02 Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project

Course overview

Hello! Welcome to the second of the six courses in the Google Project Management Certificate program.

This course will teach you how to set the stage for a successful project. You will learn about stakeholders,
their level of influence, and how to mobilize and manage them, as well as tackle tasks to identify project
scope, goals, deliverables, and success criteria. You will learn how to use tools like RACI (Responsible,
Accountable, Consulted, and Informed) charts, stakeholder analysis, and project charters to help you set
project expectations. You will also familiarize yourself with setting SMART (Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals to help you see the full scope of a project, determine its
feasibility, and clearly define what project success will look like in concrete terms. Current Google project
managers will continue to instruct and provide you with hands-on approaches for accomplishing these
tasks, while implementing the right tools and resources for the job.

Performing a cost-benefit analysis

Previously, you learned that a cost-benefit analysis is the process of adding up the expected value of a
project—the benefits—and comparing them to the dollar costs. In this reading, we will discuss the
benefits of conducting a cost-benefit analysis, guiding questions to help you and your stakeholders
conduct one, and how to calculate return on investment (ROI).
The benefits of a cost-benefit analysis
A cost-benefit analysis can minimize risks and maximize gains for projects and organizations. It can help
you communicate clearly with stakeholders and executives and keep your project on track. Because this
type of analysis uses objective data, it can help reduce biases and keep stakeholder self-interest from
influencing decisions.
Comparing a project’s benefits to its costs can help you make a strong business case to stakeholders and
leadership and ensure your organization pursues the most profitable or useful projects. Organizations use
cost-benefit analysis to reduce waste and invest their resources responsibly.
Guiding questions for a cost-benefit analysis
When you’re pursuing a project, the benefits should outweigh the costs. It’s important for you and your
stakeholders to consider questions like the ones that follow early on, while you prepare the proposal.
To determine the benefits of a project, you might ask:
• What value will this project create?
• How much money could this project save our organization?
• How much money will it bring in from existing customers?
• How much time will it save?
• How will it improve the customer experience?
And to determine the costs of a project, consider questions such as:
• How much time will people have to spend on this project?
• What are the one-time costs?
• Are there any ongoing costs?
• What about long-term costs?
You might also consider questions about intangible benefits. These are gains that are not quantifiable,
such as:
• Customer satisfaction. Will the project increase customer retention, causing them to spend more
on the company’s products or services?
• Employee satisfaction. Is the project likely to improve employee morale, reducing turnover?
• Employee productivity. Will the project reduce employee’s overtime hours, saving the company
money?
• Brand perception. Is the project likely to improve the company’s brand perception and
recognition, attracting more customers or providing a competitive advantage?
You can also flip these questions to consider intangible costs. These are costs that are not quantifiable.
For example, might the project put customer retention, employee satisfaction, or brand perception at
risk?
When assigning values to tangible or intangible costs and benefits, you can reference similar past projects,
conduct industry research, or consult with experts.
Calculating costs and benefits
The process of calculating costs and benefits is also called calculating return on investment, or ROI. There
are many ways to determine a project’s ROI, but the easiest way is to compare the upfront and ongoing
costs to its benefits over time.
One common ROI formula is:

In this formula, G represents the financial gains you expect from the project, and C represents the upfront
and ongoing costs of your investment in the project.
For example, imagine your project costs $6,000 up front plus $25 per month for 12 months. Twenty-five
dollars for 12 months equals $300 per year, meaning your total cost is $6,300. You estimate that the
project will bring in $10,000 in revenue over the course of that year. That leaves you with:
• G = $10,000
• C = $6,300
Now, using the formula above, you plug in the amounts as follows:
• ($10,000 - $6,300) ÷ $6,300 = ROI
Then you proceed with the calculation:
• First, inside the parentheses: 10,000 - 6,300 = $3,700
• Next, $3,700 ÷ $6,300 = 0.5873
• Finally, 0.5873 x 100 = 58.7%
The ROI comes to 0.587, or 58.7%. Given a strong ROI tends to be anything above 10%, you find 58.7% to
be a strong ROI, so you decide to pursue the project.
Key takeaway
Performing a cost-benefit analysis can help you and your stakeholders determine if it makes sense to take
on a new project by evaluating if its benefits outweigh its costs. When conducting cost-benefit analyses
for your prospective projects, you can use the guiding questions and ROI formula provided in this reading
as a reference.
To learn more about performing a cost-benefit analysis, check out these articles:
• Cost Benefit Analysis for Projects – A Step-by-Step Guide
 • Cost Benefit or Benefit Cost Analysis

Understand the initiation phase

SMART goals: Making goals meaningful
In this lesson you are learning to define and create measurable project goals and deliverables. Now, let's
focus on SMART goals.
Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) goals are very helpful for ensuring
project success. As you start your career in project management, you may not directly set the project
goals, but you should be able to clarify and understand them. SMART goals help you see the full scope of a
goal, determine its feasibility, and clearly define project success in concrete terms.
Let’s recap what we discussed in the previous video by taking a look at a breakdown of the criteria for
SMART goals below:

• Specific: The objective has no ambiguity for the project team to misinterpret.
• Measurable: Metrics help the project team determine when the objective is met.
• Attainable: The project team agrees the objective is realistic.
• Relevant: The goal fits the organization’s strategic plan and supports the project charter.
• Time-bound: The project team documents a date to achieve the goal.
You may see variations on what each letter in the “SMART” acronym stands for. (For example, you may see
“actionable” or “achievable” instead of “attainable” or “realistic” instead of “relevant.”) However, the
general intent of each of these terms—to make sure the goal is within reach—is always similar.
Focusing on the "M" in SMART
Let’s take a moment to zoom in on the M in SMART, which stands for measurable. Having measurable
goals allows you to assess the success of your project based on quantifiable or tangible metrics, such as
dollar amounts, number of outputs, quantities, etc. Measurable goals are important because they leave
little room for confusion around expectations from stakeholders.
Not every metric will have value, so you will have to determine which metrics make sense for the project.
For example, measuring how many meetings the software engineers on your project attend on a weekly
basis may not be the most valuable metric for a productivity goal. Alternatively, you might measure other
aspects of the engineers’ productivity, such as a particular number of features created per engineer or a
specific number of issues flagged per day.
Defining a SMART goal
Let’s explore an example related to making a personal goal measurable. Imagine you are looking to make a
career change, and you set a goal to complete a Google Career Certificate. You can measure the success of
this goal because after completing the entire program, you will receive a certificate—a tangible outcome.
Now, let’s determine how to make the remaining elements of this goal SMART. In this example, your
specific goal is to attain a Google Career Certificate. You can make this goal attainable by deciding that
you will complete one course per month. This goal is relevant because it supports your desire to make a
career change. Finally, you can make this goal time-bound by deciding that you will complete the program
within six months.
After defining each of these components, your SMART goal then becomes: Obtain a Google Career
Certificate by taking one course per month within the next six months.
Key takeaway
Determining metrics can be extremely helpful in capturing statuses, successes, delays, and more in a
project. As a project manager, identifying meaningful metrics can help move the project toward its goal.
Additionally, by defining each element of a project goal to make it SMART, you can determine what
success means for that goal and how to achieve it.
Scenario

Review the scenario below. Then complete the step-by-step instructions.

Office Green, LLC, is a commercial landscaping company that specializes in plant decor for offices and
other businesses. The company is getting ready to introduce its new Plant Pals service, which will provide
high-volume customers with small, low-maintenance plants for their desks. You are the project manager
assigned to manage the Plant Pals launch.
Office Green’s main goal for this project is: “Increase revenue by 5% by the end of the year by rolling out a
new service that provides office plants to high-volume clients.”
You recently met with the project sponsor (the Director of Product) to discuss two additional goals for the
Plant Pals project:
1. Boost Office Green’s brand awareness
2. Raise Office Green’s customer retention rate
In order to help your team achieve these two additional project goals, you need to turn them into SMART
goals. The notes from your meeting with the Director of Product are below. You can use this information
to create SMART goals:
• Office Green’s customer retention rate was 80% last year, but the CEO wants that number to
increase by at least 10% this year.
 • Last year, 70% of customers who left Office Green for competitors said they did so because they
wanted more extensive services. When surveyed, 85% of existing customers expressed an interest
in Plant Pals.
• The Vice President of Customer Success expects Office Green to achieve a customer satisfaction
rating of over 90% this year—a slight increase over last year. The rating has stayed between 85%-
90% for the last five years.
• The company plans to create an Operations and Training plan for Plant Pals to improve on existing
customer service standards and boost efficiency.
• Office Green will promote the new service with a new marketing and sales strategy, a redesigned
website with a new Plant Pals landing page, and a print catalog.
• With the publicity around the launch, Office Green projects that their customer base will grow by
at least 15%.
• Website traffic has dipped slightly over the past three years, from 15K to 13K visits each month.
The Marketing Manager wants unique page visits to increase by at least 2K each month by the end
of the year, which is in line with the results of prior marketing campaigns.
• The project is scheduled to launch by the end of the third quarter. The project team will continue
to collect data on the project’s progress through the rest of the year and assess how well it has
met its goals at the end of the fourth quarter. (It is currently the start of Q1.)

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: Access the template

To use the template for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”
Step 2: Revise the goals to be SMART
The template contains the two additional project goals for Plant Pals, neither of which meets all the
SMART criteria:
1. “Office Green will boost brand awareness”
2. “Office Green will raise their customer retention rate”
Turn these two goals into SMART goals using the information from the scenario above. Write the revised
goals next to SMART Goal One and SMART Goal Two. Your goals should be complete, but brief—one or
two sentences is enough.
For example, here is a goal that’s missing some of the SMART criteria:
“Office Green will soon create an app to help customers care for their plants.”
That’s not a bad start, but it isn’t specific, measurable, or time-bound. Here’s the same goal, rewritten as a
SMART goal:
“Office Green will create an app that offers tips and reminders to help customers care for their plants. The
app will be completed within 18 months and be compatible with 100% of the types of plants Office Green
sells.”
Step 3: Explain what makes each goal SMART
Now that you’ve rewritten the goals, explain what makes them SMART by answering the following
questions:
1. What makes the goal specific? Does it provide enough detail to avoid ambiguity?
2. What makes the goal measurable? Does it include metrics to gauge success?
3. What makes the goal attainable? Is it realistic given available time and resources?
4. What makes the goal relevant? Does it support project or business objectives?
5. What makes the goal time-bound? Does it include a timeline or deadline?
Be specific in your answers. For instance, the plant care app SMART goal is:
• Specific: The team knows what they’re building: an app that helps users care for their plants and
reminds them to do so.
• Measurable: The app will be complete when it includes 100% of the plant types Office Green sells.
• Attainable: The company has the knowledge, time, resources to build the app.
• Relevant: Office Green’s business model relies on customers caring for their plants successfully.
• Time-bound: The goal includes an 18-month timeframe.
If you find that either goal does not meet all the SMART criteria, try revising it and answering the
questions again.
What to Include in Your Response
Be sure to address the following criteria in your completed SMART goals activity:
• Goal one is rewritten to meet all the SMART criteria
• Goal two is rewritten to meet all the SMART criteria
• There is an explanation for why each rewritten goal is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant,
and time-bound.
Let’s review each SMART goal:
SMART goal one
The original goal indicates that Office Green will boost its overall brand awareness through Plant Pals, but
it doesn’t indicate how they will do it, whether it's possible, why it’s important, or when they will get it
done. The SMART goal addresses all these questions, which increases Office Green’s chances of reaching
their aim:
“Office Green will boost brand awareness with a new marketing and sales strategy and website update
that will increase page views by 2K per month by the end of the year.”
• Specific: Office Green will update their website and launch a new marketing and sales strategy to
boost awareness of their brand.
• Measurable: The goal includes a metric of 2K new page views per month.
• Attainable: They have a year to reach this goal and the target of 2K new page views per month is in
line with prior marketing campaigns.
• Relevant: Greater brand awareness can mean new customers, which supports the overall project
goal of a 5% revenue increase.
• Time-bound: The deadline is at the end of the year.
SMART goal two
The original goal indicates that Office Green will raise their customer retention rate, but it doesn’t indicate
how they will do it, whether it's possible, why it’s important, or when they will get it done. The SMART
goal addresses all these questions, which increases Office Green’s chances of reaching their aim:
“Office Green will raise their overall customer retention rate by 10% by the end of the year by
implementing a new Operations & Training plan for the Plant Pals service.”
• Specific: Office Green will implement an Operations & Training plan that will improve on existing
customer service standards and boost efficiency.
• Measurable: The goal includes a metric of a 10% increase in retention.
• Attainable: They have a year to reach this goal and many former and existing customers are
interested in the new service. It has the potential to help them keep customers who may be
thinking about leaving for a landscaper with more services.
• Relevant: Increasing customer retention can lead to more sales, which supports the overall project
goal of a 5% revenue increase.
• Time-bound: The deadline is at the end of the year.

Creating OKRs for your project

In this lesson, you are learning to define and create measurable project goals and deliverables. This
reading will focus on creating effective objectives and key results (OKRs) and how to implement them
into your project.
What are OKRs?
OKR stands for objectives and key results. They combine a goal and a metric to determine a measurable
outcome.
Objectives: Defines what needs to be achieved; describes a desired outcome. Key results: The measurable
outcomes that objectively define when the objective has been met
Company-wide OKRs are used to set an ultimate goal for an entire organization, whole team, or
department. Project-level OKRs describe the focused results each group will need to achieve in order to
support the organization.
OKRs and project management
As a project manager, OKRs can help you expand upon project goals and further clarify the deliverables
you’ll need from the project to accomplish those goals. Project-level OKRs help establish the appropriate
scope for your team so that you can say “no” to requests that may get in the way of them meeting their
objectives. You can also create and use project-level OKRs to help motivate your team since OKRs are
intended to challenge you to push past what’s easily achievable.
Creating OKRs for your project
Set your objectives
Project objectives should be aspirational, aligned with organizational goals, action-oriented, concrete, and
significant. Consider the vision you and your stakeholders have for your project and determine what you
want the project team to accomplish in 3–6 months.
Examples:
• Build the most secure data security software
• Continuously improve web analytics and conversions
• Provide a top-performing service
• Make a universally-available app
• Increase market reach
• Achieve top sales among competitors in the region
Strong objectives meet the following criteria. They are:
• Aspirational
• Aligned with organizational goals
• Action-oriented
• Concrete
• Significant
To help shape each objective, ask yourself and your team:
• Does the objective help in achieving the project’s overall goals?
• Does the objective align with company and departmental OKRs?
• Is the objective inspiring and motivational?
• Will achieving the objective make a significant impact?
Develop key results
Next, add 2–3 key results for each objective. Key results should be time-bound. They can be used to
indicate the amount of progress to achieve within a shorter period or to define whether you’ve met your
objective at the end of the project. They should also challenge you and your team to stretch yourselves to
achieve more.
Examples:
• X% new signups within first quarter post launch
• Increase advertiser spend by X% within the first two quarters of the year
• New feature adoption is at least X% by the end of the year
• Maximum 2 critical bugs are reported monthly by customers per Sprint
• Maintain newsletter unsubscribe rate at X% this calendar year
Strong key results meet the following criteria:
• Results-oriented—not a task
• Measurable and verifiable
• Specific and time-bound
• Aggressive yet realistic
To help shape your key results, ask yourself and your team the following:
• What does success mean?
• What metrics would prove that we’ve successfully achieved the objective?
OKR development best practices
Here are some best practices to keep in mind when writing OKRs:
• Think of your objectives as being motivational and inspiring and your key results as being tactical
and specific. The objective describes what you want to do and the key results describe how you’ll
know you did it.
• As a general rule, try to develop around 2–-3 key results for each objective.
• Be sure to document your OKRs and link to them in your project plan.
OKRs versus SMART goals
Earlier in this lesson, you learned how to craft SMART goals for your project. While SMART goals and OKRs
have some similarities, there are key differences, as well. The following article describes how SMART goals
and OKRs are similar, how they differ, and when you might want to use one or the other: Understanding
the Unique Utility of OKRs vs. SMART Goals
To learn more how OKRs work to help project managers define and create measurable project goals and
deliverables, check out the following resources:
• Google’s OKR playbook
• Planning company goals
• OKRs and SMART goals: What's the difference?
• OKRs and KPIs: What They Are and How They Work Together
• How OKR and project management work together
• OKR Examples
• OKR TED Talk video (John Doerr, the founder of OKRs, explains why the secret to success is setting
the right goals.)
Scenario

Review the scenario below. Then complete the step-by-step instructions.

Wonder City is a mid-sized city where increasing growth and traffic are impacting quality of life. According
to a recent market assessment, the region’s population is expected to double in the next five years. Job
growth is also expected to increase by 48%. This growth will impact street networks, parking and mobility.
Wonder City has several city-wide objectives related to reducing traffic congestion and improving the city’s
infrastructure. In order to support these city-wide objectives, the Wonder City Transportation Authority
(WCTA) will be launching five new bus lines. This initiative has been nicknamed Project Move It.
You have been hired as the project manager for this initiative. As the project manager, you will set OKRs to
help clarify the project goals and define what needs to be done in order to deliver a successful project.
Here is some additional information about the project:
• The project needs to be completed within two years.
• Community member buy-in and support for the locations of the new bus lines will be required.
• The project must adhere to all government regulations.
• Stops along the new bus lines must connect neighboring suburbs to downtown and public
resource facilities.
• Bus lines must service at least 50% of the most densely-populated areas of Wonder City.
 • The project is intended to help improve wait times and increase ridership.
• The plan includes a marketing campaign to promote the new lines.

Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Access the template
To use the template for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”
Step 2: Draft your first objective
A list of objectives for Project Move It have been provided for you below. Select one and add it next to
“O1” on the first line of the OKR card.
Potential objectives for Project Move It:
• Actively and meaningfully engage the public to generate buy-in and project support.
• Make it easy to get around the greater Wonder City area via public transportation.
• Promote public transportation as a convenient alternative to driving.
• Provide a reliable and consistent public transportation service.
Or, if you prefer, you may draft your own objective based on the scenario.
Remember that effective objectives are:
• Aspirational: Is the objective challenging and inspiring?
• Aligned with company goals: Does the objective support company and/or departmental OKRs?
• Action-oriented: Does the objective motivate the team to take initiative?
• Concrete: Can the project team easily grasp the objective?
• Significant: Will achieving the objective make a meaningful impact or change from where you are
currently?
For example, if the objective of an educational technology company was to provide products that
consistently meet new educational standards, a project objective might be: “Successfully launch version
2.0 of our early learning app in time for the national curriculum conference.”
Step 3: Add key results
Next, write at least three key results for your objective next to “KR1,” “KR2,” and “KR3.” (You may add up
to five key results for each objective, but only three are required for this activity.)
Each key result should address the following questions:
• Does the key result help define success for your team?
• Can it be measured to prove that you’ve achieved your objective?
• Is it specific and time-bound?
 • Is it ambitious yet realistic?
Your key results should build on the scenario and additional project information, but it’s up to you to
determine your success criteria. As an example, let’s return to the objective, “Successfully launch version
2.0 of our early learning app.” If you knew that a successful launch meant getting new users to download
the app, you could create any of the following key results for the objective:
• 15,000 new downloads within first quarter post launch
• 75,000 new downloads within first year post launch
• 25% of monthly downloads from new customers
Remember: OKRs are never set in stone--they can and should be revised as you make progress, so it’s okay
if you need to adjust your key results later on.
Step 4: Write 1-3 more OKRs
Repeat steps 2 and 3 for a second, third and fourth objective to fill up the template.
Pro Tip: Save the template
Finally, be sure to save a blank copy of the OKR template you used to complete this activity. You can use it
for further practice or in your own personal or professional projects. These templates will be useful as you
put together a portfolio of project management artifacts. You can use them to work through your thought
processes as you demonstrate your experience to potential employers.
Let’s review each OKR in the exemplar:
OKR #1: Actively and meaningfully engage the public to generate buy-in and project support
Each key result uses measurable data to define success for the objective. For example, “400 attendees to
12 public meetings focused on transit talks” measures engagement in the number of attendees at public
meetings about transit.
OKR #2: Make it easy to get around the greater Wonder City area via public transportation.
Each key result uses measurable data to define success for the objective. For example, “New ridership
increases by 25% within three months” measures the increase in bus ridership in the city in response to
the community’s improved ability to get around the city with ease.
OKR #3: Promote public transportation as a convenient alternative to driving.
Each key result uses measurable data to define success for the objective. For example, “80% click-through
rate from banner ads on social media” measures the success of the promotional campaign in public
engagement with social media ads.
OKR #4: Provide a reliable and consistent public transportation service.
Each key result uses measurable data to define success for the objective. For example, “100% of new
buses meet government safety standards at monthly inspections” measures the reliability and consistency
of buses that pass regular safety inspections.

Gathering information to define scope

In this lesson, you are learning to define project scope status and differentiate in-scope, out-of-scope, and
scope creep factors that affect reaching the project goal. Let’s focus here on how to identify vital elements
of a project’s scope and examine the right questions to ask in order to define it.
Asking scope-defining questions
Imagine that while working in a restaurant management group, your manager calls and asks you to
“update the dining space,” then quickly hangs up the phone without providing further instruction. In this
initial handoff from the manager, you are missing a lot of information. How do you even know what to
ask?
Let’s quickly recap the concept of scope. The scope provides the boundaries for your project. You define
the scope to help identify necessary resources, resource costs, and a schedule for the project.
In the situation we just described, here are some questions you might ask your manager in order to get
the information you need to define the scope of the project:
Stakeholders
• How did you arrive at the decision to update the dining space?
• Did the request originate from the restaurant owner, customers, or other stakeholders?
• Who will approve the scope for the project?
Goals
• What is the reason for updating the dining space?
• What isn't working in the current dining space?
• What is the end goal of this project?
Deliverables
• Which dining space is being updated?
• What exactly needs to be updated?
• Does the dining space need a remodel?
Resources
• What materials, equipment, and people will be needed?
• Will we need to hire contractors?
• Will we need to attain a floor plan and building permits?
Budget
• What is the budget for this project? Is it fixed or flexible?
Schedule
 • How much time do we have to complete the project?
• When does the project need to be completed?
Flexibility
• How much flexibility is there?
• What is the highest priority: hitting the deadline, sticking to the budget, or making sure the result
meets all the quality targets?
Key takeaway
Taking the time to ask questions and ensure that you understand the scope of the project will help reduce
expenses, rework, frustration, and confusion. Make sure you understand the who, what, when, where,
why, and how as it applies to the scope. If you are missing any of that information, focus your questions
on those elements. The initiation phase of the project sets the foundation for the project, so ensuring that
you understand the scope and expectations during this stage is essential.

Strategies for controlling scope creep

In this lesson, we have discussed the importance of defining and documenting a project’s scope and how
to identify scope creep factors that can affect reaching a project’s goal. In this reading, we will focus on
how to control scope creep.
Scope management best practices
The scope of a project can get out of control quickly—so quickly that you may not even notice it. Scope
creep is when a project’s work starts to grow beyond what was originally agreed upon during the initiation
phase. Scope creep can put stress on you, your team, and your organization, and it can put your project at
risk. The effects of scope creep can hinder every aspect of the project, from the schedule to the budget to
the resources, and ultimately, its overall success.
Here are some best practices for scope management and controlling scope creep:
• Define your project’s requirements. Communicate with your stakeholders or customers to find out
exactly what they want from the project and document those requirements during the initiation
phase.
• Set a clear project schedule. Time and task management are essential for sticking to your project’s
scope. Your schedule should outline all of your project’s requirements and the tasks that are
necessary to achieve them.
• Determine what is out of scope. Make sure your stakeholders, customers, and project team
understand when proposed changes are out of scope. Come to a clear agreement about the
potential impacts to the project and document your agreement.
• Provide alternatives. Suggest alternative solutions to your customer or stakeholder. You can also
help them consider how their proposed changes might create additional risks. Perform a cost-
benefit analysis, if necessary.
 • Set up a change control process. During the course of your project, some changes are inevitable.
Determine the process for how each change will be defined, reviewed, and approved (or rejected)
before you add it to your project plan. Make sure your project team is aware of this process.
• Learn how to say no. Sometimes you will have to say no to proposed changes. Saying no to a key
stakeholder or customer can be uncomfortable, but it can be necessary to protect your project’s
scope and its overall quality. If you are asked to take on additional tasks, explain how they will
interfere with the budget, timeline, and/or resources defined in your initial project requirements.
• Collect costs for out-of-scope work. If out-of-scope work is required, be sure to document all costs
incurred. That includes costs for work indirectly impacted by the increased scope. Be sure to
indicate what the charges are for.
Key takeaway
You can only avoid scope creep if everyone involved in the project understands and agrees on
responsibilities, boundaries, and timelines. Avoiding scope creep also requires clear communication,
expectation management, and a well-defined path to your desired outcome. Following the strategies
discussed here can help you proactively manage scope creep before it creeps into your project!

Reviewing the Triple Constraint

As you’ve just learned, project managers may refer to the triple constraint model to manage scope and
control scope creep. It can serve as a valuable tool to help you negotiate priorities and consider trade-offs.

Don't forget to land: Measuring project success

In this lesson, you are learning to distinguish the difference between a project launch and a project
landing. Let’s focus here on the difference between launches and landings and how to ensure that your
project will be completed successfully.
You will often hear companies celebrating the launch of a new product, service, or initiative, and it is
important to remember that even when your project is out in the world, your work isn’t complete. When
working on a project, the goal isn’t simply to launch it, but to land it. Landings occur once your project
achieves a measure of success. As project managers, landings are what we strive for and what we
celebrate. They are the ultimate reward for all of our efforts.

Launching vs. landing a project

In project management, a project “launching” means you have delivered the final results of the project to
the client or user. You can’t solely base project success on when the client accepts the project, though.
Your work on a project won’t be complete until you “land” it by thoroughly measuring the results. This is
when the success criteria and the metrics you defined initially when setting SMART goals will come in
handy.
Teams should be clear on what they are trying to accomplish, beyond just launching something to users.
Will your project increase retention? Will your project speed up a product feature? Depending on the
product and situation, the answers will differ, but it is important that your team aligns and works toward
the same measurable goal.
Launch first, land later
Let’s consider an example: imagine you are a project manager for an eco-friendly organization. Your
organization asks you to create a training program for middle school students in your county to teach
them about the impacts of recycling. The county's goal is to increase recycling by 20% over the next five
years. You gather your team and start developing the learning content to build out this training program. It
takes you and your team one year to complete the research, development, and production of this training.
When you hand over the training to the school district, you are launching the project. In order to know
your project actually landed at the intended goal, you need to check back in periodically over the next five
years to see if the training program is on target to produce a 20% increase in recycling in the county.
Launch and forget
A common mistake of many project teams is to “launch and forget” the results. This happens when a
project manager delivers the project to the client and the client accepts the project delivery, but the
project manager doesn’t assess if the project deliverables satisfy the customer or user. In the example
above, if you didn’t check back periodically over five years to assess the results, you would have only
launched—but not landed—the project. Launching and landings work in tandem to ensure true success.
A project landing shouldn’t create more hurdles. If done correctly, a landing creates greater alignment
within the teams on the end results you all desire, and it gives everybody on the team better visibility on
how to achieve success.
Key takeaway
Launching your project to the client can be a very big moment for you. You handed over the project to
your client and now you can take a step back and breathe. But make sure you land your project, as well.
Look over your notes, talk with your team, meet with the client, and remember to return to your intended
deliverables and metrics to help you measure success.

Tracking and communicating success criteria

We recently covered the topic about launching and landing projects, and now we will turn our focus to
ensuring that our landings are successful.
Recall that SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound and help keep a
project on track for success.
We can also determine the success of a project by the quality of the product, the ability to fulfill the needs
of your customers, and the need to meet the expectations of your stakeholders. For this reading, we will
discuss these particular success criteria, the metrics we use to track them, and how and why we
communicate our findings.
Product quality
The product, or final result, of a project has its own set of attributes that define success. The product
attributes that are necessary for the product’s success include completeness in features, quality of
features, unit cost, usability, etc. The extent that a product is complete will contribute to the product’s
success. This can apply to any project in which you deliver a product or tangible outcome at the end. To
keep us on track for success, we can create a list of product requirements to ensure that you do not miss
anything. For example, if the project produces word processing software, you need basic features like text
entry, formatting, saving, and printing. Since you require each feature to have a functional word processor
by today’s standards, you include these features on your checklist.
To measure the success of a product, consider including these metrics on your checklist:
• Track if you implemented the product’s priority requirements
• Track and assess the product’s number of technical issues or defects
• Measure the percentage of features you delivered or released at the end of the project
What is important to the customers or stakeholders
We have to pay attention to product metrics, but we also have to be mindful of stakeholder and customer
additional expectations for features and objectives. In the word processor example, a stakeholder may
want to add an additional functionality to easily create tables in a document with text. Additionally, a
strategic goal of the organization could be to create word processor software with more collaborative
ability than the word processors currently on the market. Each component is necessary in order to meet
customer and stakeholder expectations. Think about what needs the project satisfies for your
stakeholders or customers. These strategic goals tie back to the business case and the reason you initiated
the project in the first place. Often, you can measure the fulfillment of strategic goals via user or customer
metrics. Metrics to consider include:
• Evaluating user engagement with the product
• Measuring stakeholder and customer satisfaction via surveys
• Tracking user adoption of the product by using sales data
Document, align, and communicate success
Understanding where we are and where we are going helps the project team determine if they are on
track. As you learned in the video on this topic, you need to get clarity from stakeholders on the project
requirements and expectations. There are many people involved with any project, and success will look
different for each of them. You want to ask questions, such as: Who ultimately says whether or not the
project is successful? What criteria will be measured to determine success? What is the success of this
project based on? It is best practice to get the key stakeholders or the steering committee to review and
approve your success criteria. This becomes a mutual agreement on how all parties define the success of
the project.
Key takeaway
Remember, all projects encounter change. All parties must have continuous access and alignment to the
success criteria agreed upon to avoid scope creep (uncontrolled change of the project’s scope) or failed
expectations at the end of the project. It’s important to document success criteria upfront and continue to
report on it throughout the project.

Using OKRs to evaluate progress

In this lesson, you are learning to define a project’s success criteria, the measurable attributes project
managers use to determine whether or not a project was successful as a whole. This reading will focus on
using OKRs to evaluate a project’s progress.
Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)
You have learned that OKRs—Objectives and Key Results--combine a goal and a metric to determine a
measurable outcome. Setting OKRs is a technique that can help project teams define, communicate, and
measure shared success criteria.
Objectives: Defines what needs to be achieved; describes a desired outcome. Key results: The measurable
outcomes that objectively define when the objective has been met
Communicating and tracking OKRs
Conducting regular check-ins and actively tracking progress with your team can help ensure that
objectives are being met and that any issues are resolved as soon as possible.
Share your OKRs with your team. Once you’ve created OKRs for your project, it’s important to
communicate them to your team so that everyone knows how to focus and align their efforts. You can do
this by sharing a digital document, presenting them in a meeting, or adding them to an internal website.
OKRs can help your project team stick to its goals, monitor which are falling short, and be continuously
motivated to meet project objectives.
Assign owners. Assign an owner to every key result so that everybody knows who’s responsible for what.
This helps add clarity and increases accountability.
Measuring progress
Measuring your OKRs is an important part of tracking and sharing your progress. One shortcut to
determining the status of a project is to score or grade your OKRs. While scores or grades don’t provide a
complete assessment of a project’s success, they’re helpful tools for determining how close you came to
achieving your objectives. You can then share your OKR scores with project stakeholders and team
members as part of your overall project updates.
Determine how you will score your OKRs. OKRs can be scored in different ways. You can score based on a
percentage of the objective completed, the completion of certain milestones, or a scale of 1 to 10, for
example. You can also use a “traffic light” scoring approach, where red means you didn’t make any
progress, yellow means you made some progress, and green means you completed your objective. The
simplest approach to scoring OKRs is the “yes/no” method, with “yes” meaning you achieved your
objective and “no” meaning you didn’t. Using this approach, a key result such as “Launch a new widget
marketing campaign” might be graded a 1 or 0 depending on whether it was launched (1) or not (0). A
more advanced scoring approach is to grade your key results on a scale. With this method, if a key result
was to “Launch six new features” and only three new features were launched, the OKR might be graded
0.5. Generally, if the KR helped you achieve the objective, your OKR should receive a higher score; if it
didn't, your OKR should receive a lower score. At Google, OKRs are usually graded on a scale of 0.0 to 1.0,
with 1.0 meaning the objective was fully achieved. Each individual key result is graded and then the
grades are averaged to determine the score for that OKR.
Set your scoring expectations. With Google’s 0.0–1.0 scale, the expectation is to set ambitious OKRs and
aim to achieve an average of at least 0.6 to 0.7 across all OKRs. For OKRs graded according to percentage
achieved, the sweet spot is somewhere in the 60–70% range. Scoring lower may mean the team is not
achieving what it could be. Scoring higher may mean the aspirational goals are not being set high enough.
Schedule checkpoints. It’s important to regularly communicate the status of project OKRs with your team
and senior managers. For example, it can be helpful to have monthly check-ins on the progress of OKRs to
give both individuals and your team a sense of where they are. Typically, at the end of the quarter, you’ll
grade each of your OKRs to evaluate how well the team did to achieve its goals.
Key takeaway
OKRs can help you define and measure your project’s success criteria. In order for OKRs to be used to
effectively meet your project’s success criteria, it’s important to share them with your team, assign
owners to each key result to ensure accountability, measure your OKRs’ progress by scoring them, and
track your OKRs’ progress by scheduling regular check-ins with your team.

Review: The building blocks of a project dream team

In the previous video, we explored some considerations for choosing your project team and assigning
their roles and responsibilities. Let’s recap what you learned and expand upon what to think about when
building your project team.

Too big, too small, or just right?

Once you lay the foundation for your project by outlining your goals and expectations, it is time to build
your dream team! Though before we can build our dream team, we need to figure out how many people
we need. This number will largely depend on the size of the project itself. Complex projects with large
divisions of work will usually require larger project teams. Simple projects with straightforward
expectations may only require a few people on the project team. As a project manager, it is your job to
help find the right balance based on what is needed.
The right skills and abilities to fill the role
Multiple roles exist in every project. On smaller teams, multiple roles may be filled by one person. To meet
the needs of more specialized projects, project managers might require people who have the necessary
technical skills. Technical skills are the skills specific to the task that needs to be performed. For example,
on the Office Green project, necessary technical skills may include indoor landscaping design for the
layout of the plants within the offices and floral design of plant arranging.
Technical skills are highly valued, but they are not the only skills that are important for high functioning
teams. Interpersonal skills, also known as people skills or soft skills, such as patience and conflict
mediation, can help team members. This allows the team to blend their technical expertise with
collaborative skills in order to get the job done. When a team applies their interpersonal skills, they can
minimize team-related issues.
Problem-solving skills are a must for all team members, especially when it comes to large, complex
projects. As a project manager, you will not be able to solve every problem for your team. At some point,
they will need to use their own judgment to problem-solve and get the work done.
An underrated skill set for project team members are leadership skills. Strong leadership skills help team
members navigate organizational boundaries and effectively communicate with stakeholders to generate
buy-in.
Who is available?
In projects, the availability of your team is always a big concern. This is especially true in Matrix
organizations, where team members have multiple bosses. It is not uncommon to pull a team member
onto another project before your project is complete. In a perfect world, you only pick those who can stay
on the project for its entire life cycle. You may find that you don’t get to pick certain members of your
team at all, which is called a pre-assignment. In these cases, the sponsor assigns team members to your
project.
Keep in mind that you need to value diversity early on when building your team. On diverse teams,
everyone is able to use their unique professional and personal experiences to contribute to a more
successful project. Diversity is best leveraged when it is acknowledged and highlighted as an asset. Many
people avoid discussing their differences, but if you encourage those conversations, you will find a richer
understanding and greater creativity that comes from people working together across identity differences.
To do this effectively, it is important to dedicate time early on in the team building process to develop
trust between team members. Team members who understand one another are more likely to trust each
other and feel safe sharing different points of view or offer a competing perspective. This will also allow
them to more easily offer constructive feedback or be supportive if the team dynamics face challenges at
any point.
What motivates them?
Be sure to take note of the motivation level of your team members and the impact it may have on your
project. Just because a person is pre-assigned to a project, doesn’t necessarily mean they have low
interest in it, but a person who proactively volunteered for it may have additional motivation to do the
work.
As a project manager, it is your responsibility to engage your team and keep them motivated. This is
where your influence as a leader is required to keep the team engaged and ready to overcome any
obstacles that may appear. Engaging in a respectful manner and maintaining a positive outlook with your
team during times of adversity are simple ways to keep your team motivated.
Key takeaway
In summary, team size, skills, availability, and motivation are the building blocks to creating your very own
dream team. Always keep in mind that a project manager does not just select dream teams, they create
dream teams through collaboration under great leadership. This is the leadership that you will provide as
a project manager.

Essential project roles

In this lesson, you are learning to define project roles and responsibilities. Let’s now build on what you
have learned about building your project team and focus on how to further identify the core roles and
responsibilities that are critical to any project.
The project manager
Although all team members are responsible for their individual parts of the project, the project manager is
responsible for the overall success of the team, and ultimately, the project as a whole. A project manager
understands that paying close attention to team dynamics is essential to successfully completing a project,
and they use team-building techniques, motivation, influencing, decision-making, and coaching skills, to
keep their teams strong.
Project managers integrate all project work by developing the project management plan, directing the
work, documenting reports, controlling change, and monitoring quality.
In addition, project managers are responsible for balancing the scope, schedule, and cost of a project by
managing engagement with stakeholders. When managing engagement with stakeholders, project
managers rely on strong communication skills, political and cultural awareness, negotiation, trust-building,
and conflict management skills.
Stakeholders
Have you ever heard the phrase “the stakes are high"? When we talk about “stakes,” we are referring to
the important parts of a business, situation, or project that might be at risk if something goes wrong. To
hold stake in a business, situation, or project means you are invested in its success. There will often be
several parties that will hold stake in the outcome of a project. Each group’s level of investment will differ
based on how the outcome of the project may impact them. Stakeholders are often divided into two
groups: primary stakeholders, also known as key stakeholders, and secondary stakeholders. A primary
stakeholder is directly affected by the outcome of the project, while a secondary stakeholder is indirectly
affected by the outcome of the project.
Primary stakeholders usually include team members, senior leaders, and customers. For example, imagine
that you are a project manager for a construction company that is commissioned to build out a new event
space for a local catering company. On this project, the owners of the catering company would be primary
stakeholders since they are paying for the project.
Another primary stakeholder could be the CEO of your construction company. If the CEO likes to be
directly involved with projects for local businesses like the catering company, that would make them a
primary stakeholder.
An example of a secondary stakeholder might be the project’s point of contact in legal. While the project
outcome might not affect them directly, the project itself would impact their work when they process the
contract. Each project will have a different set of stakeholders, which is why it’s important for the project
manager to know who they are, what they need, and how to communicate with them.
Project team members
Every successful team needs strong leadership and membership, and project management is no
exception! Project team members are also considered primary stakeholders, since they play a crucial role
in getting the job done. Your team members will vary depending on the type, complexity, and size of the
project. It’s important to consider these variables as you select your project team and begin to work with
them. Remember that choosing teammates with the right technical skills and interpersonal skills will be
valuable as you work to meet your project goals. If you are not able to select your project team, be sure to
champion diversity and build trust to create harmony within the team.
Sponsor
The project sponsor is another primary stakeholder. A sponsor initiates the project and is responsible for
presenting a business case for its existence, signing the project charter, and releasing resources to the
project manager. The sponsor is very important to the project, so it’s critical to communicate with them
frequently throughout all project phases. In our construction company example, the CEO could also be the
project sponsor.
Key takeaway
Although the roles involved in each project will vary, all projects will include a project manager and
primary stakeholders who are directly impacted by the project’s outcome, such as team members, senior
leaders, the customer, and the project sponsor. Secondary stakeholders, whose work less directly impacts
the project, may also play a role. Keep these roles in mind as we take a closer look at the importance of
stakeholders.

Prioritizing stakeholders and generating their buy-in

In this lesson, you are learning to complete a stakeholder analysis and explain its significance. Let’s focus
here on how to prioritize the various types of stakeholders that can exist on a project, generate
stakeholder buy-in, and manage their expectations.
Conducting a stakeholder analysis
Stakeholders are an essential part of any project. A project manager’s ability to balance stakeholder
requirements, get their buy-in, and understand when and how to involve them is key to successfully
fulfilling a project.
It is key to keep stakeholders organized in order to understand when and how to involve them at the right
time. In an earlier video, we introduced the stakeholder analysis, a useful tool that project managers use
to understand stakeholders’ needs and help minimize hiccups during your project life cycle.
Let’s review the key steps in the stakeholder analysis:
1. Make a list of all the stakeholders the project impacts. When generating this list, ask yourself: Who
is invested in the project? Who is impacted by this project? Who contributes to this project?
2. Determine the level of interest and influence for each stakeholder—this step helps you determine
who your key stakeholders are. The higher the level of interest and influence, the more important
it will be to prioritize their needs throughout the project.
3. Assess stakeholders’ ability to participate and then find ways to involve them. Various types of
projects will yield various types of stakeholders—some will be active stakeholders with more
opinions and touchpoints and others will be passive stakeholders, preferring only high-level
 updates and not involved in the day-to-day. That said, just because a stakeholder does not
participate as often as others does not mean they are not important. There are lots of factors that
will play a role in determining a stakeholder’s ability to participate in a project, like physical
distance from the project and their existing workload.
Pro tip: You might want to form a steering committee during some projects. A steering committee is a
collection of key stakeholders who have a high level of power and interest in a project. A steering
committee can influence multiple departments within the organization, which means that they have the
potential to release a greater number of resources to the project manager.
Visualizing your analysis
A power grid shows stakeholder interest in the project versus their influence over the project. This four-
quadrant tool helps project managers evaluate how to manage their stakeholders. It is used to determine
the appropriate level of engagement required by the project team needed to gain the stakeholders’ trust
and buy-in. The upper half of the grid represents higher influence, and the lower half of the grid
represents lower influence. Meanwhile, the left half of the grid represents lower interest, and the right
half of the grid represents higher interest. With that in mind, you'll find the upper left quadrant to be
labeled "meets their needs," the upper right quadrant "manage closely," the bottom left quadrant is
labeled "monitor," and the bottom right quadrant is labeled "show consideration."

Take the time at the start of the project to establish your stakeholder approach. List the stakeholders and
then place them into the appropriate places on the grid. Being able to visualize their placement will help
you manage communications and expectations. Having a quick reference tool to drive your
communication actions will also allow you to have the ability to spend more time doing other tasks on
your project.
To break it down further, here is the meaning of each quadrant:
Quadrant 1: High Influence, High Interest (Upper Right)
Stakeholders in this quadrant have a significant influence on the project and are highly interested in its
outcome. They can greatly impact project decisions and success. Examples might include project sponsors,
key executives, or regulatory authorities. Responses for this quadrant include:
1. Engagement and Involvement:
• Keep these stakeholders well-informed and engaged throughout the project lifecycle.
• Involve them in decision-making processes, seeking their input and feedback.
• Address their concerns promptly and effectively.
2. Regular Communication:
• Schedule regular meetings or updates to keep them informed about project progress and
any issues.
• Tailor communication to their preferences and needs to ensure they remain supportive and
engaged.
Quadrant 2: High Influence, Low Interest (Upper Left)
Stakeholders in this quadrant have high influence but may not be deeply interested in the day-to-day
project details. They might include senior managers who need to be informed but may not be actively
engaged. Responses for this quadrant include:
1. Executive Summaries:
• Provide high-level summaries of project progress and key decisions for their review.
• Focus on the impact of the project on organizational goals and objectives.
2. Periodic Updates:
• Provide periodic briefings or updates to ensure they are informed of major milestones and
critical project changes.
Quadrant 3: Low Influence, High Interest (Bottom Right)
Stakeholders in this quadrant have a high interest in the project but relatively low influence on its
outcome. They are typically looking for updates and information about the project. Responses for this
quadrant include:
1. Regular Updates:
• Communicate project progress, risks, and updates to keep them engaged and informed.
• Address their queries and concerns promptly to maintain their interest.
 2. Stakeholder Feedback:
• Seek their feedback on project plans, progress, and outcomes to ensure their perspective is
considered.
Quadrant 4: Low Influence, Low Interest (Bottom Left)
Stakeholders in this quadrant have low influence on the project and limited interest in its details. They
might include lower-level employees or departments not directly impacted by the project. Responses for
this quadrant include:
1. General Communication:
• Share general updates about the project's overall progress without overwhelming them
with details.
• Address any specific questions they may have, but avoid unnecessary inundation with
project-related information.
2. Minimal Engagement:
• Maintain a basic level of communication and engagement to keep them aware of the
project without distracting them from their regular responsibilities.
By understanding the influence and interest of stakeholders using a four-quadrant power grid, project
managers can tailor their communication and engagement strategies to effectively manage stakeholder
relationships throughout a project life cycle.
Pro tip: While these tools help organize information, they do not necessarily make the difference between
successful and unsuccessful stakeholder engagement. What will make for successful stakeholder
engagement is the project manager’s ability to know their stakeholders’ motivations and inspirations. This
takes time, interpersonal skills, and insight into the organization’s internal political workings. Remember,
each project is different, and your project may need tweaks along the way as you grow as a project
manager. Making necessary changes means you are doing something right. Just make sure to check in and
ensure that you are well on track, engaging your stakeholders successfully, and delivering on your project!
Generating stakeholder buy-in
Once you organize and assess your stakeholders, it is time to start making some decisions on whose buy-in
is absolutely necessary for success, whose requirements deserve the most attention, and what level of
communication each stakeholder will require.
Gaining key stakeholder buy-in is essential to ensuring that your project is not deprioritized or deprived of
resources.
Tips for gaining key stakeholder buy-in include:
• Clearly mapping the work of the project to the goals of the stakeholder.
• Describing how the project aligns with the goals of the stakeholder's department or team.
• Listening to feedback from the stakeholder and finding ways to incorporate their feedback into the
project's charter where appropriate.
Manage your stakeholders’ expectations by presenting a realistic view of your team’s abilities. Do not
over-promise and under-deliver!
Suggested questions for stakeholders
• What are your most important priorities/goals?
• How will this initiative/project support you and your most important priorities?
• What role would you like to play within this initiative/project?
• Here’s how I plan to keep people informed; does that work for you?
• What can I clarify for you?
• What are your expectations? What would you like for the project to accomplish?
• What would success look like for you?
• Who else do you recommend I reach out to about this initiative?
• What information or insights do you have that might be challenging for me to find?
• Where do you see me getting support for this initiative? Facing resistance?
• What additional thoughts/questions do you have?
Activity Overview
In this activity you will complete a stakeholder analysis and power grid.
As a project manager, it’s important to understand how each stakeholder relates to your project.
Completing a stakeholder analysis and power grid allows you to determine each stakeholder’s influence
and potential impact on a project, which is crucial to managing communications and expectations.
Be sure to complete this activity before moving on. The next course item will provide you with a
completed exemplar to compare to your own work. You will not be able to access the exemplar until you
have completed this activity.
Scenario

Review the scenario below. Then complete the step-by-step instructions.

You are the project manager at Office Green, a commercial landscaping company that specializes in plants
and greenery for offices and other businesses. The company is getting ready to introduce its new Plant
Pals service, and you will manage the launch. You and your team need to maintain trust and generate buy-
in from your stakeholders. Some of your stakeholders include:
• Director of Product: The Director of Product is the project sponsor. As the sponsor, they fully
support the project, sign off on high-level decisions, and sometimes act as a resource for the team.
They are deeply invested in the outcome of the project, but less involved with its day-to-day
operations.
• Landscape Designer/Web Designer: This person has two roles at Office Green, and within the
Plant Pals project. In addition to their web design skills and knowledge of plants, they have strong
relationships with a range of people across the company. The Plant Pals project could affect their
role as Landscape Designer if it results in a pivot toward new services. If they don’t want their role
to change, it could be harder to get their buy-in.
• Existing clients and their employees: The core customers for this product launch are Office
Green’s existing clients and their employees. Their feedback can help Office Green improve the
customer experience for the new service. Depending on their needs, some clients will be very
interested in Plant Pals, while others will be less so. Lower-interest clients are unlikely to resist the
project unless it impacts the existing product line.
• Office Green’s investors: The investors support Office Green financially, so the company wants to
keep them happy. Likewise, because Office Green’s performance affects their investments, the
investors want Plant Pals to succeed. However, they will not be directly involved in the project and
it will not affect them before launch. They are therefore unlikely to oppose the project at this
stage.
• Office Green’s receptionist: The receptionist will not be directly involved with the Plant Pals
project. They will need to answer customer questions about the service later on, but don’t need to
know many details until closer to launch. They have no major concerns about the project at this
stage.
Step-By-Step Instructions

Part 1 - Understanding stakeholders with a stakeholder analysis

Step 1: Access the template
To use the template for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”
Step 2: Identify stakeholders
Start with the Understanding Stakeholders table on the first slide of the template. This is where you will
organize your information. First, identify the stakeholders from the Office Green scenario (e.g., Director of
Product, Landscape Designer/Web Designer, etc.) and write their titles in the Stakeholder column of the
table.
Step 3: Determine stakeholder roles
What roles do your stakeholders play in the project? Write down each team member’s role in the Role
column. Select from the following options when determining project roles:
• Project sponsor
• Project team member
• Office Green employee
• Office Green customer
• Secondary stakeholder
Step 4: Determine stakeholder involvement
How will each stakeholder participate in the project? What resources do they have that can help project
success? Consider each stakeholder’s involvement in the project, as well as any tools (software, hardware,
etc.), knowledge, or relationships that could be helpful. Make note of these activities and assets in the
Involvement column.
Step 5: Determine the impact on your stakeholders
How will the project outcomes affect the needs of each stakeholder? Do you expect any resistance that
could affect their buy-in? Record this information in the Impact column.
Step 6: Determine each stakeholder’s level of power or influence
How much influence does each stakeholder have over the project? Consider the information you added to
the Involvement and Impact columns. Then record each stakeholder’s level of power or influence as high
(H), medium (M), or low (L) in the Power or Influence column.
Note: You should gauge each stakeholder’s level of influence on this project, not within Office Green in
general.
Step 7: Determine each stakeholder’s level of interest
How involved is each stakeholder in the project on a daily basis? How much will the project impact the
needs of each stakeholder? Estimate each stakeholder’s level of interest in the project at this stage,
considering your notes from the Involvement and Impact columns. Then indicate high (H), medium (M),
or low (L) in the Interest column.
Be sure to consider interest in project outcomes and interest in day-to-day operations. If a stakeholder is
interested in both, their overall interest level is likely high. If neither, their interest could be low. If they are
interested in one, but not the other, a medium rating might be appropriate.
Leave the Engagement column blank for now. You will return to it once you have completed the power
grid.
Part 2 - Prioritizing stakeholders in a power grid
Step 1: Place stakeholders in the power grid
Now go to the second slide of the template: Prioritizing Stakeholders (power grid). Consider your power
or influence ratings from the stakeholder analysis. Then drag the box containing each stakeholder’s name
to the appropriate place in the power grid.
High-interest, high-power stakeholders should go toward the upper-right corner. Low-interest, low-power
stakeholders go toward the lower-left corner, and so forth. You can place stakeholders anywhere on the
power grid—even between quadrants. For example, a stakeholder with a medium level of interest would
straddle the high and low interest quadrants.
Note: Consult slides 3-5 for a demonstration of how to place your stakeholders.
Step 2: Determine how to engage with stakeholders
Now that you’ve placed your stakeholders in the grid, go back to the Engagement column in the
stakeholder analysis table. Think about where each stakeholder falls in the grid: monitor, show
consideration, keep satisfied, or manage closely.
Based on this information, determine how often you should communicate with each stakeholder and
what form that communication should take (e.g. semi-regular consultations, frequent updates, etc.).
Depending on their role or resources, you might communicate with them daily, regularly, or rarely. Record
your answers in the Engagement column.
Pro Tip: Save the Template
Finally, be sure to save a blank copy of the stakeholder analysis and power grid template you used to
complete this activity. You can use it for further practice or in your own personal or professional projects.
Templates like this one will be useful as you put together a portfolio of project management artifacts. You
can use them to talk through your thought processes as you demonstrate your experience to potential
employers.
What to Include in Your Response
Be sure to address the following criteria in your completed stakeholder analysis table:
• The table includes all five stakeholders and groups from the scenario.
• The table lists information on each stakeholder’s role, resources, potential resistance, and
engagement.
• The table lists each stakeholder’s level of power or influence as low, medium, or high.
• The table lists each stakeholder’s level of interest as low, medium, or high.
Be sure to address the following criteria in your completed power grid:
• The grid contains all the stakeholders from your stakeholder analysis.
• The position of each stakeholder corresponds to their level of interest and influence in your
stakeholder analysis.
Let’s review the stakeholder analysis table:
• The Stakeholder column includes the titles of the five stakeholders (and stakeholder groups) from
the scenario.
• Each stakeholder’s role is in the Role column.
• Each stakeholder’s involvement (including helpful tools, knowledge, or relationships) is recorded in
the Involvement column.
• The project’s impact on each stakeholder’s needs (along with any potential resistance ) is
described in the Impact column.
• Each stakeholder’s level of power or influence is classified as high (H), medium (M), or low (L) in
the Power or Influence column.
• Each stakeholder’s level of interest is classified as high (H), medium (M), or low (L) in the Interest
column.
• The level and type of engagement determined for each stakeholder is recorded in the Engagement
column.
Let’s review the power grid:
• As the project sponsor, the Director of Product has a high level of influence on the project. They
are invested in the project’s success, but not involved on a day-to-day basis, so their interest is
medium. You should communicate with them regularly, but not daily, to ensure they are satisfied
with project progress.
• The Landscape Designer/Web Designer has a high level of both influence and interest, which
means you should manage them closely. You should communicate with them daily to discuss
project tasks and to ensure you have their buy-in. If you have them on your side, they can help you
manage relationships with other Office Green employees.
• Existing clients and their employees are the core customer base for Plant Pals, so you need to
make sure you’re building something they want to buy. Their feedback can help you measure
project success, but you don’t need to communicate with them frequently. Occasional check-ins to
gauge their satisfaction are appropriate. This is a large group of people with varying priorities and
concerns, so their interest and influence are both marked as medium.
• Office Green’s investors will not be directly involved in the project, so their interest in daily
operations is low. However, their influence level is medium, since you need to protect their
investment to keep their financial support. Giving them periodic updates on project milestones
and performance would be appropriate.
 • The Office Green receptionist’s influence and interest in the project are both relatively low. You
don’t need to communicate with them often until the project nears completion. They are not part
of the project team, and you do not need to discuss the details with them until later in the
process.

Building out a RACI chart

A RACI chart can be an extremely effective way to define project roles, give direction to each team
member and stakeholder, and ensure work gets done efficiently. Having a RACI chart available throughout
the duration of your project as a quick visual can be invaluable. In this reading, we will cover the function
of a RACI chart and its components and explore how project managers use RACI charts to define and
document project roles and responsibilities.
Elements of a RACI chart
A RACI chart creates clear roles and gives direction to each team member and stakeholder. Over your
career, you may hear a RACI chart referred to as a Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM), RACI diagram,
or RACI matrix. The ultimate goal of this chart is to clarify each person’s role on your project.
First, let’s break down each of the roles people can be assigned:
R: Responsible: who gets the work done
A: Accountable: who makes sure the work is done
C: Consulted: who gives input or feedback on work
I: Informed: who needs to know the outcome
Note that RACI charts can be organized in different ways, depending on personal preference, number of
tasks being assigned, and number of people involved. In the previous video, we showed you one RACI
chart format. The template below shows another way a typical RACI chart might be organized.
Let’s further examine each of the roles and how to determine which team member should be assigned to
which role.
Responsible
Individuals who are assigned the “responsible” role for a task are the ones who are actually doing the
work to complete the task. Every task needs at least one responsible party. It’s a best practice to try to
limit the number of team members assigned to a task’s responsible role, but in some cases, you may have
more than one.
A couple of questions to ask yourself when determining which person or people should be placed in the
responsible role for a given task are:
• What department does the work fall under?
• Who will perform the work?
It is helpful to evaluate the people on your team to determine the role that suits them. Remember that
you may need to list roles rather than names, if some people take on more than one role.
Let’s dig deeper into our example with Office Green. Our task is to develop price points for the project,
and the Financial Analyst will complete the work for this task. Therefore, we will list “Financial Analyst” in
the responsible role for this task in the RACI chart.

Accountable
The “accountable” person is responsible for making sure the task gets done. It is important to have only
one individual accountable for each task. This helps clarify ownership of the task. The accountable person
ultimately has the authority to approve the deliverable of the responsible party.
In order to determine who should be tagged as the accountable team member, consider:
• Who will delegate the task to be completed?
• Who will review the work to determine if the task is complete?
You may encounter a situation where the responsible party is also accountable, but where possible, it is
helpful to separate these roles. Ensuring that accountability is not shared ensures that there is no
confusion on who the ownership belongs to.
Continuing with our Office Green example, you have assigned the “accountable” role to the Head of
Finance. The Head of Finance has to make sure the project stays in budget and makes a profit, so they
have the ultimate authority over the price points for the product. Therefore, they will need to approve the
Financial Analyst’s work on the task.

Consulted
Team members or stakeholders who are placed in the “consulted” role have useful information to help
complete the task. There is no maximum or minimum number of people who can be assigned a
“consulted” role, but it’s important that each person has a reason for being there.
Here are a few ways you can help identify who is appropriate for the role:
• Who will the task impact?
• Who will have input or feedback for the responsible person to help the work be completed?
• Who are the subject matter experts (SMEs) for the task?
The consulted people will be in frequent, two-way communication with the responsible party, so it is key
to make sure that the right people are in this role to help accomplish the task efficiently and correctly.
Back to the project at Office Green, we’ve got a “responsible” Financial Analyst and an “accountable”
Head of Finance. Who else would need to provide input on the product’s price points? Whose decisions
and feedback will directly affect the task? The Director of Product will need to be consulted on the matter,
as they oversee all product offerings. This person will have information about potential changes to the
product and how these changes might affect price points.
Informed
Individuals who are identified as needing to be “informed” need to know the final decisions that were
made and when a task is completed. It is common to have many people assigned to this category and for
some team members to be informed on most tasks. Team members or stakeholders here will not be asked
for feedback, so it is key to make sure people who are in this group only require status updates and do not
need to provide any direct feedback for the completion of the effort.
Key questions to ask yourself in order to ensure that you have appropriately captured individuals in the
“informed” role are:
• Who cares about this task’s completion?
• Who will be affected by the outcome?
Now that you’ve determined who is responsible, accountable, and consulted on the Office Green project
task, it is time to determine who needs to be informed about the task. Your Financial Analyst has set the
price points with input from the Director of Product, and the Head of Finance has approved. You will now
need to inform the Sales Team about the final price points, as they will need this information to sell the
product.

Pro tip: You could end up with a large number of team members and stakeholders who are placed in the
“informed” role. If so, make sure that you have a plan to keep them informed that is not labor-intensive.
Something as easy as view-only access to your project plan or meeting notes could prevent you from
having to create separate communications along the way.
Key takeaway
The RACI chart is a valuable tool. It can help you define and document project roles and responsibilities,
give direction to each team member and stakeholder, and ensure work gets done efficiently. A RACI chart
can also help you analyze and balance the workload of your team. While it may take many revisions to
make sure that your team members and stakeholders are being placed into the right roles in your RACI
chart, doing this work up front helps save time and prevent miscommunications later on.
Set project roles and responsibilities in a RACI chart
Activity Overview
In this activity, you will use a RACI chart to assign roles and responsibilities to project stakeholders. You
will analyze a scenario and determine each stakeholder’s relationship to project tasks and deliverables.
As a reminder, RACI charts help you determine who is:
• Responsible
• Accountable
• Consulted
• Informed
Be sure to complete this activity before moving on. The next course item will provide you with a
completed exemplar to compare to your own work. You will not be able to access the exemplar until you
have completed this activity.
Scenario

Review the scenario below. Then complete the step-by-step instructions.

As the project manager for Plant Pals, you must assemble a team that can develop and execute the
marketing and sales strategy to prepare for the launch. You must also assign roles and responsibilities for
each of the project tasks and identify stakeholders impacted by the project. You’ve determined that the
following people will be involved:
• Director of Product: Oversees the product offerings, and serves as a resource for marketing and
sales questions. Their knowledge of customer needs is vital to the project.
• Marketing Manager: Makes key decisions about the service launch and monitors task completion.
They oversee all marketing efforts, including concept development, and sign off on the service
launch plan.
• Marketing Coordinator: Creates the marketing strategy, including all marketing assets. They work
closely with the Copywriter and report to the Marketing Manager.
• Copywriter: Produces all Plant Pals ad content, writes product descriptions, and creates
promotional copy. They work with the Marketing Coordinator on all aspects of the marketing
strategy and report to the Marketing Manager.
• Head of Sales: Sets Office Green’s overall sales strategy and tracks the company’s progress towards
its sales goals. Their knowledge of customers’ buying behaviors can help the marketing team
develop their campaign. The Head of Sales oversees the Sales Manager.
• Sales Manager: Responsible for customer outreach and relationship management strategies, so
that Office Green meets its sales goals. They need to understand the final marketing strategy and
 product offerings and convey that information to the Sales team. The Sales Manager reports to the
Head of Sales.
To develop and execute the marketing strategy and sales, your team must complete the following tasks:
1. Create a marketing plan for the new service
2. Write promotional copy
3. Design marketing assets (e.g., flyers, brochures, and online advertisements)
4. Create a customer outreach and onboarding plan
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Access the template
To use the template for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”
Step 2: Add tasks to the RACI chart
Add the four tasks from the scenario to your RACI chart template under the Task/Deliverable heading.
Replace “Task/Deliverable” with the name of each task.
Step 3: Add team members to the RACI chart
Add your team members to the template. Replace “Role A” with “Director of Product,” and so on.
Step 4: Assign letters in the RACI chart
For each task, assign the letters R, A, C, and I to the team members involved. Consult the descriptions
below to determine how your team members relate to the tasks:
Responsible: Who is responsible for completing this task? Consider these questions when determining
who is responsible:
• Which department manages the work?
• Who should perform the work?
Accountable: Who is accountable if the task isn’t completed? Remember that only one person should be
accountable for each task or deliverable. When deciding who is accountable, ask yourself:
• Who might delegate the task to another team member?
• Who makes final decisions about the task?
• Who should review the work to confirm it is complete?
Consulted: Who should be consulted for their insights, expertise, or strong opinions on the task? Here are
a few questions to help identify whether someone should be consulted:
• Who can give feedback to responsible individuals to help them complete tasks?
• Who are the subject matter experts (SMEs) for the task?
Informed: Who should be kept informed about task progress or project decisions? Key questions to ask
yourself include:
• Who is invested in task completion but not directly involved in the work?
• Who is affected by the project outcome?
Note: The number of stakeholders you keep informed about each task can vary depending on your
situation. In some cases, you might choose to inform all stakeholders who aren't responsible, accountable,
or consulted. In others, you could leave some cells in your RACI chart blank for certain tasks. Both
approaches are fine for this activity.
Pro Tip: Save the template
Finally, be sure to save a blank copy of the RACI chart template you used to complete this activity. You can
use it for further practice or in your own personal or professional projects. These templates will be useful
as you put together a portfolio of project management artifacts. You can use them to work through your
thought processes as you demonstrate your experience to potential employers.
What to Include in Your Response
Be sure to address the following elements in your completed RACI chart:
• The RACI chart includes all of the project roles from the scenario.
• The RACI chart includes all the deliverables/tasks from the scenario.
• The appropriate individuals are Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed.
• Only one individual is accountable for each task or deliverable.
• At least one individual is responsible for each task. (Note: Some tasks may not need Consulted or
Informed individuals.)

In the exemplar for the Plant Pals service, each role has a RACI designation for each task or deliverable.
Let’s review each of the tasks:
Create a marketing plan for the new service.
• The Marketing Coordinator reports to the Marketing Manager and is responsible for creating the
marketing plan.
• The Marketing Manager is accountable for marketing efforts, including the marketing concept.
They have the final say in launching and advertising the Plant Pals service.
• The Copywriter writes and edits the promotional copy, therefore they are consulted on the
marketing plan.
• The Director of Product and Head of Sales are consulted on marketing campaigns since they
understand customer needs and buying behaviors.
 • The Sales Manager can be kept informed of marketing efforts since they need to convey that
information to the Sales Team.
Write promotional copy.
• The Copywriter is responsible for drafting and editing promotional copy.
• The Marketing Manager is accountable for the Copywriter’s work.
• The Marketing Coordinator is consulted on the promotional and sales copy as they create the
marketing plan.
• All other members of the team can be kept informed about the status of the promotional copy.
Design marketing assets.
• The Marketing Manager delegates tasks to the Marketing Coordinator, who is responsible for
producing assets.
• The Marketing Manager is accountable for marketing efforts because they make the final
decisions.
• The Copywriter is consulted about the marketing assets by the Marketing Coordinator.
• All other team members can be kept informed about marketing design matters.
Create a customer outreach and onboarding plan
• The Sales Manager is responsible for customer outreach and onboarding plan.
• The Head of Sales oversees the Sales Manager, so they are accountable for the customer outreach
and onboarding plan.
• The Director of Product is consulted on questions about customer needs, while the Marketing
Manager is consulted about the marketing plan.
• All other team members can be kept informed about customer outreach.

Getting the most out of a RACI chart

Definition and structure

Determining who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed on your projects allows you to
keep control of the stakeholders roles on your project.
Workload balance
Are there too many tasks assigned to one stakeholder? When you complete your chart, it is a good idea to
go back through and tally the number of Rs assigned to each stakeholder. This can help you identify
potentially overloading one team member with work. Using a RACI chart to determine responsibility for
tasks can help mitigate single points of failure (known as creating silos, where the knowledge and
responsibility for a task falls on one person) and allow you, as the project manager, to delegate tasks and
avoid burnout. Maintaining workload balance is a critical part of project management. It is easy to fall into
the pattern of relying on your top performers to keep the project moving forward. But this isn’t always
healthy for the project or your team. If you find that you don’t have the right people to assign
responsibilities to, take a step back and evaluate your team.
Put your RACI into practice
Once you have created your RACI chart, it is time to put it into practice. You will first need to share your
RACI chart with your sponsors and stakeholders to get buy-in and sign-off. When you get stakeholder buy-
in, you will be able to set clear expectations for your team and ensure that everyone is aligned on their
responsibilities.
You can document your team and stakeholders’ acknowledgment of these expectations through the
project charter, meeting notes, and in the RACI chart itself. Think back to a time when you were expected
to do something you did not agree with, or weren’t clear on. That disagreement or lack of clarity made it
difficult to do your best work, right? Getting buy-in and continually checking in with your stakeholders and
your team is the way to avoid this potential pitfall!
As you take the time to ensure that each task has an owner identified with the appropriate level of
engagement, you are streamlining your communication and decision-making process over the life cycle of
your project.
When should you use a RACI chart?
If you are wondering if you should use a RACI chart on your project, it is a good idea to evaluate the
complexity of the effort. For example, if you have a very small project team with a small number of
stakeholders, clearly defined roles, and a short timeline, introducing a RACI chart could possibly slow
down the project. However, larger projects, or even projects that involve a large number of stakeholders,
could greatly benefit from a RACI chart. It is always a good idea to work through the creation of a RACI
chart and evaluate the outcome. Even if you do not end up using the RACI chart, you will have a better
understanding of the project, and your effort will contribute to your project management experience
overall.
Assign project roles and responsibilities in a RACI chart
Activity Overview
In this activity, you will apply your knowledge of RACI charts to a new phase of project planning. You will
analyze a scenario about the execution phase of the Plant Pals project. Then you will use a RACI chart to
determine each stakeholder’s relationship to project tasks.
As a reminder, RACI charts help you determine who is:
• Responsible
• Accountable
• Consulted
• Informed
Be sure to complete this activity before moving on. The next course item will provide you with a
completed exemplar to compare to your own work. You will not be able to access the exemplar until you
have completed this activity.
Note: This activity requires completion, but the completed document does NOT need to be submitted. All
you need to do is mark the question at the end of this activity "Yes" when you've completed the following
assignment.
Scenario

Review the scenario below. Then complete the step-by-step instructions.

As the lead project manager for the Plant Pals project, you’re managing the launch of this new service.
Previously, you worked with your project team as they developed a marketing plan, wrote promotional
copy, designed marketing assets, and created a sales plan for customer outreach.
Now you are gathering a new team to design and develop the Plant Pals landing page. When potential
customers click on Plant Pals advertisements, the landing page is the first part of the Office Green website
they will see. The team members you need to build the landing page include:
• Web Manager: Makes final decisions about new site features and content changes. They sign off
on the landing page design and launch plans. They also coordinate maintenance and management
tasks to keep the page operating smoothly.
 • Graphic Designer: Creates and chooses images and typefaces for the landing page and submits
them to the Web Designer for approval. They also provide feedback on the landing page design
and mockup.
• Web Developer: Supports the product team by writing the code that powers the site. They give
feedback to the Web Designer on the landing page mockup. The Web Developer also helps set
quality standards for the project.
• Quality Assurance Tester: Reviews system specifications and runs quality tests for the new landing
page. They run test scripts and review results, create reports, and document technical issues.
These tests identify problems that the team can then resolve before launch.
• Content Writer: Creates the written content that explains how Plant Pals works and helps potential
customers sign up for the service. They give feedback to the Web Designer on the landing page
mockup.
• Web Designer: Creates the landing page design, determining how the page looks and how
customers interact with it. The Web Designer connects the creative and technical elements of the
project, ensuring that the website is both attractive and functional. They report to the Web
Manager, who makes final decisions on new site features.
To build and launch a landing page for Plant Pals, the team needs to accomplish the following tasks:
1. Design a landing page
2. Create a landing page mockup
3. Design image assets
4. Write content
5. Code the landing page
6. Test the landing page
Step-by-step instructions:

Step 1: Access the template

To use the template for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”
Step 2: Add tasks to the RACI chart
Add the six tasks from the scenario to your RACI chart template under the Task/Deliverable heading.
Replace “Task/Deliverable” with the name of each task.
Step 3: Assign roles to the RACI chart
Update the Role headers with each team member role from the scenario. Replace “Role A” with “Web
Manager,” and so on.
Step 4: Assign letters in the RACI chart
For each task, assign the letters R, A, C, and I to the team members involved. Consult the descriptions
below to determine how your team members relate to the tasks:
Responsible: Who is responsible for completing this task? Consider these questions when determining
who is responsible:
• Which department manages the work?
• Who should perform the work?
Accountable: Who is accountable if the task isn’t completed? Remember that only one person should be
accountable for each task or deliverable. When deciding who is accountable, ask yourself:
• Who might delegate the task to another team member?
• Who makes final decisions about the task?
• Who should review the work to confirm it is complete?
Consulted: Who should be consulted for their insights, expertise, or strong opinions on the task? Here are
a few questions to help identify whether someone should be consulted:
• Who can give feedback to responsible individuals to help them complete tasks?
• Who are the subject matter experts (SMEs) for the task?
Informed: Who should be kept informed about task progress or project decisions? Key questions to ask
yourself include:
• Who is invested in task completion but not directly involved in the work?
• Who is affected by the project outcome?
Note: The number of stakeholders you keep informed about each task can vary depending on your
situation. In some cases, you might choose to inform all stakeholders who aren't responsible, accountable,
or consulted. In others, you could leave some cells in your RACI chart blank for certain tasks. Both
approaches are fine for this activity.
Pro Tip: Save the Template
Finally, be sure to save a blank copy of the RACI chart template you used to complete this activity. You can
use it for further practice or in your own personal or professional projects. Templates like this one will be
useful as you put together a portfolio of project management artifacts. You can use them to talk through
your thought processes as you demonstrate your experience to potential employers.
What to Include in Your Response
Be sure to address the following elements in your completed RACI chart:
• The RACI chart includes all of the project roles.
• The RACI chart includes all the tasks.
• The appropriate individuals are listed as Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed.
 • Only one individual is accountable for each deliverable/task.
• At least one individual is responsible for each task. (Note that some tasks may not need Consulted
or Informed individuals.)

Let’s review the six tasks in the RACI chart. The exemplar includes RACI assignments for each task and
role:
Design a landing page
• The Web Manager has the final say on many aspects of the project. They are accountable for most
tasks, including the initial design of the page.
• The Web Designer is responsible for designing the landing page, which they submit to the Web
Manager for approval.
• The Graphic Designer is consulted on the landing page design.
• The Web Developer, Quality Assurance Tester, and Content Writer can all be kept informed on the
state of the design throughout the process.
Create landing page mockup
• The Web Designer is responsible for creating the landing page mockup and incorporating it into
the Office Green website.
• The Web Manager signs off on the mockup, making them accountable.
• The Graphic Designer, Web Developer, and Content Writer are all consulted on the mockup
because they contribute content and design elements to the landing page.
• The Quality Assurance tester can be kept informed.
Design image assets
• The Graphic Designer is responsible for creating the image assets for the landing page.
• The Web Designer signs off on the image assets, making them accountable.
• All other stakeholders can be kept informed.
Write content
• The Content Writer is responsible for writing the landing page content.
• The Web Manager signs off on the content, making them accountable.
• All other stakeholders can be kept informed.
Code the landing page
• The Web Developer is responsible for writing the code that powers the landing page.
 • The Web Manager makes sure the Web Developer produces functional code, making them
accountable.
• All other stakeholders can be kept informed.
Test the landing page
• The Quality Assurance tester is responsible for running quality tests for the landing page.
• The Web Developer should be consulted about coding requirements.
• The Web Manager signs off on the final product, making them accountable.
• All other stakeholders can be kept informed.

Why projects fail: Initiation missteps

You have been learning the necessary planning steps to take in order to set a project up for success. But
despite your best efforts, projects can still fail. Sometimes the factors that lead to project failure are out of
your control. The technology to complete the project is unavailable, for example, or a stakeholder decides
to drastically change the goals of the project. However, there are factors that can lead to failure that are
more in your control, such as being unable to complete the project deliverables within the agreed upon
time or being unable to fulfill the stakeholder’s vision for the project.
In this reading, we will explore a few key reasons why projects fail and examine how missteps during the
initiation phase can lead to project failure.

Unclear expectations
You may remember the questions you need to answer at the start of the initiation phase of the project,
including:
• What is the end goal?
• What are the expected deliverables and schedule?
 • What is the budget?
• Who are the stakeholders?
Not taking the time at the beginning of a project to ask essential questions, document decisions, and
understand the true scope of the project may lead to failure. After all, without directions, you can never
reach your destination.
Unrealistic expectations
We all like to impress our managers, but sometimes, we accidentally agree to unrealistic expectations and
set our projects up for failure from the start. For example, if a project is expected to take two weeks due
to the level of detail and effort required but we try to complete it in one week, we will not have the
resources available to meet the consolidated schedule. This will likely result in quality issues. It’s
important to understand the requirements of a project before agreeing to any deadlines. As a best
practice, don't commit to firm dates when initiating the project to avoid setting unrealistic expectations.
You will have more information and will be able to better manage expectations in the planning phase.
Miscommunication
Clear communication is key. If information is not communicated in a timely manner, does not include
pertinent information (risks, decisions made, scope changes, etc.), or is not sent to the correct
stakeholders, then you may be setting yourself up for failure. Conducting a stakeholder analysis and then
utilizing a RACI chart to understand which stakeholders should be kept informed or consulted is a great
start to creating an effective communication strategy.
As a project manager, you do not necessarily have to cater to everyone’s unique communication styles,
but you do have to set expectations about how communication will occur. As you are kicking off a project,
make sure you take some time to understand the communication needs of your team and stakeholders.
Some people dislike emails and would prefer to have a phone conversation, some prefer to have
communication in writing, and some prefer face-to-face meetings. A strong communication system
incorporates all of these methods. Set expectations for your communication approach early so that you,
your team members, and your stakeholders have a clear understanding of how you will all communicate.
Lack of resources
Resources include your team members, budget, and materials. Unfortunately, without proper planning,
your resources can quickly be over-tasked or depleted. Sometimes project managers don’t account for the
fact that team members are juggling multiple tasks and may not be able to devote the time necessary to
complete all of their assigned tasks correctly and on time. Or, project managers may not realize that a
specific skill set is required to complete certain tasks. Ensuring that the right team members are available
at the right time is crucial.
Another common error is to incorrectly calculate your project expenses. For example, imagine you have a
project budget of $10,000. If your project requires $10,000 for materials and you also have to ship and
install those materials, then you will not have enough money to complete your project. Clarify your
resource needs and confirm their availability with leadership up front to avoid delays or issues further
along in the project.
Scope creep
The scope provides an overarching framework of what is and is not included in the project’s work and
deliverables. Defining the scope in the initiation phase helps identify the resources needed, the cost
associated with those resources, and the schedule required to complete the work. Sometimes projects fail
because the scope of the project grows and impacts to the scope are not captured.
For example, imagine that you are given a project that originally includes three deliverables. During the
course of the project, a stakeholder requests that two additional deliverables be included, but no changes
are made to the schedule, budget, or team members to reflect the impact of the increased number of
deliverables. As a project manager, when deliverables change, you have to make sure that you are
capturing the potential impact of those changes to the schedule, budget, and quality. This is why it is so
important to make sure that everything is documented in the initiation phase. Have a plan for how to
handle scope creep if it occurs, and clarify who has the authority to approve scope changes.
Key takeaway
Taking the time to clarify expectations—particularly around communication methods, resources available,
and scope—during the initiation phase will increase the chances of your project’s success. Even if you
follow these best practices, you may still encounter failure. Remember that in every failure, there is the
opportunity to learn, grow, and do better the next time.

What is a Failed Project?

A project is considered unsuccessful when it fails to deliver what was required within the agreed-upon
budget or timeline or both. Even a project that initially appears to be successful can be considered a
failure if it does not meet projected ROI targets.
While there are many reasons why a project fails, it’s important to remember that not every aspect of the
project needs to be changed. In fact, a failed project can provide valuable insights into which aspects
worked as planned. Identifying the areas that were successful helps the team better understand the
difference between those areas and the parts of the project that didn’t work. This knowledge is crucial in
making the necessary adjustments for future projects.
Examples of Project Failures with Insights
1. Unclear Expectations
An attempt to revamp a company’s website ended in failure due to unclear expectations. Initial
excitement and stakeholder input led to nebulous project goals, causing missteps. The undefined project
scope resulted in conflicting priorities and resource misallocation. Communication breakdowns left key
stakeholders uninformed, leading to misaligned expectations.
The crucial lesson was the need for a clear project scope and expectations. Future projects will prioritize a
comprehensive project charter, defining objectives, scope, stakeholders, and success criteria. Program
management and PMO templates for these guidelines are available from the Project Management
Institute.
The failed project emphasized the importance of expectation management. The team will approach future
endeavors with heightened attention to the project initiation phase, ensuring clarity and alignment. This
experience has equipped the team with knowledge and determination for success in ventures with
clarified expectations and robust communication frameworks.
2. Scope Creep
A planned financial services app, initially conceived with precision, ultimately succumbed to the
challenges of scope creep. What started as a well-defined plan devolved into a chaotic situation, with
missed deadlines, budget overruns, and a final product straying far from the original vision.
The project’s downfall stemmed from unchecked scope expansion. Unforeseen additions driven by
evolving stakeholder requests devoured resources, impacted feature development plans, and stretched
timelines. Initial excitement gave way to frustration as project boundaries blurred, leaving the team
grappling with a moving target.
The critical lesson was the imperative need for robust scope management. The absence of a vigilant
change control process allowed new requirements to disrupt timelines and resources. Without a clear
scope baseline, the team couldn’t assess or address creeping changes, resulting in a chaotic project
landscape.
To prevent future setbacks, a stringent change control process to rigorously scrutinize proposed
modifications is needed. A clear scope baseline will serve as a reference, providing a foundation to
evaluate the impact of changes. Adopting agile development with defined feature sets managed by a
Scrum Master will ensure better control. Stakeholder engagement will prioritize early collaboration and
comprehensive communication to mitigate risks associated with scope creep.
While the failed project caused disappointment, it offered valuable insights into scope creep’s perils. It
underscored the importance of disciplined scope management and vigilance in evolving project dynamics.
Armed with this knowledge, the team is now ready for future projects with renewed dedication to scope
control, ensuring adherence to the original vision and success within defined parameters.
3. Lack of Planning
The abundance of contributors in a straightforward product revamp highlights the dangers of inadequate
planning. What began with optimism eventually devolved into a narrative of missed deadlines, disorderly
workflows, and a project that faltered in reaching completion.
The primary culprit in the project’s downfall was a glaring absence of planning. Launching the project
without a comprehensive roadmap left the team navigating uncertainty. Ambiguous goals, undefined
milestones, and a lack of a well-constructed project plan led to miscommunication, resource
mismanagement, and an overall sense of directionlessness.
The crucial lesson learned from this ordeal was the undeniable significance of meticulous planning for
project success. The absence of a detailed project plan forced the team into a reactive mode, addressing
issues as they surfaced rather than proactively anticipating and mitigating risks. This lack of foresight led
to a cascading effect, with each setback compounding the project’s challenges.
To ensure future success, a thorough planning phase will be integrated into the essence of all projects.
This involves establishing clear, measurable objectives, crafting a detailed project plan with well-defined
milestones, and implementing a robust risk management strategy. Implementing a project management
software tool like monday.com to create and follow a plan will be a part of the process. Prioritizing
stakeholder involvement and communication will align expectations, and a contingency plan will be
devised to tackle unforeseen challenges.
While this project may be remembered for its missteps, it acts as a catalyst for positive change. Equipped
with lessons from the past, the approach to future projects will be characterized by a commitment to
thorough planning and tracking, proactive risk management, and transparent communication.
4. Limited Resources
The setback in updating an e-learning course catalog highlights the formidable challenges imposed by
limited resources. Initiated with enthusiasm, the project ultimately succumbed to the harsh reality of
insufficient funding, personnel, and materials, resulting in a cascade of insurmountable setbacks.
The primary cause behind the project’s unraveling was the stark inadequacy of resources allocated to the
work effort. Initial budget constraints and an overly optimistic estimation of resource needs left the
project did not start things off in a good direction. As the project’s demands became clearer, the allocated
resources proved to be a mirage, disappearing when confronted with the project’s true scope. Project
managers found themselves taking on additional roles such as copy editor, and directors had to step in as
QA testers, further burdening their already busy schedules.
The critical lesson extracted from this experience was the imperative need for realistic resource planning.
The failure underscored the importance of conducting thorough resource assessments during the project
initiation phase. A more accurate estimation of the project’s needs, including financial, personnel, and
material resources, should have been a foundational step to prevent the project from careening into a
resource deficit.
In the future, a meticulous resource planning process will be instituted, including a comprehensive
evaluation of project requirements, contingencies for unforeseen challenges, and a realistic budget
aligned with the project’s scope. Project managers will be empowered with tools like Atlassian Harvest to
advocate for adequate resources and offer stakeholders transparent assessments of the resource
landscape.
While this project left unfulfilled promises, it also imparted enlightenment. Armed with the awareness of
the pitfalls of limited resources, the approach to future projects will be characterized by diligence in
resource planning, a commitment to transparency, and a proactive stance in securing the necessary
support for project success.
5. Poor Communication
A captivating medical animation project met its demise in the face of poor communication. The project’s
downfall was a result of communication breakdowns that persisted, leading to missed deadlines,
frustrated team members, and a deliverable that fell significantly short of expectations.
The main reason for the project’s failure was a pervasive lack of effective communication. The client,
vendor, team members, and management operated independently, each with their interpretations of the
project’s goals, timelines, and expectations. Misunderstandings proliferated, crucial information was lost
in translation, and decisions were made without the necessary context.
The overarching lesson derived from this unfortunate episode was the undeniable significance of clear
and consistent communication in project success. The absence of a robust communication plan and tools
left team members uninformed, confused, and disengaged. Failure to establish channels for transparent
feedback and the timely sharing of critical updates further exacerbated the project’s downward spiral.
To fix the broken system, a renewed commitment to communication excellence will be at the forefront of
the project management strategy. A comprehensive communication plan will be meticulously crafted,
detailing the who, what, when, and how of information dissemination. Regular team meetings, status
updates, and feedback sessions will be institutionalized to foster an environment where communication is
a fluid and dynamic process. A collaboration tool such as ClickUp will be used to foster real-time
communication and information sharing.
The lessons learned from the failure of this effort will be ingrained into the project management culture.
Team members will be encouraged to voice concerns, seek clarification, and share insights without fear of
reprisal. An emphasis on active listening and proactive communication will be instilled as core values,
ensuring that the echoes of miscommunication are replaced with the harmonious cadence of a well-
informed and aligned project team.
This project stands as a poignant reminder that effective communication is the lifeblood of successful
projects.
6. Siloed Teams
A promising initiative in product packaging design and printing ended in failure, primarily due to siloed
teams. The downfall of this important work resulted from isolated departments operating independently,
unaware of each other’s progress, goals, and challenges. The once-integrated vision fractured into
disjointed efforts, leading to a project that crumbled under the weight.
The main reason for the project’s demise was the lack of collaboration and communication between
remote siloed teams. Each department functioned as an independent entity, guarding its insights and
developments. Consequently, critical information was withheld, dependencies were overlooked, and the
project struggled to find coherence, resulting in bottlenecks and missed deadlines.
The lesson gleaned from this project was clear: the importance of breaking down silos for effective cross-
functional collaboration. Siloed teams hindered information flow, impeded problem-solving, and eroded
the sense of shared ownership crucial for project success. The failure to foster a collaborative
environment led to missed opportunities for contribution and syncing.
To redeem future projects, a deliberate effort to dismantle silos and cultivate cross-functional
collaboration is planned. A culture of openness and shared responsibility will be fostered, emphasizing the
interconnectedness of each team’s contributions. Regular cross-team meetings, shared project
dashboards using tools like Smartsheet, and open communication channels will replace the silos that
marred this project.
Team-building exercises and collaborative training sessions will be implemented to instill a sense of
collective ownership and break down psychological barriers that contribute to siloed thinking. Project
managers will play a pivotal role in facilitating communication across teams and ensuring that information
flows freely, creating an environment where collaboration is ingrained, not just encouraged.
While this project may have crumbled beneath the weight of siloed teams, it serves as a catalyst for
change. Armed with the lesson of integration and collaboration, future projects will be led by a
commitment to transparency, open communication, and collaboration.
7. Lack of Leadership
The attempt to develop an in-house agency learning management system from scratch for hosting client
training modules underscores the detrimental impact of a lack of leadership. Initially undertaken with high
aspirations, the project descended into chaos, marked by indecision, unclear direction, and a team adrift
without a guiding light.
The primary reason behind the failure was the leadership vacuum. The absence of a decisive, visionary
leader left the team without a north star, resulting in a rudderless ship navigating turbulent waters. Critical
decisions were delayed or went unmade, and the project meandered aimlessly, eventually spiraling into a
state of disorganized incompleteness.
The critical lesson drawn from this failure was the pivotal role of leadership in project success. The lack of
a strong leader made it difficult to set a clear vision, communicate priorities, and rally the team toward
common goals. Ambiguity left team members unsure of their roles and objectives.
To fuel future projects, a renewed emphasis on leadership will be at the forefront of the project
management strategy. The selection and empowerment of a competent and visionary leader will be a
non-negotiable aspect of project initiation. This leader will be tasked not only with providing direction but
also with fostering a culture of accountability, motivation, and open communication. They will also own
the requirements, which will be meticulously documented.
This project may serve as a stark reminder of the void left in the absence of leadership, but it also acts as
an example for transformation. Future projects will be characterized by strong, forward-thinking leaders
who inspire confidence, articulate a compelling vision, and guide the team through challenges.

How to Maximize Opportunities from Failed Projects

Gaining insights from setbacks demands a positive mindset and deliberate actions. Explore how both you
and your team can leverage a project’s shortcomings as a chance for development and improvement.
Embrace accountability
When faced with challenges, the inclination to engage in the blame game can be strong. Rather than
assuming responsibility, it’s tempting to assign fault elsewhere. However, this habit hinders the
opportunity to learn from mistakes and identify areas for improvement.
Determine the factors influencing the project’s outcome and honestly assess what was within your
control. Acknowledge both the strengths and weaknesses in what you and your team could have done
differently. Embracing accountability not only highlights areas for improvement but also underscores your
capacity for future growth.
Extend forgiveness and foster collaboration
Project failures may result from individual shortcomings and oversights. However, the objective should not
solely be to criticize and dismiss specific team members without thought. Instead, the focus should be on
enabling the team to come together and provide mutual support.
Recognize that people make mistakes, and everyone has the potential for growth. Rather than turning this
into a point of contention, view it as a chance to collaborate and strengthen the team’s unity.
Maintain perspective and avoid personalizing failure
Accepting failure can be challenging, but it’s crucial to acknowledge that even the most proficient project
teams encounter setbacks. Refrain from letting failure undermine your individual or team capabilities.
Strike a balance between holding yourself accountable and not letting failure become a defining factor.
Cultivate a growth mindset that recognizes the potential for improvement despite current shortcomings.
The key is to learn and strive for better outcomes in the future.
Initiate actions for enhancement
Failure offers numerous lessons, but their value can only be maximized through concrete steps toward
improvement. Enhancement is not a singular event; it constitutes a continuous cycle of scrutinizing every
facet of project management. Therefore, seize every failure as a chance to strengthen your processes.
Reevaluate assumptions, and introduce additional checks and balances. Through perpetual efforts to
enhance these aspects, the likelihood of errors occurring in future projects diminishes.

Managing resources to get the job done

As we continue learning the tools and techniques that will help you succeed in project management, let’s
consider the importance of project resources. Project resources are who and what you depend on to
complete a project, including budget, materials, and people. While each resource is a separate entity, they
all depend on one another—your team cannot do the work without materials, and you cannot purchase
materials without a budget. In this reading, we will discuss some key project resources and tips for
managing them.
Budget
Have you ever created a budget for yourself or your family? If you have, you know that a budget includes a
wide variety of expenses. For example, a monthly personal budget can contain items that include anything
from food to transportation costs to rent. With only a certain amount of funding to cover each expense, it
is important to closely monitor your spending to avoid going over budget. If you go over in one category of
your budget, you will impact the others and will need to make adjustments. As a project manager, you will
take the same general approach with your project budget.
Common aspects of your project budget will include:
• Team: the cost of the people performing the work
• Services: any outside vendors helping your project
• Materials: any tangible items purchased to complete the project
Throughout your project management career, you will encounter various types of projects with a wide
range of budgets. Some budgets will have no margin for error, whereas other budgets may be more
flexible. Regardless of this variability, budget issues will inevitably arise, so it is important to make sure
that the budget is aligned with the project scope and the stakeholders’ asks.
People
People are a vital resource on your project; you cannot complete your project on your own! You will need
to rely on a strong team of people with a variety of skill sets and specialties to get the job done. As a
project manager, make sure that you have commitment and buy-in on the number of hours it will take for
your resources to complete their tasks. Additionally, you will find the best partners on a project are people
who are aligned to the goals of the project or who are most interested in the project's work.
Materials
Materials can be different on every project. For example, if you were working on an IT project, materials
could include hard drives and computers to handle the coding efforts. You can also have materials that are
intangible. For example, on the same IT project, online storage, software programs, or employee training
may also be considered materials. It is important to account for any and all potential materials in order to
execute a successful project with the right people and within budget.
Key takeaway
Your project resources include things like the budget, people, and materials. As a project manager,
remembering that your resources are dependent on one another is key to understanding the function of
each resource and determining how to manage all of them. Take the time to interview stakeholders and
potential team members about what resources they think they will need in order to deliver the project.
They may have an idea of materials they require that you may not have accounted for within the budget,
for example, or can identify people with expertise that would make them an asset to the project team.
 Project charters: Elements and formats

A project charter clearly defines the project and outlines the necessary details for the project to reach its
goals. A well-documented project charter can be a project manager’s secret weapon to success. In this
reading, we will go over the function, key elements, and significance of a project charter and learn how to
create one.
The charter is the formal way that the project’s goals, values, benefits, and details are captured. You can
think of the charter as the compass for your project since you will use it throughout the life cycle of the
project. Many stakeholders will look to your project charter to ensure that you are indeed aligned with
strategic goals and set up for achieving the desired end goal. Since the project charter carries so much
importance, it is important to incorporate the right amount of detail while omitting miscellaneous
elements.
As with any of your project documents, it is a good idea to collaborate with your team and stakeholders
early and often. Developing the project charter in collaboration with both groups can help you make sure
that your project charter addresses your key stakeholders’ most important concerns and keeps your team
aligned. Be sure to use the business case—the reason for initiating the project—as the guiding direction to
your project charter. Project charters can vary from organization to organization and from project to
project. It is key for a project manager to identify the best type of charter for the project in order to
capture the relevant information and set your project up for success. Project charters will vary but usually
include some combination of the following key information:
• introduction/project summary
• goals/objectives
• business case/benefits and costs
• project team
• scope
• success criteria
• major requirements or key deliverables
• budget
• schedule/timeline or milestones
• constraints and assumptions
• risks
• OKRs
• approvals
You will likely use many different project charter formats throughout your project management career.
One example is a condensed, simplified document, like the one you'll learn about in the upcoming video
and the one linked in the activities. A short and simple project charter can be used on smaller projects
that are not very complex.

For more complex projects, you may link to additional analysis or documents. You can house these items
in the appendix.
Your organization may have a unique template for you to use, or you may have the flexibility to leverage
one you come across in your career. As your project progresses, you may also encounter revisions to your
project charter—and that is okay. Remember, it is a living document; let it grow with your project, and
review and revisit it often to ensure you are aligned.
Identify components of a project charter
 Step-By-Step Instructions

Follow the instructions below to download and complete the project charter.
Step 1: Access the template
To use the template for this course item, click the link below and select “Use Template.”
Step 2: Write an executive summary
Under Executive Summary, write 1-3 sentences outlining the project’s purpose and desired outcomes.
For example, if you were writing an executive summary for the Plant Pals project as a whole, it might say:
“Our plan is to create a service that offers high-volume customers small, low-maintenance plants that can
thrive in an office environment.”
Your summary for the Operations and Training plan charter should follow a similar format.
Step 3: Fill in the project goal
In the Project Goal section of the charter, record the main project goal of the Operations and Training
plan. This goal should be more detailed and specific than your executive summary. Use the information
from the scenario to make the goal SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound).
For example, one of the SMART goals for the overall Plant Pals project is:
“Increase revenue by 5% by the end of the year by rolling out a new service that provides office plants to
high-volume clients.”
Note: Most projects have multiple goals, but you only need one for this activity.
Step 4: Identify the project deliverables
In the Deliverables box, record three expected outcomes of the project. Remember, these deliverables
can be tangible or intangible project results.
For instance, one tangible deliverable of the overall Plant Pals project is, “send 1,000 plants to 100
customers.” An intangible deliverable could be, “increased brand awareness.”
Step 5: Determine the business case for the project
In the Business Case/ Background section, explain the reason for the project and how it supports the
company’s overall success. Making a business case also gives your team the necessary context for project
tasks, so be sure to include any useful background information as well.
For example, the business case for the overall Plant Pals project might be, “This is a top requested service
from our customers, and it will also improve customer satisfaction and retention.”
Step 6: Fill in the benefits and cost areas (optional)
The Benefits, Costs, and Budget section already includes three benefits of the project, three cost areas,
and the budget amount. If you would like, you can fill in any additional benefits or cost areas from the
scenario.
For benefits, describe what Office Green hopes to get out of the project. This can include direct financial
benefits (e.g., sales revenue), as well as indirect benefits (e.g., increased customer trust). Remember that
the benefits should support your business case.
For costs, think about how the completing project could impact the company. Consider time and
resources in addition to any financial impact.
• Note: You don’t need to assign monetary values to these cost areas in this exercise. You will break
down the costs of the Plant Pals Operations and Training Plan project in detail in the next course,
Project Planning: Putting It All Together.)
Step 7: Define the project scope (optional)
The Scope and Exclusion section already contains three areas that are in-scope and three that are out-of-
scope for the project. If you want to further define the scope, you can fill in additional in-scope and out-of-
scope items.
Note: The charter should also list the members of your project team. This section has been filled out for
you.
Step 8: Determine how to measure success
In the Measuring Success section, list two examples of success criteria that can help you determine when
the project has reached its goal. You can use criteria from the scenario or determine other ways to
measure project success. Remember that success criteria should be specific and measurable.
For instance, success criteria for Plant Pals as a whole could include “a 5% increase in revenue by the end
of the year” or “a 5% increase in customer satisfaction (from 90% to 95%) three months after launch.”
Both of these criteria include metrics that make it easy to tell when the project has reached its goals.
Pro Tip: Save the template
Finally, be sure to save a blank copy of the project charter template you used to complete this activity. You
can use it for further practice or in your own personal or professional projects. These templates will be
useful as you put together a portfolio of project management artifacts. You can use them to work through
your thought processes as you demonstrate your experience to potential employers.
Now that you’ve completed your project charter, use the following guidelines while reviewing the
exemplar against your own work. Make any edits you deem appropriate.
• The executive summary outlines the project’s purpose and desired outcomes.
o Notice the executive summary is short, concise, and clear. The plan is specified, as well as
how the plan will be accomplished.
• The project goal meets all five SMART criteria: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and
Time-bound.
o Notice how the exemplar project goal is specific, measurable with metrics, attainable,
relevant and has a reasonable time frame.
• There are three deliverables that represent tangible or intangible project outcomes.
o Create a plan
o Set up supply chain software
o Develop a training program
• There is a clear business case for initiating the project.
o The “why” is stated clearly: To provide a high-quality customer experience, lower attrition,
so that launch is efficient.
• There are at least two success criteria that indicate how to measure project success.
o There are clear metrics, including on-time and correct orders, employee training, and
revenue increase.
 Introducing new tools to a team

Project management tools and processes are always evolving. In this reading, we will discuss the
importance of choosing the right tools for a project and the implications of introducing new tools to your
team.
As a project manager, it is important to be open to implementing new tools that may be beneficial to a
project's outcome. You will experience change in lots of forms throughout your project’s life cycle, and
navigating change is essential. But if you choose to implement a tool that your team is unfamiliar with—
especially if you decide to roll it out midway through a project—your team may be hesitant. People
embrace change differently, particularly if the change will directly impact their routine and the way they
work. Simply put: Change can be met with resistance.
Before you introduce a new tool to your team, you should be sure that this change is actually going to
benefit the project, and ensure that those involved in your project understand the benefits of this change.
Demonstrating to your teammates and stakeholders that you understand the tool and have evaluated its
competency will help build trust, especially if this new tool is replacing an existing tool. Taking the time to
introduce the new tool to your team members will also demonstrate that you have the best interest of the
team in mind—not just the success of the project.

Here are some important considerations and keys to successfully introducing new tools:
• Discuss the tool early and often, if possible. The team should not feel blindsided by a new change.
Make sure they know the change is coming as early as possible. This will help them prepare for an
introduction or migration to the new tool.
 • Ask for feedback from key stakeholders. You could get great feedback on features that you may
have overlooked by asking for their expertise. You can solicit this feedback by requesting their
input about functionality or have them list features in order of priority. The key is to create an
opportunity for stakeholders to provide their feedback and allow you to incorporate their feedback
into next steps.
• Involve the key stakeholders in demonstrations as you get closer to making the final decision on
the project tracking tool. You will be able to leverage key stakeholders' acceptance by letting them
test the product or sign up for a trial run. It is also important to make sure that the tool is actually
going to meet the mark and provide a meaningful change for the project. You may want to pull in
key users from your team to test and familiarize themselves with the tool prior to rolling it out.
This will allow the team to get on board with your plans or discuss their concerns beforehand. This
will also highlight in-house experts for future training, assistance, and implementation.
• Ensure the tool is fully functional before the team is introduced to it. Whenever possible, hold off
from introducing the tool if it still has any issues. Make sure the tool is accessible for all users. Keep
in mind, your team members may resist a tool that doesn’t live up to how it is supposed to
function. This will impact implementation and acceptance fairly significantly, so put your best tool
forward!
• Set up training for the tool as needed before you ask the team to actually use it. Everyone has
different levels of comfort with different tools. It is your job as the project manager to ensure that
each team members’ needs are addressed. Setting up training also helps create positive first
impressions, which will lead to higher productivity and quicker, more successful implementation
and acceptance.
Remember, some pushback is normal, but successful project managers should take the steps to prepare
and mitigate any friction for their team when possible.
Pro tip: If time allows, plan for a period of transition if you are replacing an existing tool. It is common to
allow both tools to operate during this period. You will need to “sunset,” or retire, the existing tool
eventually, but allowing for a period of transition between using the old tool and the new tool can help
stakeholders and team members feel more at ease and give them time to gain familiarity with the new
tool. Be prepared for productivity to be impacted as the team transitions from one tool to another.

Demonstrating your knowledge of project management tools

During an interview for a project manager position, the interviewer may ask you to discuss the project
management tools you are familiar with or have used in the past. There are many types of project
management tools that you will come across during your career. These tools will continue to grow and
change as technology improves. Being able to talk about these tools, and how you use them, will be
crucial to landing the role.
In addition to the interviewer asking general questions about tools, they may ask more specific questions,
like “How do you know if a project is off track?” It’s important to tie this answer back to the types of
scheduling tools you have learned about in this course. If you haven’t had experience working with certain
scheduling tools, like Smartsheet or digital spreadsheets—try to leverage real-life experience.
For example, have you ever planned for a move? If so, you can discuss how you planned your timeline and
scheduled vendors so that you could meet your move date. Did you use a spreadsheet to keep track of
your budget, schedule, and belongings? This experience demonstrates you understand how to use tools. It
also demonstrates that you know the importance of creating, monitoring, and managing the project
schedule to deliver results at project completion.
Another related question the interviewer may ask could be, “How do you execute tasks within your
timeline?” This is a great opportunity to demonstrate your ability to be productive by sharing your
experience with tools, such as digital documents or spreadsheets. These tools help you create project
artifacts, track tasks, and store project details in one place! You can also use them as a collaboration tool
because they are easily shareable with teammates and stakeholders and allow for real-time updates.
Finally, there are special project management tools, also called work management tools, that put all the
benefits discussed above into one place. Project management tools such as Asana, Monday.com,
Basecamp, and Trello are among some of the top ranked tools for managing projects. These tools help
you plan, track, and complete work across many project phases. They often have visually appealing
layouts and automated features that save time and create efficiency in a project manager’s day-to-day
tasks. Explaining your knowledge of these tools—and how they benefit the project manager, team, and
company—in an interview is a great way to demonstrate that you are qualified for the role.

Build a project management tool tracker

As you progress through this course, you will learn about different types of tools used by project managers
and the organizations that hire them. Tools can include software applications like Adobe, Google, and
Microsoft and specific work management tools like Jira and Asana. They can also include methodologies,
techniques, formulas and concepts, and technologies related to project management.
This reading provides step-by-step instructions for creating a tracker for all of these types of tools. You can
use your tracker to list the different tools you learn about, their descriptions and links, their features and
benefits, and your level of experience with each. This way, you can easily identify the tools required for
different roles and can determine where you might want to focus your professional development efforts.
Developing your tool tracker spreadsheet
Follow these steps to begin creating your project management tool tracker:
Step 1: Create a new spreadsheet
Start by opening a new spreadsheet using your preferred method. If you have a Google account, click the
link to open a Project Management Tool Tracker Template.
Some of the information has already been filled in for you as an example. Feel free to modify your Tracker
in the way that works best for you.
Step 2: Add column headers
Consider the different types of information you’d like to track about each tool, and add these as column
headers in your tracker. (The header is the top cell or cells in a column in the spreadsheet.)
Here are some example column headers:
• Tool Name
• Description/Benefits
• Link to product website
• Link to course content in Coursera
• Cost to use
• Requirements (training/equipment)
• Your current experience with the tool
• Notes

Step 3: Add tools and relevant information

Review some of the course videos, readings, and activities so far that discuss project management tools.
Select three or four tools and add the names to the tracker. Add any information you have about each tool
to the different columns. To help you get started, the template has several tools listed that have already
been mentioned in this course. Feel free to edit the list to include the tools that are most relevant to your
progress.
You might not be able to fill in all the columns with information just from this course, so do your own
research if necessary.
For example, we discuss the work management tool Asana in the video Common project management
tools, but we only cover some of the features and benefits. You can look up the Asana website online and
add more information about what features are offered, along with pricing and system requirements.
Step 4: Format your sheet
After you’ve added a few tools and some initial information, format your sheet by bolding column headers
and adding drop-down lists, conditional formatting, or web links. Try out other formatting options like
bolding, highlighting, or colors to make important text stand out. Google Sheets training and help contains
articles with step-by-step directions for how to use all of these features and more.

Step 5: Continue adding tools

Continue to add more tools and information that’s relevant to your career goals. Search job listings and
add tools, software, or specific knowledge needed for jobs you’re interested in.
Key takeaway
If you’ve followed the steps laid out in this reading, you'll be able to develop a tracker that is useful to you
as you continue on your project manager journey. Knowing what tools are available, what their benefits
are, which ones are used for certain types of projects, and which ones you're skilled at will build your
confidence. You'll be able to demonstrate to employers that you have an understanding of the industry,
even if you're applying for your first project management role.