Project Initiation

The real project starts when there is a chosen solution to the business need, and the decision to invest has been made. All work leading up to this decision is 'Project Initiation'.

The main areas to be addressed in project initiation are:

Who needs this business change? (clue: where will the benefit be?)
Which solution is recommended? (why is it preferred to the alternatives?)
What are the benefits? (are they real and enforceable?)
Estimated project costs and assumptions.
What are the significant risks? (things which may get in the way of success)

For very small projects such as may be implemented within an existing departmental budget, the initiation work may simply be developing from an 'idea' to a 'proposal'.

For medium projects which may impact several areas of an organisation, and require a formal business justification or 'business case', the initiation work should include all the topics above. It is usually carried out by a small team of people who bring the necessary skills together, and may be doing it as an addition to their other responsibilities.

For large projects there may be substantial effort and cost incurred in project initiation. There will often be more than one stage before committing the 'implementation project'. e.g.

1st stage: Initial proposal and case for committing limited resources and funds to research alternatives.
2nd stage: Investigation of alternatives, including limited design of solutions and outline business case.
3rd stage: Feasibility study, design and costing of preferred solution and development of full business case.