Components of a Project Charter

As you read this chapter, notice how the project charter defines the preliminary scope, schedule, and budget for the project, effectively paying out the project's anticipated "triple constraint".

Project Planning Framework

The Kick-Off Meeting

Once the project charter and project plan are approved, many organizations have a kick-off meeting to officially start work on the project. The kick-off meeting is useful for several reasons. First, it brings closure to the planning phase of the project and signals the initiation of the next phase of the IT project methodology. Second, it is a way of communicating to everyone what the project is all about. Many kick-off meetings take on a festive atmosphere in order to energize the stakeholders and get them enthusiastic about working on the project. It is important that everyone start working on the project with a positive attitude. How the project is managed from here on will determine largely whether that positive attitude carries through.