Project Charter "Exploration"

1. Overview

The Project Charter "Exploration" is the specific variant of the Project Charter tailored for a "Playgrounds & Exploration" project in Phase II: Playgrounds & Exploration of the End-to-End Innovation Process. While the general Project Charter concept applies to any project setup, the version for this phase is designed for the preparation of early-stage explorative research work.

The charter is jointly developed and signed by the Project Sponsor and the Team Manager. It represents a commitment: the sponsor provides the entrepreneurial challenge, resources, and political cover; the team commits to delivering fact-based insights and validated concepts within the agreed timeframe.

A good charter goes through several iterations before the project starts. Don't rush this. The Team Coach is involved in shaping the charter to ensure the scope is manageable within a single project.

2. Layout & Download

3. Key Elements

The Project Charter "Exploration" addresses five core questions. Each element serves a specific purpose — skip one, and your research project will have a blind spot:

• Motivation: Why are we doing this now? Be specific: market pressure, competitive threat, new technology, or a concrete business challenge. "Because innovation is important" is not a motivation.

• Playground: What playground is the focus for this project? Every research project should be based on a specific playground derived from a future vision (Phase I: Picture of the Future & Strategy).

• Questions: What guiding questions define the scope of this research project? Within a playground, questions may arise that are worth exploring to develop new ideas for innovation. These questions can target technological, regulatory, competitive, market, or commercial aspects of new playgrounds.

• Resources & Stakeholders: Who is on the team and how much time do they get? Minimum 1 day per week per Team Member over the course of the project. No exceptions. Make sure every Team Member has confirmed their availability before the charter is signed.

• Schedule: When does the project start and what are the milestones? Fix the workshop dates first, then work backwards. An explorative research project needs all dates locked before it starts.

4. How to Write a Strong Charter

• Start with the sponsor's motivation or pain. The best charters emerge from conversations, not templates. Sit down with the sponsor, ask probing questions, and translate their answers into the charter format.

• Sometimes, project sponsors have a hidden agenda and misuse a research project to underpin their predetermined option or ideas. Research should have a clear scope but should not be restrained what we expect to see as results.

• Try to explore a new playground from as many perspectives as possible. However, we often distinguish between technology-driven and market-driven research projects, since very different experts are usually required for the two types of projects.

5. Usage Scenarios

• Setting up a new "Playgrounds & Exploration" project with the sponsor

• Aligning expectations between sponsor, Team Manager, and Team Coach before the Kick-off Workshop (Phase II)

• Presenting the scope of the research at the Kick-off Workshop (Phase II)

6. Instructions for Coaches

• Don't accept a charter at face value. Your job is to challenge and sharpen it. Schedule at least two rounds of revision with the sponsor and Team Manager before the project starts.

• Watch out for charters that try to cover too much ground. The number of questions should be related to the time and resources available to execute the project. Again, we often distinguish between technology-driven and market-driven research projects to make the setup of such projects easier.

• Check the stakeholder section carefully. Every Team Member listed should have confirmed availability of at least 1 day per week. If someone says they are "very busy but will try to make it work" — that's a red flag. Discuss this openly with the sponsor and, if needed, replace the Team Member before the project starts.

• Make sure the sponsor understands what signing the charter means: full commitment to attending at least the Kick-off Workshop (Phase II) and protecting the team from organisational interference during the project.

7. Q & A

• What if the Project Sponsor wants to start immediately without a proper charter?

  We don't start. A project without a clear charter is a project without direction. Take the time to get it right — even if it means delaying the start by one or two weeks.

• What happens if the project focus changes during the project?

  Minor adjustments are normal — if new questions come up during the project, go for it. If the focus changes drastically, keep the Project Sponsor in the loop.

• What happens if the Project Sponsor has too many open questions?
  First of all, we are very happy when sponsors understand the value of raising questions and doing proper research work. Remind the sponsor that we only need "guiding questions" that help the team come up with more detailed questions during the project.