Why, What, How?

How does a project get started?

Project definition

Project execution

Before you can effectively manage a project, there needs to be a shared understanding of that project — its purpose, objectives, scope, sponsorship, funding and mandate. Some people would define the project as not existing until it has an adequate definition. In the real world, projects often need to get moving while at least some of these questions remain imperfectly answered.

That is particularly true for eProjects. The pace of eBusiness development means that no one will be thanked for slowing the process down by demanding answers to difficult questions such as what benefit will you get? That does not invalidate the issue — just the response. In an eProject we need to allow for rapid project definition and approval, often with little more than a gut feeling about the benefit or the way the project will evolve. The Project Manager still needs to consider the issues and ensure there is the necessary degree of sponsorship and authorisation. Much more responsibility will fall upon the Project Manager to keep track of the evolving initiative and to report back on its potential benefits, successes, failures and risks.

Many organisations have specific processes and standards for requesting and evaluating a project. There will often be norms for assessing the financial benefits, eg payback period, internal rate of return, discounted cash flow etc. There may also be standard procedures for presenting a business case and obtaining approval for the capital investment. Make sure you are aware of any defined standards that apply to you.

Project sponsor

All projects have sponsors — people who see a need for change and have the authority to make something happen. Without them, the project would not have been proposed. Make sure that you understand who the real sponsors are and check that they do have the authority to propose the project and the commitment to make it succeed. If they are not the right people, you probably need to identify further sponsors who have that authority and commitment.

You need to ensure that the sponsors have enough authority or influence to undertake the work and bring about the proposed change in affected parts of the organisation. For example, a new business solution may not succeed if it is only sponsored by the IT Department and does not have the support of the operational business units. Most often, the best sponsors are from the business — leaders who want to change the way the business operates. As well as the original sponsors, you may need to build supporting sponsorship across the organisation and at multiple management levels. A significant project will normally require sponsorship from the organisation’s executive level. Such sponsorship is an important tool in Organisational Change Management .

The sponsors may have already constructed a good definition of the project and have a clear view of what is required. More often, they have an incomplete concept and no real feeling for how it should be addressed or to what extent it would be beneficial.

The Project Manager needs to guide the sponsors throughout the project — they cannot be expected necessarily to have a deep understanding of the issues. In particular, the project needs to be clearly defined before the Project Manager accepts personal responsibility for its success.

Project Definition at project start-up

Here are the fundamental things that should be clearly agreed at the commencement of a project. They form the basis upon which the project will be defined and measured. That means they also form the basis upon which the Project Manager will be judged!