SULE PROJECT AND PLANNING CONSULTANT NETWORK

BOSCARD (Terms of Reference) When looking to gain support and approval for your next project, it might be worth thinking BOSCARD. The BOSCARD is a strategic planning tool used to provide the terms-of-reference for new projects. It is thought to have originated with consulting company Cap Gemini in the 1980s. The acronym stands for background, objectives, scope, constraints, assumptions, risks and deliverables. These headings are commonly found in terms-of-reference and project initiation documents. Background Provide background information that includes the reasons for creating the project and mentions the key stakeholders who will benefit from the project result. Objectives Describe the project goals and link each of them with related, SMART  project objectives. Scope Provide a high-level description of the features and functions that characterise the product, service, or result the project is meant to deliver. Constraints Identify the specific constraints or restricti...

The project plan is one of the most important and useful documents in your toolkit, and should be referred to and updated throughout the project lifecycle. Its initial purpose is to kick-start the project by convincing the decision makers (usually the people who control the funds e.g. the Project Board or Steering Committee) that the project is viable and will meet their needs and timeframes, budgets, expectations. If the project plan is poorly written or contains insufficient detail, the project may not even get past this first decision gate and may never actually get off the ground. Many viable projects have floundered at this stage due to poor planning and communication. On the flip side, if you can deliver a great project plan, it establishes your credibility as a project manager, starts the project on a sound footing, and provides the team with a mandate for action and a clear direction to follow. Don't confuse a project plan with a project schedule. A schedule is merely ...