Project Start: Initiation overview
Your project is starting, and you want to launch it well. Project initiation is the process of going from a requirement to a scheduled set of project tasks and the plan to produce the project's deliverables. The project's deliverables should satisfy the requirement; and a fictional example being to deliver a working prototype should meet the requirement of 'developing a self-contained device that can be in perpetual motion'.
Initiating your project will involve estimating project resources - people, tools, services, and other - that will be used on the project, and constructing a more detailed budget.
When initiating a project, particularly small to medium sized, you should have:
- The requirements for the project
- A project plan (approved, if possible)
- A project schedule - with milestones & level of effort
- Good to also have a WBS (work breakdown structure)
- A contact list of project particpants - stakeholders, categorized by type or role
- Who is responsible for what areas?
- Who needs to know what information?
- A project kickoff meeting
Other items you may want to have:
- a business case
- a project charter
- list of constraints, risks, and assumptions
On to: Ten Traits of a Successful Project Manager
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