In this section Project Anchors are defined for the development process. These anchors are present in most, if not all, product development efforts and, in fact, are the 'sentinels' which allow the monitoring, measurement and control of a project.

Definitions - Project Anchors

• Project Costs...
  ... availability and use of funds for the costs & expenses of the development project
  
  
• Contracts & Agreements...
  ... binding promises with subcontractors, vendors, service providers, unions, and team members
  
  
• Schedule...
  ... planned time to complete the development project - usually a critical gauge of 'time-to-market'
  
  
• Management system...
  ...project control aides and schemes used in setting and measuring expectations, results and project communication, including bad news management
  
  
• Resources...
  ...team members, equipment, facilities and pertinent aides/tools
  
  
• Team tenure...
  ... length of time a team member is involved with the development project
• Team Capabilities...
  ...include team members' technical experience required for the type & level of the technology chosen and the managerial experience applicable to the sophistication of the project
  
  
• Product Costs...
  ...include Cost of Manufacture (COM), Cost Of Goods Sold (COGS), cost of support, recycling and assessment of profit based on the expected revenue generated by the product sales
  
  
• Product Characteristics...
  ...Market defined Features:
  User requirements (as a result of expected benefits), Service, sales & distribution requirements, Environmental requirements, Quality & reliability requirements
  ...Non-market defined Features:
  Corporate requirements, Regulatory requirements, Industry Standards, Legal requirements, Government requirements
  
  
• Acts of Encumbrance ...
  ...things not in control of the project team:
  Natural disaster, Bankruptcy, Acquisition & Merger, Health & personal tragedies