What is in and out of the project; prevents hidden expectations.

Minimum viable product: smallest version that tests value with real users.

A checklist that must be true before work counts as finished.

Longest chain of dependent tasks; it determines the project duration.

Top risks with likelihood, impact, and mitigation/owner.

What users need; capture as user stories or jobs-to-be-done.

Hard limits (time, budget, tech, legal) that shape solution space.

Beliefs you are treating as true; track and validate them early.

Work blocked by other work; map them to prevent hidden delays.

A meaningful checkpoint with a measurable outcome.

Split work into smaller deliverables until tasks are estimable.

A forecast, not a promise; update as you learn.

Extra time/capacity reserved for uncertainty and rework.

Anyone affected who can influence success; align expectations early.

Roles: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed (clarifies ownership).

Observable conditions that define success for a requirement.

A way to assess and approve scope changes without chaos.

Must/Should/Could/Won't; forces explicit trade-offs.

Ship small slices to learn and reduce integration risk.

Regular user/stakeholder feedback prevents building the wrong thing.

Review what happened, why, and what to change next iteration.

Define how you will measure success (usage, revenue, time saved, error rate).

How to revert safely if a release causes problems.

Who needs updates, how often, and in what format.