Project definition is the process of documenting key parameters for a project. A good project definition document answers the following questions:
- Why are we doing this project?
- How many people are required and what types of skill will they need?
- How much will it cost?
- What are the deliverables?
- When will we complete it?
- How will we do it?
Kinds of Project Definition Documents
Different organizations use different names for their definition documents. Some of the more common names are:
- Business Plan– Often used to gain support and approval for internal company projects
- Proposal– Used between two separate firms, such as a manufacturer and a consulting company, to sell a project to a company
- Statement of Work (SOW) – The formal attachment or appendix to the standard terms and conditions of a contract that describes the detailed approach for performing the project; sometimes part of a proposal
- Scope of Work– Another term used for a Statement of Work
- Project Charter– Many wonder what’s a project definition document vs. project charter; a project charter is, in fact, a type of definition document; like a business plan, it is often used to gain support and approval for internal company projects
The Anatomy of a Definition Document
“The most important and difficult part of the project is its beginning…. If done carefully, the project has a chance of success. If done carelessly, or not at all, the project is doomed to failure. ”
–Wysocki, Beck and Crane
In order to properly define the project, the project manager must meet with the key sponsor and stakeholders to get consensus on what the definition is. You would ideally complete this step before setting the budget and schedule, but it may be necessary to redefine some terms post-approval. To answer the questions above, the document will usually consist of the following sections:
- Executive Summary– A brief summary of the entire document
- Objectives– Clear, measurable statements defining the purpose of the project
- Assumptions– Documented answers to open key unknowns
- Approach– A plan of action for building the deliverables
- Deliverables guidelines– Outline of the project deliverables list
- Business investment – Estimated project cost
- Estimated schedule – Summary of the project work plan
- Completion criteria– How you’ll know when each major phase and the overall project are done
Defining What “Done” Means
The last bullet above is important for avoiding scope creep. The definition process is the project manager’s first and most critical opportunity to limit the project scope. The best way to do so is clearly articulating completion criteria for the major project deliverables and for the overall project.
A solid completion statement will tie the deliverables and their acceptance together in a logical way.
A project completion statement might look like the following:
The design task will be complete when the project manager provides the Design Report, as outlined in the deliverables guideline section, and it is accepted by the project sponsor according to the acceptance procedure in Appendix C.
Statements like this should appear in both the completion criteria section of the definition document and the approach section. This will ensure there are no doubts as to exactly what “done” means.
The most difficult part of writing a definition document is setting limits. You need to define up front what the project does include, as well as what it does not include.
For example, a project charter might say, “The goal of this project is to network all facilities in Maryland.” This would leave the project manager vulnerable to a response of, “While you’re at it, why don’t you include the facilities in Virginia?” On the other hand, a project charter that says, “The goal of this project is to network all facilities in Maryland. Facilities in Virginia will be networked in a separate project during the next fiscal year,” provides some defense when people ask for out-of-scope modifications.
Backing into Project End Dates
Project managers are often assigned to a project after the project finish date, budget, and resources have been defined. If an SME doesn’t have a role in the initial definition of these important parameters, a work plan and schedule may not exist yet. The only way to achieve any degree of certainty in these figures is to lay out a schedule that demonstrates whether or not there is enough money, the right number and kind of people, and enough time to produce the deliverables.
Project managers affectionately call this process backing into the schedule. The painfulness of this process highlights the importance of involving the project manager early in the definition of a project.
Some project managers wonder, How do you handle projects without defined end dates. In fact, most project managers would prefer to build the plan before they commit to any kind of project completion date.
For more help on navigating the challenges of project management, contact our experts today.
