Introduction

A project begins taking shape long before it reaches the project manager. The first step occurs when a need or opportunity for a project comes to the attention of someone who has the authority to initiate a project. This person examines the feasibility, cost/benefit considerations, resource availability, and external problems associated with initiating the project, and in so doing, becomes the project's sponsor.

At this point, the sponsor chooses someone to act as the project manager. Working together, the sponsor and the project manager draw up a statement of work, or outline, which explains how the project manager will migrate the project from a general idea to a precise, measurable outcome statement. The outcome statement is called the project specification. The project manager may develop several revisions of the specification and discuss them with the sponsor before they are both entirely satisfied. After they reach an agreement, the project manager sets forth to recruit a team and to develop the project plan.