The CEO of your organization was so impressed with your last project that you have been given responsibility with a larger, even more important project. The CEO calls you in for a discussion regarding the importance of the project, and tells you that the very survival of the organization may hinge upon completing this project and rolling out the new system to customers before a certain date when a competitor is expected to complete a similar project. The company can afford to budget only up to a certain maximum, although if other, less critical projects in progress are delayed, there may be some additional funding available if absolutely necessary. Finally, in order to be a competitive product in the market, the new system must contain at least a certain minimum feature set, although more would be desirable, and the quality must be of the highest level.

At the conclusion of this discussion, the CEO shakes your hand and wishes you good luck. Use the priorities set by the CEO to create an initial management expectations matrix.