Initiating the Project

The goal of the initiation phase is to set out the reasons for a project and the context in which it will run. As project manager, your goal in this phase is to secure the briefing, backing, and resources you need from your sponsor to begin a detailed evaluation of the work to be done.

Agreeing on the brief

The first step in the initiation phase is to establish that both you and your sponsor view success in the same terms—both the result to be achieved and the way you will work together to achieve it. Based on these discussions the project mandate and brief can be drawn up. These should document, respectively, the business opportunity or issue to be addressed, and some outline thoughts on how this might best be done. The initiation phase should end with the sponsor signing off on the brief and allocating resources that allow you to move into the definition and planning phases of your project.

Getting the right support

The type of support you need from your sponsor during this phase will to a degree be dependent on where the idea for the project came from.

• Top-down initiation In most organizations, targets for future development and plans for a variety of initiatives become projects undertaken by operational managers. In this kind of ”top-down” initiation, the sponsor delegates the execution of the project to you. This is a critical point for you: do not let nerves or excitement cloud your judgement of what you need at this stage. You can expect strong support from above, but need to secure a very clear briefing of what is expected from the project.

• Bottom-up initiation Not all the best ideas come from those at the top of an organization; those closest to the customer may be the first to spot commercial opportunities. Successful projects initiated from the “bottom up”, by people who end up managing them, indicate a very healthy corporate culture. It shows that those at more junior levels are having initiative rewarded with real responsibility—and this represents an opportunity that should be seized. Your advantage in this case is that you will be highly motivated, with a very clear idea of what you want to achieve and how this could be made possible. Your priority is to obtain solid support from a sponsor who is fully behind the project so that you can go on to deliver results that justify his or her confidence in you.

Pitching your own project

If you identify an opportunity requiring more resources than you personally can muster, your first step should be to target a suitable sponsor and pitch your idea. Your presentation should identify the size of the opportunity and be supported by hard evidence. Think about the questions your sponsor might ask. Prepare well: there are unknowns and risks in any project, so your sponsor’s decision will be based as much on your credibility as on the strength of the idea. Even if you do not get sponsorship for this idea, you can enhance your prospects of getting future projects sponsored if you have put a well-argued case forward.