011 What is the Initiation Phase about Define the project goals
Summary
TLDRThe script outlines the initiation phase of a project, emphasizing the role of the project sponsor in assessing feasibility and appointing a project manager. It highlights the importance of defining a clear project goal that aligns with organizational strategy and benefits. Using the example of a car manufacturer wanting to open a showroom in a new retail park, the script illustrates how a project is initiated in response to a market need and must be temporary, complex, and strategic to proceed to the planning phase.
Takeaways
- 💡 The initiation phase of a project begins with an idea or organizational need and is led by a project sponsor.
- 🔍 The sponsor's role is to assess the feasibility of the project, including resource availability and expected benefits.
- 👤 The project manager can be appointed at any time during the initiation phase and is responsible for catching up with the project fundamentals.
- 🛠️ The project manager assists the sponsor in building the project's foundation and promoting it for approval but is not responsible for the tasks discussed in the initiation phase.
- 🎯 A project requires a clear and sensible goal to guide its direction and determine if a project is necessary to achieve it.
- 🏢 The definition of a project includes it being a temporary initiative with a specific goal, complexity, and strategic fit to the organization.
- 🚫 Not every task or initiative qualifies as a project; simple tasks that do not meet the project criteria do not survive the initiation phase.
- 🚀 The example of a new showroom in a retail park illustrates a project that is temporary, complex, resource-limited, and strategically aligned with business goals.
- 📋 The script suggests creating a business case to get the project approved, which will be covered in the next lesson.
- 📚 The script outlines six aspects of the initiation phase that a project must address, with the goal definition being the focus of this lesson.
- 🔑 A clear goal is essential for a project's success, distinguishing it from routine tasks that do not necessitate a project approach.
Q & A
What is the first stage of a project according to the script?
-The first stage of a project is the initiation phase, which starts with an idea or an organizational need.
Who is the project's sponsor and what is their primary responsibility?
-The project's sponsor is the forward-thinking person or persons who address the organizational need. Their primary responsibility is to determine if a project can be executed, assess available resources, and evaluate if the project will deliver expected benefits.
At what point in the initiation phase can the project manager be appointed?
-The project manager can be appointed at any time throughout the initiation phase and will need to catch up with the project as soon as they are on board.
What is the role of the project manager in the initiation phase?
-The project manager can work to help the sponsor in building the project fundamentals and promoting it to the management for approval, but they are not considered responsible for the tasks discussed in the initiation phase.
What is the main focus of the planning stage that comes after the initiation phase?
-The main focus of the planning stage is where the project manager's role becomes more prominent, as they are responsible for planning the project's execution.
What is an example of a scenario that could trigger the initiation of a project?
-An example is the opening of a new retail park with a high level of buzz and market potential, prompting a car manufacturer to consider a project to establish a showroom there.
Why is defining the goal of the project important in the initiation phase?
-Defining the goal of the project is important because it sets the direction and ensures that the project is aimed at achieving a specific, sensible objective that aligns with the organization's strategy.
What is the definition of a project as mentioned in the script?
-A project is a temporary initiative that is agreed upon, planned, and executed to achieve a specific goal, which is complex, delivers benefit to the organization, and fits its strategy.
Why might a simple task not be considered a project according to the script?
-A simple task might not be considered a project if it does not require the complexity, planning, and execution that a project demands, and if it does not align with the organization's strategy or deliver significant benefits.
What is the potential project goal for the car manufacturer in the retail park scenario?
-The potential project goal is to have a new, top-of-the-range showroom in the retail park, showcasing the newest and most state-of-the-art cars with well-trained staff and setting a standard in showroom architecture.
What is the next step after defining the project goal in the initiation phase?
-The next step is to put together a business case to get the project approved, which will be discussed in the next lesson.
Outlines
🚀 Project Initiation Phase Overview
The script introduces the initiation phase of a project, emphasizing the role of the project sponsor who identifies a need or opportunity and evaluates the feasibility of a project. The sponsor's responsibilities include assessing available resources and expected benefits. The project manager's role is mentioned, highlighting that they may join at any point in this phase and will focus on planning in subsequent stages. The script uses the example of a new retail park to illustrate a potential project scenario and stresses the importance of defining a clear and sensible project goal.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Initiation Phase
💡Project Sponsor
💡Project Manager
💡Project Fundamentals
💡Goal
💡Objective
💡Temporary Initiative
💡Complexity
💡Strategic Fit
💡Business Case
💡Market Need
Highlights
The project initiation phase begins with an idea or organizational need.
The project's sponsor is responsible for determining project feasibility and resource availability.
The project manager can be appointed at any time during the initiation phase.
The project manager assists the sponsor but is not responsible for tasks in the initiation phase.
A project is defined as a temporary initiative with a specific goal, complexity, and organizational benefit.
Not every project survives the initiation phase due to the need for a clear and sensible objective.
The goal of a project must be defined to determine if it requires a project or can be handled by a department.
Simple tasks are not projects and do not survive the initiation phase.
A project should be initiated when it is temporary, complex, resource-limited, and strategically aligned with the organization.
The example of a new showroom in a retail park is given as a potential project.
The showroom project is considered exciting due to its alignment with the company's strategy.
A business case is necessary to get the project approved.
The next lesson will focus on creating a business case for project approval.
The importance of a clear goal for a project is emphasized for its successful initiation.
The transcript outlines six aspects of the initiation phase that a project must survive.
The role of the head marketing manager in identifying a market need is highlighted.
The transcript provides a real-world scenario to illustrate the project initiation process.
Transcripts
so let's begin with the first stage of
our project
the initiation phase this phase
starts with an idea or an organizational
need such as the ones we discussed
before
and this forward-thinking person or
persons
who addresses this need is the project's
sponsor
their responsibility is to determine if
a project can even be executed
does the organization have the available
resources will the project deliver the
expected benefits
they are also in charge of taking on
board arguably the most important person
in the project
the project manager it's important to
note that the project manager can be
appointed at any time throughout this
phase
and will have to catch up with the
project as soon as he or she is on board
and although the project manager can
work to help the sponsor in building the
project fundamentals
and promoting it to the management for
approval they are not considered
responsible for the tasks we will be
discussing
the project manager's time to shine is
with the planning stage
which we get to later
so imagine in your city
there's a brand new retail park opening
all the big names are launching branches
there and the buzz surrounding the whole
thing is extraordinary
head marketing manager for super awesome
car manufacturer lamborary
has seen a market need to keep up with
the competition and take advantage of
this trendy new
area so they want to start a project to
address this
now not every project survives the
initiation phase
but they are all born from a need
over the next few lessons we will take
you through six aspects of the
initiation phase that a potential
project must survive
in this lesson we're going to look at
how the goal of the project is defined
and how a clear sensible objective is
essential to having a project
so what is our goal a project needs a
goal
we need to know where we're going on top
of this we must ask
does achieving the goal even require a
project
remember the definition of a project a
project is a
temporary initiative and is agreed
planned and executed
to achieve a specific goal
the initiative is complex it delivers
benefit to the organization and fits
its strategy if jenny from accounting is
on maternity leave
it is the accounting department's duty
to cover her work or higher attempt
it does not require a project
sometimes management will try to label
simple tasks as projects when they are
not
but these do not survive initiation
however what about our market need that
must be addressed
what if our goal was to have a new
top-of-the-range showroom in a new
retail park
showcasing our newest most
state-of-the-art cars with well-trained
staff and setting the standard
in terms of showroom architecture
does this require a project well
the initiative is temporary it will have
limited resources
it's complex benefits the business and
fits their strategy of becoming the
biggest car company in the world
sounds like an exciting potential
project to me so let's put together a
business case to get it approved
join us in the next lesson where we will
be doing this
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)