If you read any of the literature on project management techniques it won't take you long to run into a concept called
Project Charter. A Project Charter provides the rationale for doing the project, states basic conditions for doing the project, and names project sponsor and project manager. It would include things like:
- The business case and business needs for the project
- Objectives of the project and success criteria, also known as a statement of work
- Assessment of high level risks
- Milestone schedule
- Basic budget summary
- Approval and acceptance criteria
- Project sponsor and project manager named
As Architects, we normally don't see or use Project Charters except for that statement of work part. We normally call that a program, one that the client provides. For us, the business case is economic health of the firm, or perhaps a push into a new building type. Our milestone schedule has to fit within the clients overall schedule for design and construction. In truth, architectural services are typically an effort at procurement for the clients' overall project effort.
And that's the point. We see the project as the design and documentation of a particular building: the client sees it as only a part of a much larger process. He has to make a business case for the building; he has to work out a basic schedule and budget; he has to set criteria that will determine if the project is a success or not.
It's good to be reminded of this every once in a while. We help make his project a success by staying on time and on budget, and that's as important to him as the wonderful design we have created for him. Don't be one more item on his list of high level risks.