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82 • Green Project Management

whether or not this project is the best one, again, considering the ER in
our objectives as one criterion? Have we tested our assumptions, explored
any doubts, and looked to see if we have any blind spots? There are many
tools used by project managers to validate decisions: paired comparison,
decision trees, multivoting, and Delphi, for instance. At this point there
has been no detailed planning, but there should be validation of decisions
based on available information during the decision-making (ideation) stage
of the project.
It is also good to seek out “expert judgment” to help validate the project
decision. However, because greenality is a relatively new phenomenon in
project management, it may be difficult to find someone who has direct
experience. In one sense, project managers are “green” by nature, in that
conservation of resource usage and aversion to waste is ingrained in our
culture as PMs. Most of our literature, training, and practice is focused
on the need to reduce resource usage when we can, to reduce project costs
or schedule, while keeping the quality high to meet or exceed stakeholder
requirements. So asking another project manager to review your informa-
tion can help validate (or not) your project decision.
Finally, a good decision-making process, at the least, increases the
chances of making the right decision on a project, which increases the
chances of project success.

Creating a green Charter
What makes a green charter green? How does it differ from the traditional
project charter and how is it the same? The last question is probably easiest
to answer because a green charter contains all of the information a tradi-
tional charter includes. While there are differing opinions as to exactly
what should be included in the project charter, we believe that the tradi-
tional project charter should include the following:

• The need (opportunity or threat) the project is addressing
• Business
− Strategic
− Competitive
− Customer
• Legal