Project Initiation

The key questions in this phase are:

1) Why do we want to do this?

2) What do we want to accomplish?

3) How and when will the project be undertaken?

4) Who will be involved?

Let's look at determining what the project goals are. Keep in mind that goals must have certain characteristics. They must:

* Be realistic and achievable
* Be measurable. You don't know when a goal is achieved, if you can not measure it.
* Be time-based. There must be a point in time when the goal should be achieved.
* Be something in which everyone involved has committed to achieving.
* Be such that there can be clearly defined responsibilities.
* Be specific. Nebulous goals can not be measured, nor can anyone be held accountable for accomplishing them.

Start by brainstorming goals. Write down everything that might be a goal for this project. Also think about side effects and unintended benefits that might result from this project. They may lead to project goals you had not previously considered.

Once you have a list of goals, narrow down that list by eliminating those items that are not really goals, or which do not meet the criteria listed above for goals. For example, your list may include items that are intermediate steps towards reaching the final goal. Those should be taken off the list. But keep them in mind as you may wish to use them later as milestones to measure the progress of the project.

When you have a list of clearly defined, measurable, realistic goals, put the list in writing and give everyone involved a copy. Good communication and documentation at the beginning of a project helps keep people focused, motivated, and committed to the project.

Answer all four of the questions at the beginning of this article, and put those answers in writing. You'll end up with a document that defines the major aspects of the project.

A web page with free online tools and forms that can be used in the Project Initiation stage, including a project initiation checklist, is available at:

Project Initiation Tools