Initiating a project

• Purpose
• Objective
• Context
• Activities
  • Overview
  • Prepare the Risk Management Strategy
  • Prepare the Configuration Management Strategy
  • Prepare the Quality Management Strategy
  • Prepare the Communication Management Strategy
  • Set up the project controls
  • Create the Project Plan
  • Refine the Business Case
  • Assemble the Project Initiation Documentation

Key sections

• Introduction
• Business case
• Organization
• Quality
• Plans
• Risk
• Change
• Progress
• Introduction to processes
• Starting up a projectDirecting a project
• Initiating a project
• Controlling a stage
• Managing Product Delivery
• Managing a Stage Boundary
• Closing a Project
• Tailoring PRINCE2 to the project environment
• Directing Projects with PRINCE2

Activities

The activities within the Initiating a Project process are Project-Manager-oriented and are to:

• Prepare the Risk Management [see ‘The Complete Risk Management package’] Strategy
• Prepare the Configuration Management Strategy
• Prepare the Quality Management Strategy
• Prepare the Communication Management Strategy
• Set up the project controls
• Create the Project Plan
• Refine the Business Case
• Assemble the Project Initiation Documentation

The activities to establish the strategies for the project may be executed in parallel, but it is recommended that the Communications Management Strategy is completed last as it will need to include any communications required of the other strategies.

The strategies are derived from the corporate or programme management strategies, standards or practices that the project needs to comply with, and the customer’s quality expectations captured in the Project Product Description.
Once the strategies have been defined, it is possible to set up the project controls and create the Project Plan.

These are parallel and iterative activities as:

Each control will need time and resources to operate, which will need to be documented in the Project Plan There may be additional controls required as products and activities are identified in the Project Plan.

Once the controls have been established and a Project Plan created, it is then possible to complete the Business Case because forecast time and costs of developing the project’s products, and managing the project, are now fully understood.

The final activity in the Initiating a Project process is to assemble the Project Initiation Documentation.
This is a compilation of all the documentation developed during initiation that will be used to gain Project Board approval to proceed.

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