Templates

Project Initiation Plan - for large complex projects taking more than 6 months.

Lite Project Initiation Plan - for small to medium sized projects with a delivery date of 3 to 6 months.

Project Snapshot - for very small, low-risk projects with a delivery date of 1 to 2 months.

Description

The purpose of Initiation is to ensure that projects are correctly aligned with published organization goals and objectives, they are owned by a particular organizational unit (which also means accountabilities for ownership are explicitly stated and endorsed), and they will be appropriately funded and supported.

Initiation begins when the Project Manager is allocated a specific project. This information normally comes via an OIT Manager or Director, with many projects already having been defined as part of the OIT Project Portfolio.

Key stakeholders of the Project are invited to participate in s project planning session which can be facilitated by the OIT Project Office. These are round-table work sessions in which the project goals, objectives, scope, roles and responsibilities, timeline, and other aspects of the Project Initiation Plan are discussed and captured. The Initiation Plan, once drafted, is then circulated for stakeholders review and buy-in.

Deliverables

In many cases there are few formal documents which describe the project before Initiation is undertaken. In fact, the Project Initiation Plan is so critical because it may be the first formal definition of what the project is.

The Initiation Project Plan will be made up of:

•  Goal (what is the purpose for doing the project)

•  Objectives and outcomes

•  Scope (what's in, out, uncertain)

•  Stakeholder roles, responsibilities and involvement (the Stakeholder Plan)

•  Time Frames

•  Risk Management Plan

•  Major Deliverables

•  Project budget and Resource Plan

•  How the Project will be managed, describing the main activities and tasks.

For larger, more complex and higher risk projects, the team typically does a needs analysis. Once this is completed, the Initiation Plan is revised and fine tuned and is circulated for sponsor and stakeholder approval. Once approved, this becomes the Project Initiation Plan.