Project Charter for

Team 4
April 2, 2016

Project Information
Project Name and Description
PJ Enterprises develops, manufactures, and markets gifts, apparel, and home
accessories through its retail location and mail-order catalog division. PJ
Enterprises exceeded its revenue expectations last year and has a number of growth
goals for next year, including increasing overall sales, growing customer lists for
catalog distribution, and improving customer service scores. In light of their
aggressive goals for this year, PJ Enterprises requested that Superior Solutions
develop a training program for telephone operators that will make them experts in
catalog product offerings, with end goals of increasing catalog sales, improving
employee satisfaction, and reducing customer complaints.
Prior to developing this training program, Superior Solutions performed a
comprehensive gap analysis to determine the nature and causes of the gaps
between the current state of operations at PJ Enterprises and its desired end state.
Superior Solutions recommended a number of solutions to the issues identified as
hindering PJ Enterprises from meeting its goals to Project Sponsor, Jane
MacKenzie. On behalf of PJ Enterprises and based on Superior Solutions analysis,
Jane determined the most appropriate solutions for phase one of this project are
creation of an updated electronic product guide and a telephone operator training
on etiquette, sales techniques, and using the electronic product guide.

Project Manager
The Project Manager for this project is Joni Grove. She has been in regular contact
with Jane MacKenzie of PJ Enterprises throughout the analysis phase and has
worked with Jane to reach a mutual agreement on the phase one of this project.

Project Sponsor
The Project Sponsor for PJ Enterprises is Jane MacKenzie.

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Stakeholders and Impact

The following table outlines those who are stakeholders in this project, their respective responsibilities, and how the project might
affect them.
Stakeholder
Jane MacKenzie, Project
Sponsor and Tie-breaker

Responsibilities and Impact on the

Project

Project Impact on Stakeholder(s)

Oversees the project, provides feedback

and insight on all stages of the project, and
approves and pays invoices.

A successful business interaction resulting

in increased catalog sales revenue and
greater customer and employee
satisfaction.

Final signoff on all deliverables, schedule

and budget changes, and all decisions
throughout the project.
Tie-breaker for any unresolved disputes or
decisions regarding the project.

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Significant time investment and

responsibility for decisions that affect
entire catalog division.

Sheena Perez, Decisionmaker for Product Catalog

Provide information, input, and review on

information to be included in the product
guide. Make final decisions on which
products and product details to include in
guide.

Time investment required for product

guide input and review, on top of new role
and additional role responsibilities.

Sheena Perez, Ray Johnson,

Product Vendors, Reviewers
and Subject Matter Experts
(SMEs) for Product Catalog

Provide timely, detailed information about

the products.

Time investment for product guide input

and review.
Projected improvement in catalog division
sales, resulting in improved image across
company and possible monetary incentives
to these leaders.

Stakeholder
Sarah Commons, Maria
Gomez, Paula Moore,
Rosalinda Sanchez,
Telephone Operator
Training SMEs and
Reviewers

Responsibilities and Impact on the

Project
Provide input for telephone etiquette
training and realistic customer scenarios;
review all training materials; Sarah and
Maria will be trained to conduct
subsequent training.

Project Impact on Stakeholder(s)

Time investment in providing input and
review on telephone operator scripts and
training.
Decreased call load on supervisors when
telephone operators can answer more
customer questions.
Development opportunity for these
stakeholders to be involved in this project,
resulting in increased motivation and
employee engagement, and possible
monetary incentives or promotions.

Bruce Bennett, VP of IT
Yun Tsein, Sales System
Installation Manager
Lucy Feldman, Intranet
Manager

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Collaborate on issues of loading product

guide to telephone operator workstations
and making product guide available on
computers in training room for training
sessions.

Additional time spent deploying updated

product guide on current workstations, in
addition to work on Q3 deployment of new
order system.

Description of Work
Project Purpose
The purpose of the project is to improve telephone operator performance and, in
turn, the experience of PJ Enterprises catalog customers. Performance will be
improved by providing telephone operators with an electronic product guide and
training in telephone etiquette, sales, and customer service skills.

Business Objectives
Providing telephone operators with faster access to product information will
decrease the length of calls and allow operators to achieve their goal of six calls
per hour. Improving the customer experience will decrease customer complaints,
lead to higher catalog sales, and help PJ Enterprises achieve their goal of
improving customer service scores by 10%. In addition, improving telephone
operator customer service skills will lead to higher employee satisfaction levels
due to a decrease in negative customer interactions.

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Project Deliverables
Superior Solutions will deliver the following solutions to PJ Enterprises:
Solution

Delivery Method

Seat Time or Pages

Description

Updated product guide

available in electronic format

Online

~100 pages

The product guide will be provided online in PDF

or HTML format (format TBD based on
additional discovery processes with PJ
Enterprises IT department). It will contain
complete product information in readable bulleted
format, photos of products, items grouped into
logical product categories, cross-references to
related products, and will be fully searchable.

Telephone operator training

on telephone protocol and
customer service, sales
techniques, and using the
electronic product guide

Instructor-led
classroom training

8 hours

Initial training will consist of two, four-hour

sessions during which telephone operators learn in
an interactive classroom environment. Activities
will include realistic role-plays of dealing with
customer situations and search activities to learn
the new product catalog.
Superior Solutions will develop scripts for
telephone operators to use in different customer
situations.
Superior Solutions will lead two rounds of the
initial training sessions for operators on all shifts,
Superior Solutions will train PJ Enterprises staff
to conduct similar trainings in the future. Superior
Solutions will also provide a series of scenarios,
topics, and materials for PJ Enterprises trainers to
use as short, ongoing training activities at monthly
employee meetings in the ensuing six months.

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Deliverables in Scope
Superior Solutions will complete the following work to provide the project
deliverables:

HTML/PDF electronic product guide

Facilitator guide and student materials for telephone operator training on

etiquette, sales techniques, and using the electronic product guide.

Two rounds of two, four-hour instructor-led training sessions (eight hours

seat time per employee) on etiquette, sales techniques, and using the
electronic product guide
o

This will include a train-the-trainer component where Sarah

Commons and Maria Gomez will observe the first training
session. They will then each be assigned a component of the
course to conduct a teach back where they can practice
delivering the content. After the initial two trainings, they will
be responsible for delivering the trainings going forward.

Materials for six refresher training sessions on the techniques covered in

the etiquette training to be delivered at monthly meetings

Out of Scope
Superior Solutions is not responsible for any of the following:

Any training or course materials not outlined above.

Providing the facilities or technological equipment for training.

Updating any part of the electronic product guide after August 8, 2016.

Technical issues arising with the electronic product guide.

Providing electronic product guide integrated into new order system

(EPSS). Superior Solutions will submit an additional proposal if PJ
Enterprises is interested in this solution.

Project Completion Criteria

This project will be completed when all items outlined above have been delivered
and both the Project Sponsor and Project Manager have signed off on the project.

Project Parameters
Budget
The budget below is an estimate of time and cost Superior Solutions will require to
complete the deliverables for the solutions outlined in the Project Deliverables
table above. These numbers are an estimate, and final hours and total cost could
vary by plus or minus ten percent of our target. This yields a project budget
estimate of $81,900 to $100,100.

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Deliverable
/Solution

Type of Training/
Deliverable

Seat Time
or Scope
Figure

Total
Hours
Estimated

Cost

Product guide

Electronic document

~100 pages

250

$32,500

Telephone
operator
training

Classroom training
(two sessions, four
hours per session, each
session offered twice
to cover all telephone
operator shifts)

8 hours

400-450
hours

$52,000
58,500

650-700
hours

$91,000
max

Telephone operator
scripts for different
customer situations
Materials and
instructions for six
months of 15-minute
monthly refresher
training activities
Total

Project Team Members & Roles

This table lists the members of the project team from both Superior Solutions and
PJ Enterprises, each persons role and high-level responsibilities, and the estimated
hours required to complete the responsibilities.
Name
Joni Grove

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Role
Project Manager

Responsibilities

Est. Hours
Needed

Oversee project at a high 105

level; serve as point
person for client
communication; set and
monitor project budget
and delivery timelines;
delegate tasks and
ensure project stays
within agreed scope;
maintain
communications.

Name

Responsibilities

Est. Hours
Needed

Hayley McNabb

Project
Coordinator

Create and distribute

agendas and notes for
weekly and other team
meetings; define weekly
tasks and deadlines and
publish to team.

55

Fred Klein

Business
Analyst

Define types of data

needed from customer
and formulate questions
and methods to gather
data; analyze data;
formulate conclusions to
inform and justify
decisions, make
recommendations and
discuss constraints with
the team and the client;
conduct task analyses;
conduct summative
evaluation of project
solutions and their
impact on business
goals.

50

Sandhya Lakhanpal

Instructional
Designer

Lead the design and

production of
instructional strategies
and deliverables for
training, including
learner and task
analyses, design
document, facilitator
guide, and related
documents; deliver
training and train client
trainers; conduct
formative and
summative evaluations
of training program.

255

Molly Placke Silver

Technical Writer

Write and edit product

guide; write telephone
operator scripts; edit
training materials.

235

Total Hours for

Superior Solutions
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Role

700 max

Name

Role

Responsibilities

Est. Hours
Needed

Jane MacKenzie

Project Sponsor

Provide input and

review to all materials;
final signoff

70

Sheena Perez and

Ray Johnson

Product Catalog
SMEs and
Reviewers

Provide information for

product catalog; review
product catalog

Sheena 10

Sarah Commons,
Maria Gomez, Paula
Moore, Rosalinda
Sanchez

Telephone
Operator
Training SMEs
and Reviewers

Provide input for

telephone etiquette
training and realistic
customer scenarios;
review all training
materials

20 each

Sarah Commons,
Maria Gomez

Telephone
Operators
Trainers

Attend train-the-trainer
sessions and initial class
sessions offered by
Superior Solutions;
practice and present part
of second class sessions;
review and approve
materials for future
ongoing monthly
training sessions

20 each

Bruce Bennett, Yun

Tsein, Lucy Feldman

IT SMEs and
Collaborator

Collaborate on issues of
loading product guide to
telephone operator
workstations and to
training computers in
training room

10

Ray 25

Project Milestones
Subject to agreement from PJ Enterprises management, Superior Solutions will roll
out deliverables on the following dates:
Milestone

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Date

Page design prototype of product guide

April 30, 2016

Signoff on course objectives, assessments, and design

document for telephone operator training

May 20, 2016

Milestone

Date

Signoff on telephone operator scripts and materials for

telephone operator training

June 17, 2016

Signoff on product guide contents

July 8, 2016

Training session run-through with Jane, Sarah, and Maria

July 8, 2016

Product guide deployed to all telephone operator

workstations and tested

July 31, 2016

Telephone operator training sessions offered, train-thetrainer sessions completed

Week of August 8,
2016

Vendor Assistance Required

Superior Solutions will not require the assistance of an outside vendor. Superior
Solutions is responsible for design, production, and delivery of the PDF or HTML
version of the product guide. PJ Enterprises will provide Superior Solutions with
pictures of all products to be included in the product guide, similar or identical to
what they use in customer catalogs. If these pictures are not available from product
manufacturers or from PJ Enterprises, PJ Enterprises is responsible for taking
pictures in-house or hiring a photographer to take photos.
Superior Solutions does not anticipate the need for external IT vendors for this
phase of the project. The project will utilize the expertise of Yun Tsien and Lucy
Feldman in the IT department to upload the product guide to PJ Enterprises
intranet and deploy access to the product guide on call center workstations and to
make the product guide available on computers in the training room for training
sessions. The PJ Enterprises IT department will handle software, response, and
compatibility issues.

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Possible Problems and Risks

The following table lists potential problems and risks to the project that may affect the quality of deliverables, project timeline, or the
project budget.
Problem Area

SME availability

Staff turnover

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Likelihood
15

Problem Owner

Possible Impact to
Project

Mitigation Plan

Jane MacKenzie

Should product
experts not be
available to answer
questions or review
material, the time to
complete the
electronic product
guide, call scripts,
and training scenarios
will be extended.

Ask Jane to send a

message to all SMEs on
the project explaining
the importance of their
timely contribution.

If a SME leaves the

company or moves to
a different position,
there will be fewer
resources available to
gather and review
content for the
product guide and
training materials,
which may cause
project delays.

Agree with Jane that any

SME that leaves the
business will be replaced
with a suitable
representative to assist
in the project.

Jane MacKenzie

Request copies of
schedules to ensure
meetings can be planned
when it is convenient for
SMEs.

11

Problem Area

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Likelihood
15

Problem Owner

Possible Impact to
Project

Mitigation Plan

Product information
availability

Sheena Perez and

Ray Johnson

It may take a long

time to acquire and
compile the extra
product information
that is currently not in
the catalog.

Draw up a spreadsheet
with Sheena and Ray
that details all the
products, required
information, and
sources. Agree on a
timeline to complete
document with product
information.

Attendance at
training

Jane MacKenzie

Any employees who

do not attend the
training will be
disadvantaged in
using the electronic
product guide, sales
skills, and phone
etiquette. This will
negatively affect the
effectiveness of the
project.

Make training sessions

mandatory and paid.
There will be two
sessions available for
attendance. Agree that if
anyone misses both
sessions, PJ Enterprises
will decide whether to
arrange a third training
session at their cost,
conducting by Sarah
Commons and Maria
Gomez.

12

Problem Area

Training motivation

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Likelihood
15

Problem Owner

Possible Impact to
Project

Mitigation Plan

Customer service
supervisors and
telephone
operators

Telephone operators
and supervisors may
feel they already have
good phone manner
and adequate sales
skills, resulting in
low motivation to
learn.

Emphasize how this

training will have a
positive effect on the
customer experience and
also increase their
chances of achieving
goals. Make the training
interactive and apply
adult learning theory to
the design of materials.
Involve telephone
operator and supervisor
SMEs (Sarah Commons,
Maria Gomez, Paula
Moore, Rosalinda
Sanchez) in promoting
training and its
advantages among coworkers.

13

Assumptions
Superior Solutions will be responsible for:

Designing, developing, and delivering the training and materials as

described in the Project Deliverables section above

Managing the project and providing weekly status reports to Jane

MacKenzie

Delivering the first round of training and the electronic product guide the
week of August 8, 2016

Informing Jane MacKenzie of any circumstances impacting the project as

soon as the issue arises

Jane MacKenzie and staff at PJ Enterprises are responsible for:

Provision of SMEs to provide input and review training materials and the
electronic product guide

Sourcing information to be included in the product guide

Providing access to computers to test that electronic materials are

compatible with the software used in the call center and troubleshooting
any IT issues

Allowing use of the training room at PJ Enterprises to conduct the agreed

training sessions, including:
o

Provision of computers with the electronic product guide loaded

onto it

Instructor computer, projector, and screen

Scheduling the telephone operators and supervisors to attend the training

sessions

Printing of trainee materials for telephone operator training sessions

Constraints
Superior Solutions work will be confined to the agreed scope, budget, and
timeline as described in this document.
The following situations will have an impact on Superior Solutions ability to
complete the project per the agreed parameters:

The addition of products to the catalog after the agreed deadline (TBD)

Changes to the computer hardware or software that are not communicated

to Superior Solutions within a reasonable timeframe

High turnover of telephone operators and the nature of the work and shifts
in the call center may limit SME availability for project activities

External Influences/Dependencies
The following factors external to the project may have an impact on the successful
completion of this project:

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Major changes to catalog sales industry and market that might affect
customer preferences and sales volumes
14

Unavailability of information or the provision or inaccurate product

specifications from suppliers

Power, internet, or other system outages

Approvals
Role
Jane MacKenzie, Project
Sponsor

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Signature
___________________________________

Date
_____________________

15