Project Initiation

Project initiation plays a critical role laying the groundwork for project success.  A well-structured beginning to enhance the likelihood of project accomplishment.

Importance of Project Initiation:

• Defining Project Initiation:  

  • As the initial phase in the project management life cycle, project initiation defines a project's purpose and helps you assemble a project team.

• Purpose of Project Initiation:

  • Project initiation identifies the project's opportunity or reason for existence.
  • It's important to assemble a team and to develop a strong business case during this phase.

Key Aspects in Project Initiation:

• Essential Components:

  • Project goals, project scope, business case, key deliverables, stakeholders, resources, financial analysis, and project charter.
  • Each component shapes a project's objectives and ensures a structured approach.  Each aspect contributes to defining project goals, justifying execution, involving stakeholders, and analyzing finances.

Project Initiation Process:

• Phase Overview:

  • The initiation phase includes assessing feasibility, creating a business case, and conducting a feasibility study.
  • With this information you can obtain business approval and structure the project via a project charter.

• Stakeholder & Integration Management:

  • Stakeholder management is also important.  You have to identify them, analyze them, and document them.  Tools like a stakeholder registers or stakeholder analysis helps with this.
  • The stakeholders can help you put together the project charter, providing inputs such as expectations, requirements, resources, and documents.

Challenges & Resolutions in Project Initiation:

•  Multiple Start Attempts Challenge:

  • Sometimes the initiation phase causes delays getting started.  Sometimes you find out that it's not feasible or that important after or during the initiation steps, and you have to repeat the initiation phase of a different project (or scope).   
  • It's recommendable to go through project initiation while closing a previous project, so that no time is lost.  

• Experience and Practice

  • Project management skills are developed with practice. 
  • If a project gets too complex, don't he afraid to ask for support from a coach or request additional training or skills development.  

Course Forward:

if you are you a:

• A) A high potential employee or leader who's been assigned a project and are unsure of how to get going?

Or a...

• B) CI Leader / Specialist with limited bandwidth to work with everyone on their project planning?

Learn more about our Project Planning Coaching Program that includes the practice needed for you to succeed!  Link:  https://www.beltcourse.com/project-planning-course

Source: