Starting Up a Project is the first PRINCE2 process. This guide explores how we get to Starting Up a Project, what we need to do in the process and where we go once the process is complete.
Before Starting Up a Project
The Starting Up a Project process in PRINCE2 is where the Project Manager and Project Executive work to demonstrate that this project is a viable and worthwhile endeavour. Of course, something must trigger this work and in PRINCE2 this is known as the Project Mandate. Mandate means “authority” and here it refers to Corporate or Programme Management granting the project management team the authority to begin spending money on determining whether an idea is likely to result in business benefit being gained in the beneficial use of the project product.
The Project Mandate can take any form, from a post-it note stuck to the Project Manager’s screen to the documented result of a feasibility study (itself a PRINCE2 project), but it must carry the authority of corporate or programme management.
It is important to note that Starting Up a Project is the first process of the PRINCE2 process model, however it is important to note that the project does not start until the Project Board has approved the output of this process. This means that the project does not begin until after Starting Up a Project is complete. Starting Up a Project is where pre-project preparation occurs.
First Things First
The first activity of Starting Up a Project is to appoint the Project Executive and the Project Manager. The Project Executive is the decision maker on the project, and will be a senior manager within the corporate organisation. The Project Manager performs the work during the early parts of the project and reports to the Project Executive for the life of the project. These appointments are made by corporate or programme management, but the Project Executive is likely to make the final decision on who will be the Project Manager.
PRINCE2 describes project management team roles, not jobs, so the responsibilities of the team members including the Project Manager and Project Executive will be in addition to and may be different from their regular business as usual jobs. It is important to agree and document the responsibilities of the Project Manager and the Project Executive at this time.
The Project Manager should also create their Daily Log, usually a paper-based “catch-all” notebook that will be used to record information on an ad-hoc basis. This information may then be added to formal documents at a later more convenient time.
Learn From The Past
Lessons learned are important to all projects – ignore them at your peril! Projects should learn from previous work performed either on this project or on other projects or programmes. Lessons can be learned from projects and programmes with the organisation or outside it. Trade journals and white papers are full of lessons learned. Record lessons that are directly relevant to this project and its environment and use them to increase the performance of this project and its products.
The Project Manager should create the Lessons Log at this early stage of the project to ensure that all lessons are captured and that identified lessons are acted upon during the whole project from the earliest possible time.
Why?
This is the key question on any project. The Business Case documents the reasons why the project is needed and the benefits expected from the product in beneficial use. The Business Case can be a complex and therefore expensive document, but at this early time we don’t want to spend too much money on documentation, so an Outline Business Case should be created. This is likely to look much like the full Business Case, but it will not contain a full investment appraisal – this will be done in the Initiating a Project process later on.
The Project Management Team
As understanding of the Project is developed, the Project Manager and Project Executive should work together to design and appoint the Project Management Team. This involves designing the team structure and reporting channels, and agreeing and documenting role descriptions. The result should be a team that is ready to begin work on the project if it is authorised.
Approach and Brief
The Project Approach documents how this Project will create and deliver products that are fit for purpose. The classic decision at this stage is the “make or buy” decision. In other words, is it more cost effective to create the products with an in-house team, or to sub-contract the delivery to a third party. This decision is pivotal to the structure and expectations of the Project, and so it should be taken very seriously – it has major implications for the outcomes and success of the Project. The Approach selected should be documented and agreed by the Project Manager and the Project Executive. Other Project Management team members may also have some input to this decision. The selection of an Approach will affect the Project Management team member structure, and this should therefore be adjusted if required.
The Project Brief should contain just enough information for the Project Board to understand the nature of the Project and to take a go or no go decision on progress at the end of Starting Up a Project. The name of this document gives a guide to its content – it should be brief!
At this time it is appropriate to create the Project Product Description, a description of the final customer deliverable(s) of the Project. This should be as detailed as possible from the outset, and contains information relating to the Customer’s Quality Expectations and Acceptance Criteria for the final deliverable of the project.
Planning The Next Steps
The Project Manager should now look ahead to the next part of the Project. If the information created is approved at the end of Starting Up a Project, the first stage of the Project will commence. In order to gain the necessary approvals, the Project Manager should create the Stage Plan for the Initiation Stage. This first Stage Plan will describe the work and products associated with the Initiation Stage and will be a key part of the documentation assessed by the Project Board.
Go / No Go
The information assembled by the Project Manager and Project Executive in the Starting Up a Project process will be presented to the Project Board and the Project Manager will submit a request to proceed to the Initiation Stage. The Project Board will decide whether they feel that the information presented represents a worthwhile endeavour for the organisation and will either permit progress or bring the work to a close. If they approve progress, the project will officially begin.
To Find Out More
PRINCE2 training courses can provide further detail on the Starting Up a Project process and the work involved. PRINCE2 training courses can also provide access to the PRINCE2 exams which provide credible evidence of an individual’s knowledge of PRINCE2. Programme Management training, for example MSP training, can offer senior managers an excellent interface to the PRINCE2 Project Management methodology. Some organisations use PRINCE2 qualified consultants to assist with the process of embedding PRINCE2 into the organisation.
PRINCE2 is a Registered Trademark of the Office of Government Commerce in the United Kingdom and other countries.
