4.3 Phase Two: Develop a Project Plan 131 Depending on the project, it may warrant investing some time to determine these so that the estimates just listed are more than educated best guesses. As mentioned earlier, in addition to identifying what's in scope in the project charter, it could be very valuable to also identify in this document those areas that are out of scope. When complete, the project charter often becomes the "bible" for the project. It's the document that everyone references throughout the life of the project. When there are issues of scope creep, the project charter can serve as a reference to determine what's in and out of bounds for team members to work on. Get Historical Perspective Some projects are brand new events with no precedent. But these are the exceptions. Most projects have some history to them--some kind of background that can help you put the entire venture into a framework. F Was a project similar to this one undertaken by the company before? If you are installing the servers for the new office in London, see if the notes and personnel for the expansion across the street that was finished last year are still available.