Pre-Construction		Online Guide
		Endorse the Plan		Process
Overview				Revision July 1, 2005
Summary:	The Endorsement process described in this Guide is primarily used to gain commitment to the Project Management Plan and to identify and resolve any significant issues with resources and schedules prior to starting the project. Endorsement is the process of gaining the commitment of the project team to do the work; management endorses the planned work and commits to providing the resources needed to successfully execute the Project Management Plan. The process culminates in documented commitment of support by the team members, management, and sponsors, as appropriate.
Inputs:	· Project Management Plan
Steps:	Project Team Commitment		Management Endorsement
	The process of gaining the commitment of project team members to the Project Management Plan can be as simple as a discussion of their assignment and their commitment to perform that assignment, or as formal as a workshop session with all team members, culminating in a formal, signed document committing to the Plan. In all cases, the result is an understanding of the Plan, the team members’ role in its execution, and their specific commitment to perform their responsibilities according to the Plan. The Endorsement process can unify a group of individuals and transform them into a team.		Gaining management’s understanding of the Project Management Plan, particularly resource requirements, assumptions, schedule, and issues, leads to gaining their commitment to the project. It also provides the baseline of understanding needed to balance total resource requirements to avoid “over commitment.” The commitment by management of all planned resources is essential to ensure that the right resources will be available when they are needed.
Products:	· Project Success · Endorsed Project Management Plan · Project Performance Baseline
Guidelines:	Have the Project Management Plan completed when asking for team and management endorsement. The best approach to accomplishing this is to have the team members involved in the planning so they understand the requirements and what is expected of them. To determine who should endorse the Plan, more involvement is generally better than less, but balance is needed. Bringing in those who do not have the authority over resources or responsibility for work completion can cause unnecessary complications. For management, a rule-of-thumb is that those responsible for the resources should endorse the Project Management Plan. For small projects, this may be the Project Engineer; for mega-projects, it can be the Regional Administrator or higher.