Project Charter
AHI Real-Time Marketing Data and Analytics Application | Project Manager: Cary Manning | Sponsor: Mary Smithers
Project goal: Develop and launch a secure application that collects, analyzes, and provides real-time marketing data so AHI can understand target markets and make faster product, pricing, and marketing decisions.
Public review note: This is a sanitized educational scenario. Names, dates, figures, identifiers, and other details have been changed or generalized for privacy and security.
Project Name and Value Proposition
AHI Real-Time Marketing Data and Analytics Application. AHI currently relies on disconnected systems and manual data consolidation. The app will integrate market, customer, competitor, sales, and market-share information for faster decisions.
Benefits: increased revenue; improved customer satisfaction; cost avoidance; faster product development and time to market; improved marketing focus; better business decisions; improved brand tracking; and faster testing of new product concepts.
Schedule and Key Phases
| Phase | Target timing | Key result |
|---|
| Kickoff and planning | April 20xx | Authorize project and plan work. |
| Design | May 20xx | Define requirements and approve design. |
| Development | June-August 20xx | Build prototype, integrations, and application. |
| Testing | September 20xx | Test security, interfaces, data, and user acceptance. |
| Launch | October 20xx | Release the app and train users. |
| Improvement and Version 2 planning | November 20xx | Monitor results and plan deferred enhancements. |
Assumptions and Constraints
| Type | Statement |
|---|
| Constraint | Fixed approved budget of $250,000. |
| Constraint | Schedule is critical and launch is targeted for October 20xx. |
| Constraint | The solution must support internal marketing analytics and external customer functions. |
| Assumption | AHI IT can support the application and required infrastructure. |
| Assumption | Required data feeds will be available and reliable enough for planned analytics. |
| Assumption | The application will improve marketing effectiveness and achieve a target Year 1 ROI of 20%. |
Project Priorities
- Protect the critical launch schedule.
- Deliver core real-time marketing and analytics capabilities.
- Remain within the fixed $250,000 budget.
- Protect security, reliable data access, invoicing, and order processing.
- Defer non-critical enhancements to Version 2 when a trade-off is required.
Return on Investment
Target ROI is 20% in Year 1. The business case does not provide a complete dollar benefits forecast, so the final dollar return must be measured after launch using the formula: ROI = (Benefits - Costs) / Costs.
AHI App Development | Required risks and resources
Project Risks
| Risk | Potential effect | Initial response |
|---|
| Over budget | Reduced ROI and scope or schedule pressure. | Track forecast, use change control, and prioritize scope. |
| Design flaws | Rework, poor user experience, or launch delays. | Use prototypes, reviews, and acceptance criteria. |
| Development delays | Delayed testing and app launch. | Track velocity, protect critical work, and escalate early. |
| IT capability or infrastructure issues | Integration problems, reduced ROI, or launch delays. | Assess capacity, plan upgrades, and test interfaces. |
| Disconnected or poor-quality data | Inaccurate analytics and weak decisions. | Validate sources and define data-quality rules. |
| Security or invoicing problems | Customer trust, compliance, and operational exposure. | Test security and transaction controls before launch. |
| Low user adoption | Benefits and expected ROI may not be achieved. | Train users, gather feedback, and measure adoption. |
Required Resources
People
- Cary Manning, Project Manager
- Mary Smithers, Marketing Sponsor
- Priya Service, IT Lead
- Ram Samuels, Marketing Director and SME
- Oscar Money, Finance Director
- Keiko Tanaka and Jose Garcia, Marketing Core Team
- Cal Hamer, Product Owner and Voice of the Customer lead
- Two planned IT technician positions
Technology, Information, and Funding
- App development resources, data feeds, IT hardware and software, storage, and security upgrades.
- Marketing, sales, customer, competitor, and market-share data.
- Approved project budget of $250,000.
Initial Cost Baseline
| Category | Estimate |
|---|
| App development | $180,000 |
| IT software and hardware | $15,000 |
| IT storage | $15,000 |
| Data feeds | $5,000 |
| App security upgrades | $20,000 |
| IT personnel | $15,000 |
| Total | $250,000 |
|---|