You are in the planning stage of a commercial real estate development project, and you are facilitating a meeting with your project team to develop the team charter. At the start of the meeting, a team member states, "I don't understand the importance of this meeting. We are all professionals, and this isn't our first project working together. Wouldn't our time be better spent getting an early start on project execution?" The body language of the other team members suggests that they are in agreement with the comments. How should you respond to the team member?
A. As long as everyone is in agreement, then let's skip the team charter and get ahead of schedule
B. Let's use the team charter from our last project as a starting point and then update it as necessary
C. The team charter is required by the project management office (PMO) for all projects
D. The team charter will eliminate any potential conflicts which will improve our productivity
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HINT: What is the best way to gain the commitment of the project team for the guidelines in the team charter in this scenario?
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Answer and Explanation:
The correct answer is B.
The team charter establishes clear expectations regarding acceptable behavior by the project team members. An early commitment to clear guidelines decreases misunderstandings and increases productivity. The question indicates that the project team has worked together on previous projects. If the team charter from the last project was effective, it serves as a good starting point for use on the current project. It is essential that the project manager gain the commitment of the project team for the guidelines established by the team charter, and if using the previous team charter as a template helps gain the commitment of the project team, then it is a worthwhile compromise. Of the available choices, using the previous project charter as a starting point provides the best opportunity to gain the commitment of the project team.
Details for Each Option:
A. As long as everyone is in agreement, then let's skip the team charter and get ahead of schedule
Incorrect. The team charter establishes clear expectations regarding acceptable behavior project team members. An early commitment to clear guidelines decreases misunderstandings and increases productivity. The team should not forgo the team charter as skipping it would not likely save time over the course of the project.
B. Let's use the team charter from our last project as a starting point and then update it as necessary
Correct. It is important for the project team to agree to clear guidelines in order to decrease misunderstandings and increase productivity. The question indicates that the project team has worked together on previous projects. If the team charter from the last project was effective, it serves as a good starting point for use on the current project. The team can then discuss the guidelines and make any necessary changes for use in the current project. As long as the project team can commit to the guidelines established by the team charter, it should serve as a useful working document.
C. The team charter is required by the project management office (PMO) for all projects
Incorrect. It is not known from the question if the performing organization has a project management office (PMO) or if the team charter is a requirement. Even if the team charter is a requirement, this is not the best reason for using the team charter to provide to the project team. This approach may lead to the project team completing the charter to satisfy the requirement rather than making a sincere effort in creating a useful document.
D. The team charter will eliminate any potential conflicts which will improve our productivity
Incorrect. The team charter establishes clear guidelines to decrease misunderstandings and increase productivity. It is unrealistic to believe that the team charter will eliminate 'any' potential conflicts. Additionally, some conflict can be healthy as differences of opinion can lead to increased creativity and better decision making.
Reference: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Project Management Institute Inc., 2017, Page(s) 319-320
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