Project Charter

The best course of action for a project manager assigned to an ongoing project that lacks a project charter is to 'Develop and get approval for a project charter'. The project charter serves as a foundational document in the scope management process. It provides a preliminary delineation of roles and responsibilities, identifies the stakeholders, sets the project's objectives, and establishes the authority of the project manager. In essence, it serves as the project manager's mandate for the project. This is why it is vital to develop and get approval for a project charter even in an ongoing project. 'Continuing without a project charter' is not an advisable approach because it could lead to confusion, miscommunication, and lack of clear direction. 'Creating a project charter with your preferred assumptions' is risky and incorrect because a project charter to be effective must be validated and approved by stakeholders to ensure alignment with organizational objectives and stakeholder expectations. 'Notifying stakeholders of the project's termination' is an extreme step and should be considered only when the project is deemed as no longer viable or if it's necessitated by an exceptional circumstance.

The correct answer is 'Detailed project schedule'. A detailed project schedule is not typically included in the Project Charter as it is more detailed planning that comes in later phases of the project. The Project Charter focuses on high-level information such as project objectives, scope, and stakeholders involved to provide authorization and set the foundation for the project.

The best approach when managing changes in any project, especially those that impact budget and scope, as a project manager, is to analyze the impact of the request. This includes its benefits, impact on the budget, timeline, resources, and so on. Even though the request wasn't part of the initial project charter, ignoring the stakeholder's request (second answer) would not be efficient stakeholder management, as their interests and inputs are quite vital for the success of a project. Also, while it is true that the original project charter is a key document in the project, saying that it can't be changed (fourth answer) is not completely accurate. Changes can be made, but they have to go through a formal change control process. This usually involves analyzing the impact of the change, reviewing it with key stakeholders and, if approved, updating the project charter and other affected documents. Therefore, the first answer is the correct one. Implementing the change directly (third answer) without discussion or updating the project charter could lead to scope creep, and it would not be managing the project effectively, as it could lead to more detrimental changes down the line.