Hi! PM specializing in IT projects here :) After the project charter was signed by the sponsor (and everyone else), we realized that we were missing one success measure for the performance of the software (like, max duration of report generation should be less than 2 min). Everything else---scope, timeline, budget---remains the same. How would you guys add this to the already-signed charter? Does it really need a change request ? Anyone who has done amendments or addendums before?
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Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
If you change the project charter then the whole project is impacted. How to amend? It depends of your project change management process that, by the way, must be stated in the project charter, at list with a reference. Saving Changes...
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
My first question would be whether this information truly belongs in the Project Charter.
A performance target such as "report generation under 2 minutes" often looks more like a requirement or acceptance criterion than a charter-level success measure.
If your organization considers this a clarification of an existing objective rather than a change to scope, schedule, budget or benefits, I would normally document it through a charter amendment or addendum, update the relevant requirements documentation, and obtain sponsor acknowledgement. In many organizations, that would not require a formal change request.
I have seen similar updates handled through a simple revision process with documented approval.
The more important question may be why this criterion was discovered only after charter approval. It could be worth validating whether any other critical requirements remain unidentified before moving further into delivery. Saving Changes...
In 20+ years as a (mostly) IT project manager I've only worked at five companies, so take it with a grain of salt when I say that at every company I've worked at would treat that as a non-functional requirement, not include it in the charter. Not every company I've worked at has used formal charters that need signed by all stakeholders (which, surprisingly, is not contrary to guidance about charters that can be found on PMI's website). This may have been due to an aversion to accountability, bureaucracy, or both; I'm not certain I can speculate fairly on that.
In general, I would include the following in a charter: - Purpose/business case - High-level scope - Major deliverables - Budget - Timeline - Key stakeholders - High-level success criteria - Assumptions/constraints
An important question is "how strict is your company" when it comes to charters. Obviously, it's more strict than the companies I've worked for, so next I would examine whether it significantly impacts cost, schedule, scope, effort, or risk. If it's going to significantly impact one or more of these, or if this is one of the main purposes for the project, an addendum or amendment makes sense. I would be asking "Is this a high-level success criteria, or just a non-functional requirement?" within the context of your organization. If you need an addendum or amendment to make sure it happens, do what you need to do. Saving Changes...
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