This project charter outlines the processes, procedures, risks, deliverables, organization and resources needed for the execution of the project (Kerzner 2013.) The layout of this charter has been derived from different sources (Guide 2004) (McKeever 2006) to ensure that it is a holistic overview of the project. The purpose of this charter is to give the sponsor information regarding the plan and the validity of the project before it is initiated. It should prepared by the project manager and should be approved or disapproved by the sponsor (Kerzner 2013) (Meredith and Mantel 2011.)

General Information:

Project Title:

Speech Decoder Project

Project ID:

SDP01

Sponsoring Organization:

Optus Company

Sponsor Representative:

Randi W.

Prepared by:

Alkthiri Company

Version:

Project Stakeholders:

Stakeholders who participate in projects and need to be aware of the project management process (Burke 2013.) Stakeholders are the individuals or the company that will influence or affect the project (Turner 2009.)

Position	Title/Name/Organization	Phone	E-mail
Sponsor Representative	Optus Company
Program Manager	A manager chosen by Optus Company to monitor the program and quality assurance
Project Manager	A manager who leads the project processes of planning, initiation, execution and implementation.
Customer / User Representative(s)	Optus Company agents or personnel

Executive Summary

This project intends to develop technologies that can be useful to decode impaired voice. Alkthiri Company is a reputable company that has been developing digital receivers and scanners as their main products for two decades. Therefore, the project will have a clear outline of operations and maintenance so that they can be practical. The engineering company in question will be referred to as Alkthiri Company in this charter. This project charter is a contract between Alkthiri Company and the call center, Optus, which has offered to sponsor the project.

The focus of this charter is call center companies. This is a two year project. In that duration hardware and software aspects of the system will be completed and ready for use. The decoding devices will be ready for launch into the market having undergone trials within the time frame given. The project will be considered a success if the speech decoders are ready for use within the stipulated time and if it tested proven that they decode impaired information accurately.

The total budget of the major part of the project, that is the equipment, salaries and manufacturing costs, is estimated at approximately $650000 without including other miscellaneous costs that may arise. The Speech Decoder Project will be beneficial to the company that offers sponsorship, other companies similar to Optus in the call center industry and the industrial company that will be the site of the project. This project charter assesses the risks, deliverables and milestones of the project from its initiation to the expected results on completion.

Project Purpose.
- Business Need / Problem

Some call centers have adopted the use of automatic systems while others still use human operators thus the device should be able to decode impaired speech whether it is a human or automated operator. The problem that the call center companies face is the failure to translate impaired speech. Large call center companies have established that there is need for a decoding device that can translate impaired speech to understandable information since people have serious problems using their voices.

Business Objectives

Strategic Plan Element	Project Business Objectives
Decoding impaired speech	To manufacture technologies that will be able to translate impaired speech of automated or human operators
Enhancing communication with every client	To produce decoding devices that will ensure that there is perfect communication to the client
Improved quality of service delivery	To create devices will be more efficient than human operators and will make their job easier than before
Minimize human error	To be a solution to the problem of misinterpretation of calls by providing perfect calls by the center.
Customer Satisfaction	To increase the number of customers for call centers through efficient translation of impaired speech

Project Overview
- Project Description

The project focus is to ensure that the developed devices will be able to decode impaired information. Thus the name of the project is the Speech Decoder Project. The products will improve the communication between call centers and their clients hence leading to improved service delivery, reduced costs and faster communication. The project will take place at Alkthiri Company, with the help of experts chosen by the company. After its completion and testing it will be merged into the call center’s system.

The major goal of the project is to manufacture a device which has compatible software and hardware properties that will enable call centers to process and decode impaired information faster. The following objectives will enable the project to achieve this goal.

To develop a high quality device that will decode impaired speech faster that human factors at the call centres
To improve the customer service experience between the call centres and their customers
To solve problems that arise due to misunderstanding impaired speech in call centres
- Scope.

The project will take place at the Alkthiri Company facility. The project is scheduled to take two years. The main Project stakeholder is Optus Company that will sponsor the project. Customers that will benefit from this project are call center companies and their clients. It will be done by a team of hardware and software engineers, a technician and a project manager. The project team will facilitate the planning, execution and implementation of this project. The team will ensure that proper reports are recorded as they proceed with the project. The product will be subjected to tests in order to assess its performance before being declared successful.

The departments that play a major role in the project are the software and hardware departments. They are the central part of the project. The scope in relation to these departments includes setting up systems of communicating between the two sections so that there is adequate reporting of their functions. The software engineers are responsible for programming while the hardware engineers are responsible for constructing the device. Their responsibilities complement each other hence the need for reporting their processes and procedures.

The rest of the items considered in the scope include:

Recruitment of a staff that is competent to handle their respective job tasks
Developing a program that will be compatible with the call centre hardware
Creation and assembly of the device by hardware engineers
Risk assessment and risk management plan to curb the potential failures
Managing the implications arising because of the underlying assumptions
Testing the device in licenced institutions

Items that are outside the scope of this project:

Maintenance of the device after completion of the project
Marketing and sales of the product to other clients
Training the users on how to install or use the device
- Assumptions
The Decoding Device will function properly on Call Centres hardware platform.
Sufficient resources will be available for the project team
The project manager will be highly experienced to run the project
The project will be executed and implemented within the budget
The project team will have specific workstations set up for the project

Constraints

The project must be completed in the duration of two years, after which the device should be ready for use.
The technical team must be not only qualified for the work to be done but also possess the skills needed for this specific kind of project
Tests of the product should be done in licensed institutions before the project reaches its closure
The cost budget should be maintained within the estimated amount without having to depend on external sources
Information during all phases of the project will be recorded, stored and given to the project sponsor

Project Requirements / Deliverables

The project will deliver Speech Decoding Devices that will translate impaired information (human or automated) into understandable language. The new device will therefore improve the systems of communication at Optus Company. The product will lead to the achievement of accurate communication between the call centers and their beneficiaries and subsequently lead to cost reduction, labor reduction and efficient service to their clients.

The project requires a reliable source of funding that will be comfortable with the high costs typical of engineering projects. The success of the project heavily relies on a constant source of funding thus necessitating commitment of the sponsor to the project (Baars et al. 2006.) A call center company being a sponsor is ideal since it will benefit directly from the project because the project will fulfill a need and a problem that is currently plaguing it.

The project manager will highlight the key documentation procedures during the projects to ensure that the reports are timely and concise. The documentation should comply with government policies regarding such type of projects. The availability of funding and proper reporting will enhance the probability of reaching the goals of the project and providing positive outcome. In this case the outcome should be the capability of the invented devices to decode impaired speech faster than manual ways that have been previously used, hence improving the chances of client satisfaction.

To achieve acquire these requirements the project manager should make sure that all areas of the project are catered for in terms of materials, space, funding and adequate number of personnel. To achieve the deliverables, the project manager should formulate a Risk Management plan that will facilitate dealing with any setback that may arise in a timely manner.

Project Management Milestones and Deliverables

This project will be done in three major phases of initiation, planning and execution (Meredith and Mantel 2011.) It needs careful planning and scheduling for it to achieve or even exceed the expectations (Lewis 2005.) Taking these milestones into consideration will improve the chances of completing the project n time and within the budget (Wysocki, 2011.)

At the initial stage the project manager outlines the project plan which has been approved by the Optus and disseminates this information to other key stakeholders. Then the project is set up basing on the major departments required which in this case are the software and electronic hardware departments before they begin their work. In this stage the offices, workstation equipment and personnel are acquired. Next the manufacturing phase when the software and hardware are developed and tested for compatibility. It is vital for products of engineering projects to be tested during the development process (Wenzel 1997.) Therefore, the final stage will involve ensuring that the product is tested in licensed institutions for a period of at least six months to analyze it produces satisfactory results before being launched.

The project will begin after the completion of all required documents and the approval of the sponsor. Once the purchase of required materials and the setting up the workstations for the project team is done the following specific deliverables will be expected:

Creation of the software programme that will run the device
Designing and creation of the hardware
Assembly of the decoding device
The device is tested for functionality and performance
After successful tests of the device the project reaches its closure

See the Appendix for a more detailed report of the milestones*.

A summary of the milestones set so that the project can achieve the above mentioned deliverables is represented in the following table.

Milestones	Estimated Date	Responsible Individual
The project plan is completed	01/09/2016	Project Manager
Software team department kicks off	10/09/2016	Head Software Engineer
Hardware division starts working	10/09/2016	Head Hardware Engineer
Setting up servers for internet connection	02/09/2016	Technician
Testing the products	01/03/2018	Project Manager
Hardware functionality tests	01/03/2018	Hardware Engineers
Software tests	01/03/2018	Software Engineers
Final product test	01/04/2018	Project Manager
Project Closure	01/09/2018	Project Manager
Product launch	02/09/2018	Alkthiri Company and Optus

Costs / Budget

The costs discussed in this charter are approximated values of what is expected in terms of financial expenditures that are necessary for the fruition of the project. They are therefore subject to change due to external factors such as market factors and the national economy. The following summary gives an overview of the budget.

Purpose	Amount	Source
Software costs	$ 100000	Optus
Hardware costs	$ 150000	Optus
Labor costs	$ 400000	Optus
Total Costs	$ 650000	Optus

The total cost of the project is a budget of $650000. The manufacturing cost is estimated at $250000 which includes the setting up of offices, equipping them and buying equipment or machines needed for project execution.

Other additional budgets that might be considered during the implementation of this engineering project include internet installation, expansion of the project work stations and upgrades in the IT section (McKeever 2006.)

Furthermore, there will be a need to create more space for the project hence the necessity to lease additional room in the industrial building. Towards the completion of the project before it is released into the market it will have to be tested in licensed institutions. All these activities will be put into consideration since they will incur more costs on the budget. These costs will be included in detail in the financial statements after market analysis.

Personnel & Other Resources

This table gives a brief overview of the resources needed to develop the decoding devices. The management will have to enlist the support of a human resources officer to endorse personnel team who have the competencies to perform the tasks related to their area of expertise. Additionally, technical resources or materials will be required for this project.

Resources	Description
Project Team	Project Sponsor, Project Manager, 3 software engineers, 2 electronic hardware engineers, one technician
Support	Human resources manager, Accountant, additional technical help, consultants
Facilities	Workstations for the project team, Office for management staff
Equipment	IT hardware, Electronic hardware
Software Tools	IT software, databases
Other	External consultant for monitoring and evaluation of the project

Project Risks

The project manager will keep track of risks and establish a risk management plan. Analyzing these risks will be the guideline of setting up mitigation plans (Baars et al. 2006) (Turner 2009.) The initial risks that have the potential to rise for this project include the following:

Risks involving the personnel such as resignation, lack of experience, workplace conflicts, the need to recruit other experts not included in the project plan
Risks related to finances such as underestimation or overestimation of the budget, fluctuating market prices of the materials
Risks concerning the product such as failure to perform its major purpose and not meeting the expectations
The risk of Optus losing interest of the project thus a lack of funding
The schedule can be affected because of the presence of the above mentioned risk (Wysocki, 2011.)

The following mitigation measures will be put in place as part of the risk management plan.

Carrying out training and orientation of the employees to the project for one or two weeks before the commencement of the project to ensure that they are willing and fit for their respective jobs.
To increase the chance of having employees for the given two years, they can be employed on contractual basis. In this situation they will sign up for a two year contract. They must provide their credentials to analyze their fitness for the job.
Hire an accounting consultant to assist in the estimation of the perceived expenditure costs of the project. Detailed financial planning reports should be provided to the project manager and the project sponsor including other miscellaneous items.
Carry out continuous tests of the product throughout the stages and monitor and document closely the job of the engineers to minimize the potential of product failure or unsatisfactory results.
Keep the sponsors interested by actively involving them in the project and ensuring communication of the progress. If the sponsors change, the scope of the project might need to be changed and renewed too.
Hold meetings with each department to keep track of their work so that they can set and meet targeted deadlines. In case a significant delay occurs, the project manager can request for a change management plan.
Request for a monitoring and evaluations expert to review the project, ensure that the activities are realistic and provide feedback.

Project Organization
- Project Organization Chart

The hierarchical chart below describes the organizational structure of the project. The project team will be responsible for data collection, monitoring, processing and reporting (Burke 2013.)

Roles & Responsibilities

The main stakeholders of this project are the sponsors, project manager, engineers, human resource manager, technician and the users of the anticipated device. The following table gives a brief description of the roles and responsibilities of each of these project stakeholders.

Stakeholder Title	Name	Roles & Responsibilities
Project Sponsor	Optus Company	Provides criteria for acceptance of the project deliverables. The project sponsor is the senior manager of the project.
Project manager	Abdulmajeed A.	Reports to the project sponsor. The project manager is responsible for the processes of the project. Integrates all aspects of the program, ensure availability of knowledge and resources to enable the project beats the deadline (Meredith and Mantel 2011.)
Software Engineers	To be determined	Develop and document software programs using high order code language that will work with the hardware.
Hardware Engineers	To be determined	Develop hardware that will connect with the software system according to the required specifications of the sponsor. They will design the device and give a diagrammatic presentation of its design.
Technician	To be determined	Works under the guidance of the hardware and software engineers to construct the device until it is a final product.
Human Resources Manager	To be determined	Leads the recruitment of highly qualified staff that will man the project. Ensures that the employees comply with company policies and procedures.
The users/ Call center personnel	To be determined	Handling the device when it incorporated into their system after completion. They will have to be trained on the use of the device.

Approval Signatures

The Signatures of the people below document acceptance and approval of the formal Project Charter. The Sponsor Representative must have the authority to commit the organization’s resources to the project. The Project Manager is empowered by this charter to proceed with the project as outlined in the charter.

Position/Title	Signature/Printed Name/Title	Date
Sponsor Representative	Randi W.
Project Manager	Abdulmajeed A.

Questions

What do you think is it better to have a project manager who knew the department or outsider? Are there some potential problems with this approach?

It is better to have a project manager who knows the department rather than an outsider. A project’s success depends on the project manager’s ability to coordinate all activities on a daily basis (Meredith and Mantel 2011.) The project manager is responsible for developing the project charter and foreseeing the implementation of the project plan. In the case of this project a project manager within the department would be ideal especially an individual with engineering background or who has experience managing similar projects.

Who else can be a sponsor of this project? Or by other words what has to be done if sponsor is not interested in project any more.

If the sponsor company loses interest in the project other call centers can be approached. Alternatively, Alkthiri Company can seek sponsorship from private or governmental companies that sell equipment or gadgets to the call center companies. Another option would be to invest in expanding the company by adding the decoding devices as an additional product that they manufacture.

From an engineering point of view what is the most dangerous risk in similar projects.

From engineering point of view the most dangerous risk in similar projects is that this is a new product hence its functionality is unproven. Also the components of the program to be created could be different from those that Alkthiri Company has developed previously. Thus, this can have an impact on the schedule, cost, analysis and methods since it will mean that the company will have to hire external consultants.

Reference List

Baars, W., Harmsen, H., Kramer, R., Sesink, L. and van Zundert, J., 2006. Project management handbook. Version 1.1-July 2006.

Burke, R., 2013. Project management: planning and control techniques. New Jersey, USA.

Guide, 2004. Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® GUIDE). 3^rd edition. In Project Management Institute.

Kerzner, H.R., 2013. Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.

Lewis, J.P., 2005. Project Planning, Scheduling & Control, 4E. McGraw-Hill Pub. Co..

McKeever, C., 2006. The Project Charter–Blueprint for Success. CrossTalk. The Journal of Defense Software Engineering, 19(1), pp.p6-9.

Meredith, J.R. and Mantel Jr, S.J., 2011. Project management: a managerial approach. John Wiley & Sons.

Turner, J.R., 2009. The handbook of project-based management: leading strategic change in organizations. McGraw-hill.

Wenzel, S., Bauch, T., Fricke, E. and Negele, H., 1997, August. Concurrent engineering and more… A systematic approach to successful product development. In INCOSE International Symposium (Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 662-669).

Wysocki, R.K., 2011. Effective project manageme

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