Project Initiation¶
❤ Documents created in this phase:
★ Organize Resources - all the information available to you about the project - Determine stakeholders (anyone involved or impacted by the project) - Determine resources, budget, people, equipment/materials, software programs, vendors, physical space, or locations, & other project details. Anything considered needed to complete the project is a resource. Record all these details in your project proposal and get them approved.
★ Reference Historical Project Data - Your project may be similar to a previous project your organization has worked on. It is important to review how past projects were handled including the budget, schedule, project team, roles & responsibilities, risks, & communication plans. Review any past project documents that may help you plan your project, you can even search the web for similar projects to seek extra help.
★ Define Project Goals - Critical tasks - Clarify the details of your project - What you are asked to do & what you’re trying to accomplish.
★ Scope - This is the process to define work that needs to happen to complete the project - This is also the time to decide what is in scope & what is out of scope (what is not included in the project) - Set project boundaries.
★ Deliverables - Tangible products or services that you will create for your customer, client, or project sponsor.
★ Select Success Criteria - These will measure how successful the project was at reaching our goals. Quality Standards
★ Create Project Charter - Document work: scope, goals, & deliverables - Clearly defines the project & the project goals, then outlines what is needed to accomplish them. The charter sets a framework for what needs to get done & communicates those details to all stakeholders.
★ Determine Methodology
★ Select Tools
Stakeholder Analysis - Determines how & when to communicate
RACI Chart 1 - Determines roles and responsibilities
Tracking Tools - Plan, track, complete work - Work management tools (Asana, Planner, Trello, Jira)
Communication Tools - Email, Asana, Teams, Slack
Scheduling Tools - MSProject, Google Docs, Smartsheet - Keep project on track
★ Ask yourself these questions:
❤ Who are your Stakeholders?
❤ What are the client or customer goals?
❤ What is the purpose and mission of the project?
❤ What are the measurable objectives for the team?
❤ What is the project trying to improve?
❤ When does this project need to be completed?
❤ What skills and resources will the project require?
❤ What will the project cost? What are the benefits?
Cost-Benefit Analysis¶
Is the process of adding up the expected value & benefits of a project, then compare them to the dollar cost to calculate return on investment (ROI).
❤ What value will the project create?
❤ How much money will it bring in from customers?
❤ How much money could this project save our organization?
❤ How much time will it save? (Employees, clients, customers, etc.)
❤ How will it improve the customer or employee experience?
❤ How much time will people have to spend on this project?
❤ What are the one-time costs?
❤ What are the ongoing costs?
❤ What about long-term costs?
★ ROI Formula: (G - C) / C = ROI
G = Financial Gain, C = Upfront & Ongoing Costs
Questions When Interviewing Key Stakeholders¶
❤ What are your most important priorities/goals?
❤ How will this initiative/project support you & your most important priorities?
❤ What role would you like to play within this initiative/project?
❤ Here’s how I plan to keep people informed; does that work for you?
❤ What can I clarify for you?
❤ What are your expectations? What would you like for the project to accomplish?
❤ What would success look like for you?
❤ Who else do you recommend I reach out to about this initiative/project?
❤ What information or insights do you have that might be challenging for me to find?
❤ Where do you see me getting support for this initiative/project? Facing resistance?
❤ What additional thoughts/questions do you have?
Setting Goals¶
★ Objective & Key Results (OKRs): Combine a goal & a metric to determine a measurable outcome. If you do not know the companies OKRs, remember to ask. The more you can relate your smaller project goals to the companies larger OKRs, the more valuable your project will seem to the company as a whole and they will more likely approve your project moving forward.
❤ Objective
Defines what needs to be achieved
Describes a desired outcome
❤ Key Results
The measurable outcomes that define when the objective has been met
These are very challenging goals
★ When setting Goals set SMART goals:
Specific
Measurable - Identify a metric to determine a measurable outcome
Attainable - You want the goal to be challenging but not impossible to reach
Relevant - Relate goal to the companies’ larger objectives & key results (OKRs)
Time-bound - Set a clear deadline
❤ SMART goal examples - Set SMART Goals
Raise Office Greens retention rate by 10% by offering more services by the end of the year. Measure through each quarter.
Boost Office Greens brand awareness with new promotions in Marketing & redesigned website by the end of the year.
Tips When Choosing a Team¶
Make a list of all the stakeholders the project impacts (Invested, Impacted, Contributes)
List out project roles, team size, necessary skills (can they be taught), availability, motivation, & communication styles
List out skills needed people skills, soft skills, patience, problem solving, leadership, motivated
Determine the level of interest & influence for each stakeholder (Insert Link to stakeholder template)
Assess stakeholders’ ability to participate & find ways to include them
Prioritize stakeholders with a high level of interest & influence
★ Build a RACI Chart
Responsible - Who gets the work done
Accountable - Who makes sure the work is done
Consulted - Who gives input or feedback on work
Informed - Who needs to know the outcome
Project sponsor - Director of product or service
Team members - implementation team, designers, developers
Project manager
Users - employees, customers, clients
❤ Use fun team building exercises early on to understand each other, trust each other, & find out what motivates them.