Focus on specific tasks during project initiation

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Focus on specific tasks during project initiation


Within each project management phase, there are tasks that are crucial to the project's success. This is especially true for initiation tasks because many of the decisions that you make during this phase are precursors for steps you'll take in later project stages.

Although all tasks you work on during initiation are important, you should devote extra attention to the following items:


Project manager selection: This may be the most important task of the project. The key factors to consider when making your decision include verifying appropriate knowledge, specialty skills, and experience that are commensurate with the perceived needs of the project.
Project team selection: This is perhaps the second most important initiation task, yet managers rarely put much thought into it. When choosing team members, keep in mind that you should identify which subject matter experts you'll need and then negotiate their availability.
Project charter: This gives legitimacy to the project and identifies its goals and objectives. The goals and objectives list is the first pass at the project scope. It's also important to identify the business needs and project deliverables--even if it's only at a high level. This gives weight to discussions with project stakeholders and may help identify project champions.
Financial analysis: The results of the initial financial analysis (which is conducted during the prioritization phase) set the standard for how the project will benefit the organization. The analysis needs to clearly demonstrate this benefit to potential project stakeholders.
Assumptions and constraints: You must create a document that identifies assumptions and constraints (to the extent that they can be documented). This document can be the key to further refining scope and deliverables during later project stages.
Project repository and historical information: The project manager should establish a common and easily assessable document repository for housing project documents and other information. Historical information from prior projects that are similar in nature can provide a treasure trove of useful information for your project.
Authority, roles, and responsibilities: The project manager is ultimately responsible for the project's delivery. Beyond that, project teams can take on a wide variety of organizational structures. You must identify and establish the project manager's authority, its source, and how to leverage the manager's authority. It's also imperative to identify other team members' roles and responsibilities in order to understand how they'll interact with the overall project team. Finally, it is always good for the project manager to work with the team members' functional managers to ensure resource availability when needed.

If you happen to be in the unfortunate situation where project initiation is fast tracked, you should focus your attention on selecting the right project manager and team for the job.

Project initiation is the time to be as task oriented as possible. The more thorough you can be with laying the groundwork for your project early on, the better off your project will be in the long run.

Scott Withrow has more than 20 years of IT experience, including IT management, Web development management, and internal consulting application analysis.

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