Wisconsin will take part in the deployment process. Minnesota will adopt a low bid process while the management contract will be administered from the office of the engineer. The Wisconsin government will be in charge of procedures of development, guidelines and rules as well as rules and regulations on procurement. The Public Affairs team will be in charge of communication. The project team will find a method for risk management.

Execution

This is where the major tasks of management are carried out. The manager is supposed to build project deliverables that are physical and present all of them to the customer to sign off (Crawford, 2014). Various management processes should be implemented in order for the manager to monitor and control the project. Time management, cost management quality management risk management, procurement management will all be carried out in this phase of the project. The manager will work with the oversight and coordination teams to manage issues that might arise in the project. Procurement management will be analyzed by the proposal evaluation team using the Request for Qualification and estimated project costs for Luther King State Bridge.

Control

The project will be monitored by the overall manager. To effectively control the project during the implementation phase some management processes must be enhanced. This is progressively developing adjustments to enable swift completion of the project (Brioso, 2015, pp.76-84). The manager must link with everyone involved in the field to make sure that decisions are made in time to favor the progress of the project. Both internal and external communication from the executive will be enhanced. Internally, biweekly and weekly conferences as well as quarterly updates will be used to enhance communication. External communication will be enhanced by the press releases and Public Affairs teams.

Submission

The Luther King Bridge improvement should be finished by 2024 May a period of five years from May 2019. The submission should have all the deliverables as outlined in the project proposal. A complete Bridge much better and improved should be presented to both governments of Wisconsin and Minnesota states governments.

Part 3: Execution

Execution of the project requires the management to implement various management processes on the same. P

Project Risks

#

Risk Area

Likelihood

Risk Owner

Project Impact-Mitigation Plan

1

Cost

Low

The Wisconsin and Minnesota Governments

The likelihood of cost being a major issue in this project is low however if it occurs the two states will consider going for loans. 

2

Time

Medium

Project Coordinator

Delays can be caused by bad weather. They should be mitigated through constant communication. The early the risk is identified the easier it is for the project. Adding time while in consultation with the project owners will help.

3

Quality

Low

Project Manager

New employees should be trained so that they can with the initial quality requirements

Safety (Accidents)

Medium

Project Manager

Safety culture should adopted and communicated as frequent as possible so that it can be a part of the construction team.

Environment

Low

The Wisconsin and Minnesota Governments

Compensating the people living around the bridge is very important. This way they will shun protests and keep the whole process peaceful till the end.

Part 4: Controlling

Project control is progressively adjusting initial plans to meet some aspects of the project (Mark and Lurie, 2018, pp. 1-12). The adjustment of plans is carried out bearing in mind the objectives of the project. The successful project managers always identify a particular destination s they tactically chart a way to get there. They must always keep a watchful eye on what comes next. They should also be able to assess the project location throughout the voyage.

Controlling the project destiny is not a simple task. The managers should be able to determine their current situation and how far they are from completing the project. It is what they have to report to management and on how they plan to go forward. They are supposed to stay on the line they have drawn from the start to the end of the project. Monitoring of a project requires the manager to evaluate the current position of the project compared to where it should be, what is awaiting you and where you might end up as compared to where you said you should end up.

The main parameters that assist in control include, schedule, cost, quality and functionality (Cassidy et al., 2016). The project will have to be completed in time. It follows specific stages of construction; every milestone must be referred to the schedule. The cost comes next, the manager should know how much they have spent in a specific time and if they have overspent or underspent. The manager should also be in a position to determine the functionality of the project. That is if the deliverables are in desirable capabilities.

Part 5 closing

Answered on the template

Project Charter Document

Project Name:             

Department:                

Focus Area:                   

Product/Process:        

Prepared By

Document Owner(s)

Project/Organization Role

Project Charter Version Control

Version

Date

Author

Change Description

[Replace this text with the name of the Document Owner.]

Document created

[Replace this text with the name of the Change Owner.]

[Replace this text with a list of changes for this Owner on this Date and Version.]

[Change 1]

[Change 2]

[Change n]

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.... PROJECT CHARTER PURPOSE. 3

2.... PROJECT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. 3

3.... PROJECT OVERVIEW.. 3

4.... PROJECT SCOPE. 3

4.1...... Goals and Objectives. 3

4.2...... Departmental Statements of Work (SOW) 3

4.3...... Organizational Impacts. 3

4.4...... Project Deliverables. 3

4.5...... Deliverables Out of Scope. 3

4.6...... Project Estimated Costs & Duration. 3

5.... PROJECT CONDITIONS. 3

5.1...... Project Assumptions. 3

5.2...... Project Issues. 3

5.3...... Project Risks. 3

5.4...... Project Constraints. 3

6.... Project Structure Approach. 3

7.... Project Team Organization Plans. 3

8.... PROJECT REFERENCES. 3

9.... APPROVALS. 3

10.. APPENDICES. 3

10.1      Document Guidelines. 3

10.2      Project Charter Document Sections Omitted. 3

1 PROJECT CHARTER PURPOSE

The purpose of this project data is to make aware the project authorities that a new project has started. Other main reasons for a project charter include the authorization of the project, expectations of the management team and defining the deliverables of the project. Two state governments of Minnesota and Wisconsin made the approval of the project to improve two highways which are Wisconsin H31 and Minnesota PQ22. Therefore, this project charter is aimed at defining the scope, objectives and the ultimate approach for it to be completed.

2 PROJECT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This project is going connect two states of Minnesota and Wisconsin. This includes an improvement of Wisconsin H31 and Minnesota PQ22 highways. The two states (Minnesota and Wisconsin) will be able to provide secure, reliable and a transport corridor that is efficient. It will be designed to enhance highway safety, and traffic congestion. Motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, transit riders and business people are set to benefit from this project after its completion.

This bridge need to be completed after five years. An objective is not similar to a project goal. An objective is a tactical mechanism in establishing goals. The broader picture is to enhance traffic and a safety highway, but the objective of this project includes funding and timelines for its completion. The two states (Minnesota and Wisconsin) will fund the projects jointly. The first phase of the project will be funded by Minnesota government while Wisconsin will fund the second phase.

The project scope statement is configures the main projects objective and deliverables. The project will source out funds from the two states which are going to be connected. The bridge will start from Minnesota to Wisconsin and it will start as soon as May 2019. In two and half years (2021, Nov), the project should have the first phase done. This project is going to consider important stakeholders as it has established a memorandum of understanding and providing Supplementary Environmental Impact Statement. This was possible due to the approval by the chief executive of the project.

3 PROJECT OVERVIEW

The project overview expresses business justification of the project. When all stakeholders understand why the project is being carried out, the entire development project will be approached with respect. The bridge is going to be improved in order to reduce traffic congestions and enhanced highway authority between the two states.  Movements between these two states will enhance the business partnership between the two states.

4 PROJECT SCOPE

4.1 Goals and Objectives

Goals

Objectives

Achieve the project goal

Stay On Budget

High-quality deliverables

Stay In-Scope

Customer satisfaction

Create Quality

4.2 Departmental Statements of Work (SOW)

Departmental SOW

Owner/Prime

Due Date/Sequence

Scope of work

Top executive

5 years ( 2019 May-2024 May)

Period of performance

Project Manager

5 years

Specialized requirements

Project Manager

4 years

Deliverables schedule

Project Manager

5 years

4.3 Organizational Impacts

Organization

Impact to and Participation of Organization

Skills

Distribution of work

Training impact

Organizational rules

Role impacts

Governance

4.4 Project Deliverables

Milestone

Deliverable

1. Preliminary design phase

Preliminary list of equipment

Financial analysis

Risk management and evaluations of the project

2. Detail design phase

Purchase of the majority of the equipment

Code compliance

Project procurement initiation

3. Construction management phase

Detailed project schedule tracking

Tracking project budget

Owner update meeting

4. Startup and commissioning

Startup and training assistance

Operator assistance

24/7 Nominal assistance

4.5 Deliverables Out of Scope

Out of scope deliverables are those which alter the entire or a part of a project plan. Changes to the project scope will most definitely alter the project cost and schedule. Changes in the project charter will also have an impact on the contract terms, cost and schedule.

4.6 Project Estimated Costs & Duration

Project Milestone

Date Estimate

Deliverable(s) Included

Confidence Level

Preliminary design phase

[January/10/2019]

Preliminary list of equipment

Financial analysis

Risk management and evaluations of the project

High

Detail design phase

[March/30/2019]

Purchase of the majority of the equipment

Code compliance

Project procurement initiation

High

Startup and commissioning

May/02/2019

Startup and training assistance

Operator assistance

24/7 Nominal assistance

Medium

Construction management phase

May/ 01/2020

Detailed project schedule tracking

Tracking project budget

Owner update meeting

Medium

5 PROJECT CONDITIONS

5.1 Project Assumptions

Methodology and standards

Architecture design

Financial

Infrastructure

5.2 Project Issues

Priority Criteria

1 − High-priority/critical-path issue; requires immediate follow-up and resolution.

2 − Medium-priority issue; requires follow-up before completion of next project milestone.

3 − Low-priority issue; to be resolved prior to project completion.

4 − Closed issue.

#

Date

Priority

Owner

Description

Status & Resolution

1

[May /03/2019]

High

Project Manager

Environmental sustainability

Construction of a garage

2

[May /05/2021]

Medium

Project manager

Delays

Detail tracking of the schedule

3

Dec/ 6th 2021

Medium

Project coordinator

Project quality issues

Buy high-quality materials and recruit more skilled labor

4

May/10/2021

Medium

Procurement team

Cost override

Early procurement of materials

5.3 Project Risks

See appendix

 10.2

5.4 Project Constraints

The project constraint in a project includes all aspects that might hinder the progress of a project. Project managers must be in a position to monitor them closely in due course. They include:

Cost

Time

Quality

Scope

6 Project Structure Approach

Project describes the project management member’s relationship with the external environment.

The dependencies of the project are the relationship between successful tasks. One project must be completed before another one is initiated.

Project planning will include the use of the schedule like the Gantt Charts to subsequently plan and report the project progress. The scope of the project is defined and proper methods for the completion of the project are determined.

7 Project Team Organization Plans

Project Team Role

Project Team Member(s)

Responsibilities

Roles and responsibilities

Linda Joseph

Carl Williamson

Robert Stan

Allocate new members roles

Shift existing members to different roles

Safety

John Wilberforce

Ryan Kant

Stanley Roberts

Make sure road users are warned in order to stay away from heavy machines

Team dismissal policies

Lillian Sane

Theo Jack

Enhance policies that may lead to a team member to lose their job in case they violet those guiding policies

Team training

James Blunt

David Grant

Peterson Shark

Training new members and orienting them accordingly

Project staffing

Emmanuel Chamberlain

Crouch Holding

Olivier King

Recruit new team members

8 PROJECT REFERENCES

Milestone

Deliverable

Accessing Bridge and Crane way Freudenau

Bridge crossing Freudanau River power station

https://www.waagner-biro.com/en/divisions/bridge-construction/references/reference/access-bridge-and-craneway-freudenau

Agora de las Artes Y las Ciencias

The bridge is helmet shaped with a retractable roof . https://www.waagner-biro.com/en/divisions/bridge-construction/references/reference/agora-de-la-ciudad-de-las-artes-y-las-ciencias

Botlek Vertical Lift Bridge to lift approximately 10, 000 tons. It is vertical Lift Bridge

Botlek Vertical Lift Bridge which is used to vertically lift goods vertically.

https://www.waagner-biro.com/en/divisions/bridge-construction/references/reference/botlek-vertical-lift-bridge

9 APPROVALS

Prepared by       _______________Peter Smith___________________

Project Manager

Approved by      _______________Christian Bush___________________

Project Sponsor

                                                      Debby Williamson

__________________________________

                              Executive Sponsor

______________________Peter Clint____________

Client Sponsor

10 APPENDICES

10.1 Document Guidelines Key terms

Term

Definition

Deliverables

This is a term used in project management; it refers to substantial results after the completion of the project.

Assumption

These term means that some factors might not be important during a project or are considered less effective during the progress of a project.

Project charter

Is a document that authorizes the process of project implementation. It is signed by the sponsor of the project.

10.2 Project Charter Document Sections Omitted

Project Risks

#

Risk Area

Likelihood

Risk Owner

Project Impact-Mitigation Plan

1

Cost

Low

The Wisconsin and Minnesota Governments

The likelihood of cost being a major issue in this project is low however if it occurs the two states will consider going for loans. 

2

Time

Medium

Project Coordinator

Delays can be caused by bad weather. They should be mitigated through constant communication. The early the risk is identified the easier it is for the project. Adding time while in consultation with the project owners will help.

3

Quality

Low

Project Manager

New employees should be trained so that they can with the initial quality requirements

Safety (Accidents)

Medium

Project Manager

Safety culture should adopted and communicated as frequent as possible so that it can be a part of the construction team.

Environment

Low

The Wisconsin and Minnesota Governments

Compensating the people living around the bridge is very important. This way they will shun protests and keep the whole process peaceful till the end.

References

Ahmed, A., 2016. Software project management: a process-driven approach. Auerbach Publications.

Armstrong, A. and Banks, S., 2017. Organizing for change: North Tyneside community development project and its legacy. Community Development Journal, 52(2), pp.290-312.

Brasse, V., Houssos, N., Dvořák, J. and Sicilia, M.A., 2015. CERIF-CRIS Reference Implementation (CC-REFIM) and CERIF compatibility testing system: Project Charter. euroCRIS.

Badewi, A., 2016. The impact of project management (PM) and benefits management (BM) practices on project success: Towards developing a project benefits governance framework. International Journal of Project Management, 34(4), pp.761-778.

Brioso, X., 2015. Integrating ISO 21500 guidance on project management, lean construction and PMBOK. Procedia Engineering, 123, pp.76-84.

Cassidy, N., Galvin, L., Dunne, D. and Egan, J., 2016. Development of a national patient charter for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Crawford, J.K., 2014. Project management maturity model. CRC Press.

Charter, M. and Tischner, U., 2017. Sustainable solutions in less industrialised countries: the conditions and actors at state and company level for sustainable product design. In Sustainable Solutions (pp. 57-76). Routledge.

Furterer, S., 2016. Project Charter Review Process Design—A Design for Six Sigma Case Study. In Design for Six Sigma in Product and Service Development (pp. 354-405). CRC Press.

Mark, S. and Lurie, Y., 2018. Customized project charter for computational scientific software products. Journal of Computational Methods in Sciences and Engineering, (Preprint), pp.1-12.

Snyder, C. and Dionisio, C.S., 2017. A project manager’s book of forms: A companion to the PMBOK guide. John Wiley & Sons.

Shirley, D., 2016. Project management for healthcare. CRC Press.

Schwartsmann, G.B., 2016. Petrobras’ challenges in the development of the PreSalt reserves: is it the time for Brazil to adopt the International Energy Charter?. Revista de Direito Econômico e Socioambiental, 7(1), pp.164-178.

Walker, D.H.T., Harley, J. and Mills, A., 2015. Performance of project alliancing in Australasia: a digest of infrastructure development from 2008 to 2013. Construction Economics and Building, 15(1), pp.1-18.