TABLE OF CONTENTS So far, we ve defined the initial project and gotten approval to proceed (Chapter 5). Then we took that initial project proposal and began to develop additional detail. At this point, you should have a list of three to five major deliverables or objectives. You should have identified and categorized your various stakeholders, and you should have an initial list of requirements. We ll continue to hone our project definition by refining the project parameters. A parameter is defined as a fact or circumstance that restricts how something is done or what can be done. In this case, then, project parameters define what and how the project will be done. We ll discuss common project parameters used in IT projects in this section, but the list is not exhaustive. It s meant to cover the more commonly used elements, but you can certainly add to this list as your company and project requirements dictate. Our list is as follows:
Success criteria
Acceptance criteria
Scope, cost, time, quality
Flexibility grid or list
Constraints and limitations
Risks
Milestones
Statement of work or project charter
A study undertaken in the mid-1970 s on project management showed that some projects meet their scope, time, cost, and quality metrics and are still considered failures. Other projects, by comparison, missed one or more of the scope, time, cost, or quality metrics and were considered successful. The study attempted to understand why this was the case. The results were published in 1974 and later summarized in...
