Project Initiation

Figure 1: Project Management

What is a project?

‘A project is a unique venture with a beginning and end, conducted by people to meet established goals within parameters of cost, schedule and quality’ Buchanan and Body, 1992.

The goal can be anything from a new product launch to a new flowerbed project for a Tidy Towns committee.

Figure 2: A Tidy Towns Group

Using a new flowerbed for a Tidy Towns group as an example, key features of a project are:

• It is a unique undertaking: a unique, new flowerbed in the centre of town

• It has specific objectives and goals to achieve: a 3 metre squared flower bed, planted with pollinator friendly plants

• It requires resources: will require the plants and volunteers to dig and plant the bed

• It has a budget: in this example, the costs will be plants

• It has a schedule: the Tidy Towns group require the flowerbed to be completed by May 2022

• It requires the efforts of people: the volunteers in the Tidy Towns group are required for planning and planting

• It has risks: one key risk of this project is that the local council may not allow it

• There are measures of quality applied to the deliverables: the Tidy Towns group have the following measurable goals:

  • A fully planted flowerbed with healthy, colourful, pollinator plants by May 2022

  • Survey of local residents indicating their satisfaction

  • the project is delivered on budget

Figure 3: A Project Management Lifecycle

Five phases of a Project Life Cycle

There are five phases to a project life cycle. These are illustrated below, again using a new flowerbed for a Tidy Towns group as an example.

• Initiating

The project manager calls the first meeting and the participants are agreed.

• Planning

The project team spends time planning the shape and size of the flowerbed, the planting style and the plants, the labour required, and how to get the buy-in from Dublin City Council (DCC).

• Executing

Representatives from the project team meet with DCC. Once permission is received the work begins.

• Controlling

As can be seen from Figure 2, monitoring and controlling takes place throughout the project. The Tidy Towns Group executes control by having milestones and progress updates.

• Closing

The group finish the planting.

8 Characteristics of the Project Initiation

• Selecting the project (deciding to plant a new flowerbed)

• Defining the scope (the area the Tidy Towns group wishes to plant)

• Identifying risks and contingencies (the main risk being DCC not allowing; the contingency is to suggest another area)

• Arriving at a mutual understanding of deliverables (agree on sketches of the flowerbed with the members)

• Preparing the team (agree who is doing what from the committee)

• Defining communication mechanisms (How will the volunteers report back to the chair of the Tidy Towns group and DCC on how the progress is going)

• Documenting the project charter (include the drawings, timeframe, planning, volunteers)

• Agreeing on the sign-off points with client or sponsor (agree on the check-in points with DCC)

A project schedule is to provide specific activity dates. A Project Life Cycle displays the sequence of events only and is more of an overview.

• S Lifecycle – starts slowly with discussion and planning, and then builds momentum, slows again at the end.

• J Lifestyle – slow start – quick finish. New extension, can be used once everything is in place.