Design Charters

Description

• 
  Documents which serve as the "terms of reference" to guide Design Teams during  the BPI program. They provide specific focused direction and set of expectations to each team being commissioned to proceed with a defined Focus Area.  While Design Charters typically outline an approach to be taken in achieving the team’s objectives, the detailed activities and work steps are usually developed by the teams themselves, and may take the form of Work Packages.

Business Value

• Design Charters provide Design Teams with a focused mandate and set of expectations, and more-manageable, shorter-term timeframes. Charters are particularly valuable in coordinating multiple teams’ activities (i.e., when several initiatives are proceeding in parallel).  Having a clearly-defined Design Charter gives Design Teams a greater sense of control over meeting their mandated goals. The omission of Design Charters leads to problems of overlapping mandates and duplicated (and often contradictory) design efforts.

Approach

Development of a Design Charter involves defining at a high level the scope, targets and approach for a given Focus Area (which may comprise one or several processes).  Once appointed, key team members work together to “flesh out” additional details of the assignment they will be accepting.  For example, they translate the overall Stretch Targets into process-specific improvement targets.  Multiple Design Charters are approved by management who validate the scope of the project and the approach to be taken.

1. Confirm the scope (start/finish points) and success targets for the defined area of work.
2. Establish major (high-level) activities that must take place within the given timeframe.
3. Designate key team members, and with their input define:
1. Background and Case for Change—project rationale and history as they relate to the Focus Area
2. Objectives—the “vision” for the Focus Area as it relates to process customers and/or “end-users”
3. Refined Improvement Targets—the contribution of this Focus Area  to achieving the overall Stretch Targets for the BPI program
4. Scope of the Design Charter activities and relevant go-forward issues
5. Guiding “design principles”—directions given by senior management regarding how to (and how not to) orient “To-Be” solutions during process design workshops
6. Approach—general recommended approach for proceeding (e.g. a series of workshops)
7. Resources and Timeframe—number of participants, schedule and duration of meetings
8. Interdependencies with other activities.
4. Review output of Step 3.0 with sponsor(s) and obtain sign-off agreement that this output represents the team's Design Charter.

Guidelines

Problems/Solutions

• There may be several initiatives running in parallel at a particular point in time, and therefore several charters.  Ensure that every Design Charter is placed into the “Program Book”, and also that every Charter includes steps for co-ordinating with other interdependent activities.

Tactics/Helpful Hints

• Wait until the team is assembled before completing the Charter.  The Charter should be owned by the team, not by the project.

Resources and Timing

• Keep Charter timeframes short, no more than several months.  The team is able to visualise a clear road ahead and an end in sight, and will receive early gratification.