It’s another typical day at work, and then your manager stops by and tells you about a “high visibility” project and asks you to lead it.  You think to yourself, “What a great opportunity!” and “This is what I have worked so hard to achieve!”; but you also wonder whether you have the skills to lead such an effort. 

A complex project will require a set of tools, used correctly, to effectively manage scope, budget, resources, and quality, and you want to deliver great results to the team and your organization.  What are some of the project management tools you can use to improve your chances of project completion and success, and how are they used?  This three-part blog series will explore the usage of 1) Scope Management Tools, 2) Risk Management and Scenario Planning Tools, and 3) Communication Tools.  This blog series is an introduction for first time project managers and hopefully a good recap for well-established project managers. 

Part I: Scope Management

I have observed projects that failed because: 1) project scope was not defined and agreed upon by all major stakeholders in the beginning (Note: stakeholders have different levels of influence in a project, and not all stakeholders are equal) and/or 2) scope boundaries were not respected throughout the project.  Thus, projects became too unwieldy to manage and end goals were always changing.  When this happens, project timelines lengthen, project budgets widen, and stakeholder and organizational tolerances shorten.

There are several tools project managers can use to define, unify, and communicate with project stakeholders about scope:

1. Statement of Work
   
2. Project Charter
   
3. Phase Gates
   
4. Change Review Boards.

Statement of Work

A Statement of Work is a contract or agreement between a project manager/team and the project sponsor(s).  A Statement of Work should be prepared, reviewed with the project team and approved prior to initiating any project work.  A Statement of Work can include the following (Note: this list is not exhaustive):

• A brief description of the project background (purpose, history, business case for change) so that all readers understand why the project is being initiated,
• Project Scope (what is in scope and out of scope) and applicable documents or references
• Goals and/or objectives (should be specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-bound)
• Project Requirements (can be categorized by priority, e.g. “must have”, “nice-to-have”)
• Deliverables (can be organized by project work stream or by project phase)
• Additional project needs (e.g. physical resources, human resources)
• Anticipated period of performance or calendar length of project
• Project Entry (e.g. approved Statement of Work, approved budget)
• Project Exit Criteria (e.g. sponsor acknowledgement of completed deliverables)
• Project Manager specific deliverables (e.g. project plans, tracking of action items, dashboards / scorecards)
• Project Sponsor specific deliverables (e.g. access to training, tools, timely review and feedback)
• Project Budget
• Project Change Requests (see Change Review Boards paragraph below for more detail)

The more time spent up front defining the Statement of Work, the less headaches and finger pointing there will be throughout the project.

Project Charter

The Keystone Tech Corner Series previously featured a blog about project charters; for more detail, see here.

Phase Gates

To guide and influence scope, project teams can participate in Phase Gate reviews with project stakeholders to ensure that deliverables are being shaped and completed according to the Statement of Work, i.e. to ensure there are zero “bad surprises” at project completion.  Stakeholders can identify risks or opportunities in these reviews and can help steer the team to more favorable outcomes.  Usually, a project team cannot move forward until Phase Gate follow-up items or action items are addressed with a satisfactory level of detail and planning.  A Phase Gate can take the form of a status update presentation, or can be more interactive, e.g. a Table Top Workshop or Solution Design Review.  Phase Gates can be scheduled after critical milestones are achieved or on a reoccurring basis, e.g. quarterly.
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Change Review Boards
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It is inevitable that there will be change requests on a project, e.g. a request to include something new in the final output which impacts the timeline, a request to switch vendors, a request for additional funds or resources, a request for different solution requirements, etc.  A Change Review Board is simply a means to formalize, document, communicate, and manage these requests, and get stakeholder buy-in to the change.  Change Review Board members typically consist of stakeholders that hold great influence and/or interest in the project outcome.  All Change Review Board topics for discussion must pass a defined set of criteria; otherwise, they will consume resource time and energy unnecessarily.  Criteria can be project specific and be defined by the Change Review Board.  Without a Change Review Board, large scope changes can be implemented without accounting for downstream impacts.

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​Keystone Scientific, Inc. is in the business of connecting clients with the right people having the right skills to meet their project needs. How can we help you achieve your goals and solve your project problems? Please feel free to reach out to our team by calling 814-205-3393 or contact us online.

One of the earliest forms in intellectual property protection that startups and small businesses seek to obtain is trademark protection on their company name. Your name says a lot about your business, and you will ultimately build a brand around your company identity. Your trademark will grow into the image or word that the customer will come to identify with your company and your product. Trademarks are valuable business assets and they need to be protected from your competitors, and copycats.  
 
Four Trademark Categories
As a small business or startup, funds are limited, so you need to meet with success when you apply for a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Since obtaining trademark protection involves applying, your application could be rejected if another, similar trademark already exists in your area of commercial use (i.e., the industries or commercial areas that you plan on using your mark in), or if your mark is not distinctive enough to warrant trademark protection.

A trademark must be worthy of protection, and as such, four categories of trademarks exist. These categories refer to the strength of the mark, and there is an undeniable correlation between the strength of a trademark, and its likelihood of being approved by a trademark examiner at the USPTO, and thus registered.

When it comes to applying for trademark protection, it is important to understand that some marks are more “trademark worthy” than others, and this is sometimes referred to as the strength of a trademark. The strength of a trademark is tied to how distinctive the mark. Trademarks are often broken down into four categories based on how distinctive the mark is. The more distinctive the trademark is, the more likely that the mark will be granted trademark protection by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The strength of a trademark lies in how the mark is perceived by consumers. There are four categories of trademarks, which include:
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• Generic. Generic marks are overly simple marks that carry no special meaning and are thus not a protectable mark at all. Generic marks are usually phrases that simple represent the good or service.

• Descriptive. Whether a descriptive mark is granted trademark protection or not depends on the description of the mark in relation to the product. Descriptive marks are broken down into two groups:
  • Merely descriptive marks. Merely descriptive marks simply describe the product and don’t require any thought or imagination to understand what aspect or characteristic of the product or service the mark is trying to convey. A mark cannot simply describe the good or service.
  • Secondary meaning. When a descriptive mark develops secondary meaning that is distinctive in the eyes of consumers, then the descriptive mark could be protectable under trademark law. It is often hard to prove secondary meaning, and it usually takes a long time to develop secondary meaning a mark with consumers. When a mark is a surname, the surname must develop secondary meaning to the consumer in order to be trademarkable.

• Suggestive. Suggestive trademarks hint at some aspect or characteristic of the product or service that the mark represents. Suggestive marks are useful for marketing purposes, as they require the consumer to use thought or imagination to understand what the mark is conveying, such as the quality of a product or a characteristic of the product.

• Arbitrary or Fanciful. Arbitrary and fanciful marks are the most distinctive marks because they are so unique or distinctive that it is hard for the mark to represent anything by the product or service it is meant to represent.  
  • Arbitrary trademarks involve arbitrarily assigning a known word or logo to an unrelated product.
  • Fanciful trademarks involve a creative new word that is used solely as a trademark and has no other known meaning. 

​Keystone Scientific, Inc. is focused on helping businesses grow and develop. We work diligently to place our clients in contact with professionals who possess the skills our clients need to accomplish great things. Please feel free to reach out to our team by calling 814-205-3393 or contact us online. 

​The information contained in this blog is for informational and educational purposes only as a service to the public, and is not legal advice or a substitute for legal counsel, nor does it constitute advertising or a solicitation. The information contained in this blog reflects the most current legal developments at the time it is written; accordingly, information contained in this blog is not promised or guaranteed to be correct or complete. Please consult with a lawyer if you have any questions or legal matters that need addressing.