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The objective of a project kick off
is to produce a plan which defines how to perform the
Project Initiation Stage
itself, in a way that ensures the involvement and commitment of
the key people who see the need for the project and also of
those who will fund it, takes account of the background to the
project and of previous and related initiatives, establishes a
team to carry out the Project Initiation Stage, so that a clear
and explicit plan is available for setting up the project.
Overview
As the Project Initiation Stage is concerned primarily with
producing a plan for the overall project, so the Project Kick
off step is concerned with producing a plan for the Project
Initiation Stage. Project Kick Off is therefore concerned with
producing a plan of the work required to produce a plan for the
whole project.
The Project Kick Off step is concerned with carrying out a high
level review of the background to the project and of related
initiatives, recruiting the involvement of those senior people
who will be the ultimate customers and sponsors of the project,
reviewing and customizing the standard work breakdown structure
for the Project Initiation Stage and setting up a small team to
carry out the Project Initiation Stage. The manager for the
Project Initiation stage may be different to the manager of
subsequent stages.
When scheduling the Project Initiation activities, understand
that there is great deal of interdependency between the steps.
Project Kick Off should be carried out quickly. If Project
Initiation Stage takes four weeks, Project Kick Off should take
one day. In order to expedite this stage avoid producing a
detailed plan based upon estimates for each task. Review the
outline of the Project Initiation Report and determine the
number and sequence of interviews, workshops and investigations
that are required to create the it.
The end result of the this step will be a Project Initiation
Kick Off Plan listing deliverables, techniques, committed
resources and timescales for the Project Initiation Stage. A
Project Initiation Kick off Report is not required for small
projects.
Task 1: Recruit Project Sponsor
Recruit a Project Sponsor responsible for the commitment of all
resources required to successfully conduct the Project
Initiation Stage and to facilitate compliance and commitment to
all major project decisions. This Project Sponsor will chair the
Project Board which also includes both Technical and Client
representatives. Document the responsibilities to be performed
by the Project Sponsor.
It may only be possible to identify the Project Sponsor at this
time, with other Project Board members being identified later in
Project Initiation when the Project Scope is better understood.
Lack of a Project Sponsor of sufficient seniority is a major
risk to the project. It is recommended that no work continues
until this is achieved.
Task 2: Recruit Project Initiation Stage Manager
Recruit a Stage Manager for the Project Initiation Stage who has
experience in the development approach and/or the business area
under study and possesses the level of experience and skill to
manage the successful completion of the Stage. It is likely that
the Stage Manager will also fulfill the roles of the Project
Coordinators until later in Project Initiation. Document the
responsibilities to be performed by the Stage Manager.
Task 3: Review Related Studies
Review any previous studies addressing the area of interest.
Ensure their content reflects the current situation. Examples
include Terms of Reference, strategic level plans (Information
Technology and/or Business), and on-going project documentation
where there is a possibility of scope overlap.
Task 4: Prepare Project Initiation Kick off Plan
There is a great deal of interdependency between the Project
Initiation steps and tasks. However it is important to define
the project objective and scope first before attempting the
remaining steps. Attempts to create a detailed Project
Initiation plan with estimates for each and every task will take
far too long. The WBS should be considered more of a checklist.
It is important to apply JAD to gather high quality information
in a reduced time frame.
Review the activities in the Project Initiation stage and the
outline of the Project Initiation Report. The steps equate to
the sections of the report. It is recommended that the work be
organized around producing the sections of the report. Determine
what information is needed and assess the best means of
gathering it. This may be in the form of research, interviews
and workshops. Identify the number of workshops. For each one,
specify the objective, deliverables and participants.
Identify and recruit additional resources to perform the Project
Initiation stage. Business Analysts will be involved in defining
objective and scope, determining organization, requirements,
approach and costs, coordinating other resources, preparing the
recommendation and ensuring the successful completion of the
Project Initiation stage. Clients will be primarily involved in
determining requirements and preparing the business
justification. Systems Analysts may be involved in determining
the project approach and selecting the appropriate template.
Identify resources that will be required to review and approve
the Project Initiation Report. Estimate the effort and elapsed
time for the remaining activities. Create the Project Initiation
Kick off Plan listing deliverables, technique, committed
resources, start and end dates. Ensure that each team member
knows their project commitments. Document any assumptions made
while producing the Kick off Plan.
Task 5: Brief The Team
Brief the project team on all aspects of the Kick off Plan.
Publish a summary for absent team members and staff who will be
assigned later in the stage.
Task 6: Initiate Stage Control Procedures
Initiate the control procedures that will be used during the
stage and ensure that all members of the Project Organization
understand the procedures and know their individual
responsibilities.
Initiate logs for:
• quality reviews and follow-up,
• change control,
• issues.
Create any files that are needed for the stage. These may be in
paper or electronic form.
Task 7: Review Project Kick Off
Review the Project Initiation Kick off with the Project Sponsor
and gain agreement to execute the Project Initiation stage.
Task 8: Kick Off Project Initiation
Arrange a formal Kick off meeting with all the resources
participating in the Project Initiation. It is important that
the project is formally kicked off by the Project Sponsor in
order to foster a team spirit. It will also raise the profile of
the project in the organization.
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