Step 01: Project Kick Off

Description

Objective

 

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 .010          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 .020          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 Co-ordinators until later in Project Initiation.  Document the responsibilities to be performed by the Stage Manager.

Task .030          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 .040          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 who 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 .050          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 .060          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 .070          Review Project Kick Off

Review the Project Initiation Kick Off with the Project Sponsor and gain agreement to execute the Project Initiation stage.

Task .080          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 in 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.