Discussion: Project Initiation Phase Charter Peers Review 1

Provide a classmate review on their discussion topic :

The focus of this discussion assignment is the project initiation phase charter. A charter is like a Project Initiation Document (PID) but in more detail and normally used by large corporations and complex projects, as found in the aviation/aerospace industry. Review the below video and develop a discussion posting which provides your opinion of the value of a project charter in relation to a project initiation phase.

Classmate post that you need to post comment/ review on

Project charters are essential in my line of work.  I work environmental maintenance (working environment) for the FAA.  We’ve under taken many large scale construction projects in the last few years as our building was build about 30 years ago.  There are plenty of updates needed.  We refer to project charters simply as the “Scope of Work” for the project.  The FAA goes through several steps to establish the scope of work for a project, including milestones of 50%, 75%, and a final draft of what the project will entail.  There are many many emails and opinions to get through to get to a ready to bid scope of work.  In government work however this initial phase will drive the entire project, because funding will be set aside, and contractors will only complete what is in the scope they bid on.  Any changes mid-project require a “Change Order” and the contractors charge a premium for altering the scope.  For example, we’re in the middle of changing out our fire alarm system and realized the contractor was installing fire sprinklers (which will inevitably leak/drip someday) directly over critical 480v electrical service equipment, which has a vented top to keep heat down.  It took over a month to get additional funding and contractor approval to install drip trays beneath the sprinkler pipe to ensure water does not cause an electrical issue.  Obviously if the sprinkler gets activated, then the fire is the bigger concern and everything’s getting wet anyway, but considering day to day operation our team was more concerned with slow leak drips.

Establishing exactly what the project entails and what it does not, particularly in government contracted work, will save a lot of bureaucratic approvals and funding headaches later.  This requires a lot of opinions on the project, occasionally researching what other facilities have installed and how they like the functionality of their project, and considering every risk associated with the project that one can think of.  If a contractor bids on a well rounded charter, or “Scope of Work” then the project tends to be carried out very smoothly.  If the Scope of Work is vague and lacks specific details, the quality of the finished project will most likely be poor.