1. Project Initiation Farrokh Alemi, Ph.D.
This is the course on project management, the lecture on project initiation. This lecture was organized by Professor Farrokh Alemi.

2. Project Phases Initiation Planning Execution Controlling Closing
A project has five phases

3. Project Phases Initiation Planning Execution Controlling Closing
The first phase is the initiation phase, where the project is selected and defined.

4. Project Phases Initiation Planning Execution Controlling Closing
In the planning phase, decisions are made about what should be done when should various activities be done.

5. Project Phases Initiation Planning Execution Controlling Closing
Execution and controlling generally occur together. In the execution phase, the project team tries to do what was planned. In the controlling phase, project manager measures project’s accomplishments and compares it to expectations

6. Project Phases Initiation Planning Execution Controlling Closing
The last phase is the closing phase. In this phase, the project deliverables are accepted and success celebrated.

7. Project Initiation Select right project Project risks assessed
Clear business case
Data on extent of problem
Let customer’s voice speak
Project risks assessed
Similar projects reviewed
Environmental threats scanned
Stakeholders identified
Project scope defined
Project initiation phase, in our view, is the most important phase of the project management. This phase is important because during this phase the project is selected and defined. Select the wrong project and you would be wasting your time and effort in subsequent phases, albeit you would be doing so efficiently. Select the right project and you might change your organization, even if you do not do so efficiently.

8. Project Initiation Select right project Project risks assessed
Clear business case
Data on extent of problem
Let customer’s voice speak
Project risks assessed
Similar projects reviewed
Environmental threats scanned
Stakeholders identified
Project scope defined
To make sure that the right project is selected, the business case for the project must be clear. A return on investment should be calculated.

9. Project Initiation Select right project Project risks assessed
Clear business case
Data on extent of problem
Let customer’s voice speak
Project risks assessed
Similar projects reviewed
Environmental threats scanned
Stakeholders identified
Project scope defined
It must be clear what problem is being addressed and why. There should be data supporting the existence and extent of the problem. Projects usually involve a lot of effort of a diverse set of people. For everyone to understand why they are undertaking the effort there should be good data on the extent of the problem and the importance of the problem.

10. Project Initiation Select right project Project risks assessed
Clear business case
Data on extent of problem
Let customer’s voice speak
Project risks assessed
Similar projects reviewed
Environmental threats scanned
Stakeholders identified
Project scope defined
In addition, you need to let the customer define the problem. Perhaps, you can provide quotes about frustrated customers, perhaps you can record a customer speaking about their frustrations. Video tape a customer and let them talk about the issues. Do something, anything, that could bring home the message of the importance of the problem. Using various media highlight the customer’s point of view. Numbers and statistics are great for defining the extent of the problem, but what people remember is the customer’s voice. Projects take a long time to complete and if you spend time articulating why the project was undertaken, then everyone in the organization will remain committed to the project and will maintain their effort. They will see and remember the logic of why they have undertaken the effort. Give the project team a clear message of why the work they are doing is important.

11. Project Initiation Select right project Project risks assessed
Clear business case
Data on extent of problem
Let customer’s voice speak
Project risks assessed
Similar projects reviewed
Environmental threats scanned
Stakeholders identified
Project scope defined
If implementing EHR, record a customer who had received wrong medication. Make it clear how EHR will reduce medication errors.
For example, if you are implementing an Electronic Health Record, record a customer who had received wrong medication. Make it clear how EHR will reduce medication errors. Efforts spent in clarifying the purpose of a project will help teams remember the importance of their role. They will see themselves as heroes coming to improve the organization as opposed to enforcers making people work in new and unwanted ways.

12. Project Initiation Select right project Project risks assessed
Clear business case
Data on extent of problem
Let customer’s voice speak
Project risks assessed
Similar projects reviewed
Environmental threats scanned
Stakeholders identified
Project scope defined
If implementing EHR, record a customer who had received wrong medication. Make it clear how EHR will reduce medication errors.
For example, if you are implementing an Electronic Health Record, record a customer who had received wrong medication. Make it clear how EHR will reduce medication errors. Efforts spent in clarifying the purpose of a project will help teams remember the importance of their role. They will see themselves as heroes coming to improve the organization as opposed to enforcers making people work in new and unwanted ways.

13. Project Initiation Select right project Project risks assessed
Clear business case
Data on extent of problem
Let customer’s voice speak
Project risks assessed
Similar projects reviewed
Environmental threats scanned
Stakeholders identified
Project scope defined
Before a project is undertaken, the risks to success should be examined. The longer the project, the more likely chances for failure. Risk assessment helps the project manager understand what might go wrong and plan for it.

14. Project Initiation Select right project Project risks assessed
Clear business case
Data on extent of problem
Let customer’s voice speak
Project risks assessed
Similar projects reviewed
Environmental threats scanned
Stakeholders identified
Project scope defined
As part of risk assessment, the project manager should review similar project in the organization or outside the organization. The project manager should see what lessons were learned in these other implementations.

15. Project Initiation Select right project Project risks assessed
Clear business case
Data on extent of problem
Let customer’s voice speak
Project risks assessed
Similar projects reviewed
Environmental threats scanned
Stakeholders identified
Project scope defined
The environment should be assessed. The budget of the project should be examined and threats to future continuation of the project should be anticipated. Availability of other resources, like key people, should be examined. Alternative courses of accomplishing the project should be examined before one starts the project.

16. Project Initiation Select right project Project risks assessed
Clear business case
Data on extent of problem
Let customer’s voice speak
Project risks assessed
Similar projects reviewed
Environmental threats scanned
Stakeholders identified
Project scope defined
In the initiation phase, all stake holders should be identified. Stakeholders are people who have to make a decision about the continuation of the project. These include the employees who directly implement the project, supervisors who might have sponsored the project and in some way the customer who has to accept the product of the project.

17. Project Initiation Select right project Project risks assessed
• Stakeholders interested in value of IT
– Investors
– Requirement decision makers
– Users of IT services
• Providers of IT services
– Managers
– Developers or vendors
– Operators
• Other
– Security, privacy and/or risk officers
– Assurance advisors
Select right project
Clear business case
Data on extent of problem
Let customer’s voice speak
Project risks assessed
Similar projects reviewed
Environmental threats scanned
Stakeholders identified
Project scope defined
Project managers must communicate to different groups of stakeholders. At least three broad groups can be recognized in Information Technology projects. Stakeholders that are interested in the value of IT investments. These include those who make investment decisions, employees that decide about requirements, and customers or employees who use IT services. Another group of stakeholders are employees who provide these services. These include managers, developers and operators. Finally there is group of IT professionals focused on security, privacy and assurance services. These stakeholders might be internal or external to the organization.

18. Project Initiation Select right project Project risks assessed
Clear business case
Data on extent of problem
Let customer’s voice speak
Project risks assessed
Similar projects reviewed
Environmental threats scanned
Stakeholders identified
Project scope defined
Finally, the project scope should be defined and documented. Since many people are involved, the communications about scope of the project should be clear and should not be left to paper communication. Various employees should be detailed.

19. Project Initiation Select right project Project risks assessed
Clear business case
Data on extent of problem
Let customer’s voice speak
Project risks assessed
Similar projects reviewed
Environmental threats scanned
Stakeholders identified
Project scope defined
Detailing is the process of walking a person through a new way of doing things, e.g. when a pharmaceutical salesman walks the doctor through use of a new medication
Detailing is the process of walking a person through a new way of doing things, e.g. when a pharmaceutical salesman walks the doctor through use of a new medication. Everyone pretends that the project has been completed. In this make belief world, questions about the scope of the project are fully answered. For example, in implementing a new computerized physician order entry, a pretend patient visits might be arranged, the clinician asked to pretend to enter data, and the events in the electronic health record might be reported.

20. The Scope of work must be understood: Rapid Prototyping
Project Initiation
Select right project
Clear business case
Data on extent of problem
Let customer’s voice speak
Project risks assessed
Similar projects reviewed
Environmental threats scanned
Stakeholders identified
Project scope defined
The Scope of work must be understood: Rapid Prototyping
The point is that the scope of work must be understood by all people affected by the project so there is no surprise later and so that the scope can be modified if it is not exactly what is needed.

21. Use media effectively in project initiation
Take Home Lesson
Use media effectively in project initiation
The take home lesson is simple. Successful project managers go beyond paper work. They use media effectively in project initiation. They include a recording of the customer’s voice as one of the reasons why the project was undertaken. They use media to engage different groups of stakeholders.