Definition of the Initiation Phase

00:02 So let's begin with the first stage of our project.

00:06 The initiation phase.

00:09 This phase starts with an idea or an organizational need, such as the ones we discussed before.

00:15 And this forward thinking person or persons who addresses this need is the project sponsor.

00:22 Their responsibility is to determine if a project can even be executed.

00:27 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.

00:41 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.

01:03 The project managers. Time to Shine is with the planning stage, which we get to later.

01:11 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.

01:25 Head marketing manager for super awesome car manufacturer Lamborarri has seen a market need.

01:32 To keep up with the competition and take advantage of this trendy new area.

01:36 So they want to start a project to address this.

01:42 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 are potential project must survive.

01:57 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.

02:07 So what is our goal? A project needs a goal.

02:11 We need to know where we're going.

02:14 On top of this, we must ask, does achieving the goal even require a project? Remember the definition of a project.

02:22 A project is a temporary initiative and is agreed, planned and executed to achieve a specific goal.

02:30 The initiative is complex.

02:32 It delivers benefit to the organization and fits its strategy.

02:37 If Jenny from accounting is on maternity leave, it is the accounting department's duty to cover her work or hire a temp.

02:44 It does not require a project.

02:47 Sometimes management will try to label simple tasks as projects when they are not.

02:52 But these do not survive initiation.

02:55 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.

03:16 Does this require a project? Well, the initiative is temporary.

03:21 It will have limited resources.

03:23 It's complex benefits the business and fits this strategy of becoming the biggest car company in the world.

03:30 Sounds like an exciting potential project to me.

03:33 So let's put together a business case to get it approved.

03:36 Join us in the next lesson where we will be doing this.