Write the Rules: Key Documents to Manage Expectations and Define Success
Eric Verzuh · 2015
This chapter looks at how to create project rules that addresses the three factors: agreement on the goals of the project among all parties involved, control over the scope of the project, and management support. A project charter announces that a new project has begun. The purpose of the charter is to demonstrate management support for the project and the project manager. The chapter describes techniques that document the project rules: the statement of work (SOW) and the responsibility matrix. Both of these are agreements among the stakeholders. Clearly documented and accepted expectations begin with the SOW. A responsibility matrix is ideal for showing cross-organizational interaction, and lays out the major activities in the project and the key stakeholder groups. Using this matrix can help avoid communication breakdowns between departments and organizations because everyone involved can see clearly who to contact for each activity.