Initiation

When a project is initiated, it is important for the team to truly understand and agree upon its definition. In addition to its name, a project starts with a one- to two-sentence statement of purpose or description. A description of the project request may be supplied by the requester. The BA should work with the PM to more finely detail their understanding of the project. There are many approaches to defining and documenting project initiation and scope. When using an iterative development approach, where requirements and analysis work is revisited as the solution is developed (see Chapter 6 for more details), this work should be done before the decisions about specific iterations are made.

The components of a complete project initiation analysis are:

• Approach or methodology

• Statement of purpose

• Objectives

• Problems/opportunities

• Stakeholders (all SMEs and team members)

• Business risks

• Items out of scope

• Assumptions

• Scope of the business area (external interactions and high-level processes)

Project initiation work and the resulting documentation will vary depending on the importance and size of a project. A small enhancement project may only require a few minutes of thought and a few sentences. But even on a small and—what appears to be simple—project, the few minutes spent at the beginning will be well worth the time. The goal of project initiation work is to make sure that the project makes good business sense and that everyone on the team has the same expectations about what will be accomplished. The components of project initiation do not have to be learned or agreed upon in any particular order.

Approach or Methodology

This is simply an acknowledgment/description of how the project work will be done. It is a paragraph or two describing the overall approach that will be taken by the team. When an organization has a standard software development methodology with analysis guidelines, a project management methodology, or structured analysis road map, this section describes which path of the methodology will be followed and notes any variations that are anticipated. It may also include a description of requirements management software that will be used. The purpose of this analysis is to confirm with all project stakeholders the approach to getting the project done. The project initiation documentation may also include the next steps for the project.

Statement of Purpose

This is a short description of the project focused on explaining why the project has been initiated/approved/funded. It is the “elevator speech” that can be given quickly when someone asks you what you are working on. It should be written in business language and be at a fairly high level so that everyone in the organization understands the project goal.

Don’t discount the importance of formally writing this description. It may be more difficult to write than anticipated, so several revisions may be necessary. The act of writing something down, reading it, and revising it forces analysis. Think about each word being used. Does it truly convey the meaning intended? Is it accurate? The project statement of purpose should not describe how the project objectives will be met, but it should clearly describe what will be accomplished. It may also include a sentence on the current environment or situation and should describe the main problem or opportunity being addressed. This is the one component of project initiation that must be formally documented. Even if no other document is produced, a project must have a clearly stated reason for its existence.

This description may be referred to as the problem description, vision statement, or project request. The larger and more complex the project, the longer the statement of purpose.

Most requirements work benefits from a glossary to define terms used during the project. Examples are provided in Chapter 6. As soon as a project is started, terms and phrases should be defined and agreed upon. Inconsistent use of terminology, especially at the beginning of a project, often leads to unclear scope definition and inadequate planning.