Exercise 12.1 Objective: To practice creating a project charter.

Instructions: Read the case study. Assume you are one of the two directors in the case study, and you are writing a team charter jointly with the other director to address the problems identified in the case study. Use the template in exhibit 12.1 or a similar format to document the project charter.

Case Study: The directors of imaging services and surgical services in a hospital are discussing an improvement opportunity involving care provided to patients with breast cancer. The hospital is encountering delays for procedures involving surgical removal of breast tissue (lumpectomy) in the area where an imageguided core needle biopsy has been performed. During the surgery, the removed tissue is imaged to ensure that the biopsy clip and microcalcifications are present in the specimen. The imaging must be done with a mammographic unit to provide visualization of the microcalcifications. Because the mammography machines are in the Breast Center, which is only open regular business hours, scheduling for the lumpectomy procedures is restricted to when a mammography technologist is available. This limitation causes delays as late as 8:00 pm, and technologists must be paid overtime for these evening procedures. In addition, even during Breast Center operating hours, the breast tissue has to be packaged and delivered by hand from the operating suite to the imaging department and after the specimen is imaged, it must be returned to surgery, all while the surgeon waits with the patient still under general anesthesia. The hospital is not able to meet the needs of the surgeon for late cases, and even the requirements for cases during the day are not being fully met.

Exhibit 12.1 illustrates a project charter template. EXHIBIT 12.1 Project Title Improvement Purpose Project Charter Template What are we trying to achieve Objectives The new/redesigned process will (be specific): What are we trying to achieve? How will we know we got there? Deliverables The team is expected to complete the following: What must be done to By _/_: achieve the objectives? By _ _: By_/_: By _/_: Team and Resources Core project team members: Leader: Other members: People who have knowledge or skills that will be helpful for completing the project: Success Factors What leadership and resources are needed to make this improvement a success? Source: Adapted from Rohe and Spath (2005). Used with permission