Summary

Whether you’re initiating a project for others to action or for others to approve this Guide provides the basis for moving forward quickly but thoroughly. Frequent research has found that if projects start off on the wrong track they’ll ‘go off the rails’ quickly (and that is costly).

How to initiate a project takes you through the questions you should ask to complete a “Terms of Reference”. The answers can be captured on a page or several pages, depending on the nature of the initiative/project being started. The same format and content can be used for a small, “See if we need to change our staff induction process” to a major “We need to replace our central systems” projects.

Project initiations often fail because of

1. too many assumptions — those commissioning the project ‘assume’ too much knowledge on the part of those actioning the project and so leave gaps that value falls through
2. too much information is expected too soon — full-blown business cases are required for what are really only ideas, concepts or feasibility studies
3. those initiating the project don’t really know what they want and so ask for something that turns out not to be what they really want
4. projects get ‘condemned to completion’ so that, once they’re started, they’re not stopped.

This how to initiate a project guide enables you to think through what you’re trying to achieve, captures the available information while allowing you to add more information as it comes to hand, and does not presume the project will go ahead to full implementation just because it is started. In effect it separates initiation from formal approval.

But, it also captures the information in the same format and sequence as a formal Project Charter, so that when initiatives and feasibility studies are converted into projects, a base Project Charter exists that can be further expanded as the project progresses.

Start your project off on the ‘right rails’!

Benefits

This guide will

1. enable you to clearly communicate your intent to the recipient, covering all of the necessary topics
2. enable projects and initiatives of all sizes to be commenced in a standard yet comprehensive way
3. enable a smooth transition to the project documentation if required
4. produce a result that can be one page or 20, depending on the size, complexity and nature of the project/initiative being started
5. not expect too much information too soon, and so is reasonable and sensible. Further information can be added as it comes to hand
6. give you each information item needed, accompanied by an example making it easy and simple to complete a Terms of Reference for your project/initiative.

Who should read

1. Project Sponsors -  to help them initiative their project clearly and comprehensively
2. Project Managers - to help them define their project for Sponsor approval and get going
3. PMO - to help them what initiatives are underway and whether they compete or conflict
4. Business Managers - who want to get things done but don’t know how.

Contents

NB This Terms of Reference approach allows many of the following information items to be completed with a name, a sentence or a formatted response depending on your project’s needs.

1. Understanding the purpose of a Terms of Reference
2. Understanding the relationship with the Project Charter
3. A one-page Terms of Reference example
4. The end-to-end project initiation process
5. How to identify the need for a project/initiative
6. How to assess your current state and concurrent initiatives
7. How to determine the size/scale or your initiative/project
8. How to think through your project/initiative
• How to name your project or give it a working title
• How identify the ownership of the project
• How to control your document versions
• How to define the background and origins
• How to define your purpose/goals/objectives/rationale for the study
• How to define your project’s strategic alignment
• How to define any project time constraints or goals
• How to record your project’s ‘desired business outcomes’ (if known)
• How to define your expected benefits
• How to explain the costs and risks or not proceeding with this project
• How to capture the risks associated with your project
• How to define your project’s (problem) scope
• How to define any assumptions and constraints for your project
• How to define the outcomes, deliverables and benefits you expect
• How to define the organizational areas impacted
• How to define the key stakeholders
• How to define any dependencies
• How to define your preferred/required approach
• How to define the project/change activities required
• How to define who is taking accountability for the project
• How to define who is going to do the project
• How to define the resources required/allocated
• How to define the funding required/available
• How to define the project reporting required
• How to define the deliverables schedule
9. How to obtain approval of your Terms of Reference
10. How to evaluate a Terms of Reference (governance)
11. How to monitor project initiatives (PMO)

Bonus

How to take on a project
A comprehensive guide for project managers as to the questions they should ask before accepting accountability for delivering a project — what they should know and be clear about. Too many project managers ‘hope’ that the project’s mission and vision is clear, shared and complete. It’s best to check it out!

Off and running — where?
A Value Delivery Management article by Jed SImms that gives examples of the dangers of rushing off on a project before its terms of reference has been clearly defined

Railroaded
A Value Delivery Management article by Jed SImms that explains what happens when a project takes off on the ‘wrong rails’ and that it is not an easy job to re-align them