Initiating Process Group
The purpose of project initiation is the time to
- Clearly identify the scope of a new project
- Make sure sufficient resources are committed to the project
- Identify project stakeholders
Project initiation is the opportunity for the project manager to clearly establish marching orders for a project by identifying who the key stakeholders are and getting, in writing, as much direction from the customer and stakeholders as possible.
The initiation phase is the project manager's opportunity to establish a tone of success for the project through effective planning and leadership. This is done using two of the PMBOK Knowledge Areas:
- Project Integration Management
- Project Stakeholder Management
4.0 Project Integration Management
The marching orders for the project manager are called the Project charter. The charter contains as much information as possible about the mission for the project manager. It defines what the customer wants. The charter can be a simple document, with further project planning adding necessary details. It can also be a very detailed document, to include a Statement of Work (SOW), Performance Work Statement (PWS), contract or other legally binding document. The charter is signed by the customer and the performing team, forming the basis of their relationship during the project, and it gives the project manager formal authority to apply resources to the project. The following Project Integration Management process is used in the process group:
4.1 Develop Project Charter
13.0 Project Stakeholder Management
It is important to identify stakeholders during project initiation. Since stakeholder management is one of the primary jobs of the project manager, this is the opportunity to identify who needs to be informed of progress and developments on the project, and will play an important role in developing the project communications plan. Stakeholders often have individual perspectives on what they are looking for out of a project, and their own insights into risks and issues project manager will have to contend with. The following Project Integration Management process is used in the process group:
13.1 Identify Stakeholders