Getting started

• Project Charter – Identify study objectives
• Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Cycles
• Know the users PDSA

Project Charter – Identify study objectives

The first step in the Rapid Response (RR) methodology is to clearly define the overall purpose of the study and to identifying the goals and objectives to provide focus during the evaluation and improvement phases (i.e. what to look for and why).

Sample study objectives may include:

• assess system functionality and usability
• evaluate or improve a current work process
• refine system prototypes to better suit the client’s needs
• identify problems with human-computer interaction
• determine the effect that a system has on cognitive processes or workflow

One approach to defining clear and concise study objectives is to create a project charter. A project charter should include (at a minimum) the following information:

• Project Title – What is the name of the study being conducted?
• Project (planned) start and end dates – When will the project start, and how long will it last for?
• Project (planned) budget – How much will the study cost to conduct?
• Project staff list with assigned project duties – What human resources are involved in the project? What will each person do on the project?
• A brief project overview – Given one minute to describe the project to someone in an elevator, how would you describe your project to that person?
• A description of the project stakeholders – Who will be affected by this study? Are there any external (human) influences in this study?
• An organizational chart and description – What is the structure of the organization that houses the system or process under investigation?
• A scope definition - What will be included, and what will not be included in the study?
• A list of planned project deliverables – What are the planned, measurable deliverables that will be produced by this project?
• A tentative project schedule – When will each of the study phases be conducted? When will each of the project deliverables be created? When will the project milestones be reached? etc.

The draft project charter should be reviewed by each member of the study team and all project stakeholders to ensure they understand what is needed from them during the project.

For more information about developing a project charter, please refer to:

• http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/emf-cag/project-projet/documentation-documentation/guide-guide/guide-guide01-eng.asp
• Schwalbe, K. (2005). Information Technology Project Management (4 ed.). Cenage Learning.

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