The uncertainties of our current economy call for smarter ways to plan. Today, project resources and budgets are being cut, resulting in less work for everyone. How can a project sponsor carry on project work with a reduced budget? How can a consultant sharpen their competitive advantage in a shrinking market? One answer is to use charrettes. When conducted properly, charrettes have been proven to reduce project costs by accelerating timelines and reducing rework.

The NCI Dynamic Planning process is a three-phased project management process that includes a charrette. One important goal of Dynamic Planning is to reduce costly project rework. This is accomplished through the ongoing collaboration between a multi-disciplinary project team and key stakeholders. In a project using NCI Dynamic Planning, and particularly during the charrette phase, the design evolves with the frequent input of all relevant specialties and any person or group who might approve, use, promote or block the project. By including these viewpoints early and often, the design moves forward without the usual backtracking that occurs when unexpected information emerges and/or when someone throws a wrench in the works late in the game. The groundwork for this process is laid during Dynamic Planning phase one, Research, Education and Charrette preparation. It is in this phase that the project team creates a strategy for when and how to integrate the information and people resources critical to running a smooth project. The result is a process that costs less money, takes less time and results in a plan that has a better chance for implementation.