Article based on PMBOK 4 recommendation of project initiation. Quality analysis concept are referred from function point and use case point analysis where we analyze how identified features and functions will be delivered. This article is especially designed for IT/software industry.
Project initiation processes gets started as soon as project is selected to produce a product, service or result. A statement of project and products scope and associated exploration of other aspects of project like summary schedule milestone, estimates for the forecast of company investment(resources needs and their engagement duration), summary budget, project success criteria (quality aspect at high level form), high level identification of risk, and need of supplier and/or purchase of equipments are identified.
All of these aspects are explored in high level form with the purpose to identify project success to capture the business need within the given constraints.
In addition roles, responsibilities and authority of key stakeholders are indentified along with their required and existing skills, knowledge, impacts on project success. Timing and level of involvement are identified with the purpose of identifying communication plan and their engagement during the project.
PMI identified two processes for the project initiation:
1. Develop Project Charter: Project charter is developed in which all of the aspects of the project explored in high level form
2. Indentify stakeholders: All of the person or organizations are identified impacted by project success and identifying their management strategy for the purpose of creating communication plan.
Project Manager is identified and assigned during project initiation and may be involved in development of project charter. Development of project charter is a process which set the authority level of project manager. Authority of project manager is identified during this process so project sponsor is accountable for the success of whole process group of project initiation though project manager is involved during project initiation. Company investment analysis is performed during development of project charter so it is important that project sponsor should be appropriate to take decision of project funding.
Steps for project charter development process:
1. Analyze business need of the project so that after completion of analysis of all the aspects of project, we can conclude the probability of project success in the presence of all the constraints. Understanding business case of the project is needed. Business case captures the business need of the project. Project manager should know why the project has been selected so that he/she keeps the business case in mind during project to ascertain that project will achieve the results for which it was selected.
2. Contract of project is analyzed and excerpts are extracted to be included in the analysis and development of project charter. For example summary milestone and budget may be included in project contract.
3. All the documents that have been provided by the client as product scope description are analyzed. Project proposal that is sent to client as official offering from the company, communication that was performed with the client during project selection process, MOM of the entire phone, chat & personal and/or virtual meetings are collected and analyzed. Project procurement team members are involved to analyze all of the commitments that are made by the company during project selection process. It is important to identify project development related commitments done by the procurement team. This information is included in one or more 8 relevant aspects of the project with the purpose of integration.
4. We need to identify the nature of project i.e. whether waterfall or agile model is suitable and phases of project identified accordingly.
5. Explore all the aspects of project in high level form to integrate them in cohesive whole:
a. Project and product requirement are explored in high level form (it is not true in fixed price contract). This is basically systematic arrangement of information contained in buyer and seller contract (development specific information), all of the documents received from and sent (i.e. project proposal) to customer during project selection and converted in modules and sub modules. High level project architecture is identified.
b. Project schedule milestones are identified, at this level these are mostly taken from contract of the project.
c. Quality management efforts are identified based on available information, mainly project success criteria. Cost benefit analysis is performed at a high level to determine what level of quality managements efforts are needed for the project. We cannot spend too much compared to benefits. Success criteria at project level (Low level details of quality i.e. How each identified features and functions will be delivered are identified during detailed planning) are identified like:
i. Data communication: whether application will be delivered with more than front end UI and supports one or more type of TP communication protocol.
ii. Distributed data processing: Whether distributed processing and data transfer are online? Processing functions dynamically performed?
iii. Performance: Whether Response time or through put is critical during all business hours? In addition, performance analysis tools need to be used in the design, development, and/or implementation phases to meet stated user performance requirements?
iv. System Configuration: Hardware needs of solution and analysis of security and timing considerations.
v. Transactions: How frequently transactions executed: daily, weekly or monthly?
vi. ON-Line data entry: What percentage of data entered online?
vii. End-User efficiency Factors: End user efficiency is analyzed using many factors like navigational aids, online help and documents, remote printing needs, bilingual or multilingual support.
viii. On-line Update: How much logical self contained functionality will be updated using on line transactions? Protection against data lost need to be programmed? High volume of online update brings cost consideration into the recovery process. Need of highly automated recovery processes identified.
ix. Complex processing: Will application involve extensive logical and mathematical processing? Application needs specific audit or security processing? Need of exception processing resulting in incomplete transactions that must be processed again and complex processing to handle multiple input/output possibilities, for example multimedia or device independences are analyzed.
x. Reusability: Whether application will be specifically packaged and/or documented to ease re-use, and will be customized for use by means of user maintenance? High reusable solution increase design complexity.
xi. Installation Ease: How difficult is conversion and installation? Whether conversion and installation requirements are stated by customer? Need of Installation guide identified. The impact of conversion on the project is considered.
xii. Operational Ease: How effective and/or automated will be start-up, back-up, and recovery procedures? Whether application is designed for unattended operations?
xiii. Multiple Sites: Will the application be designed, developed, and supported to be installed at multiple sites for multiple organizations? Whether documentation and support plan will be provided?
xiv. Facilitate Change: Will the application specifically designed, developed and supported to facilitate change?
xv. Concurrent Processing: Is the application looking at large number of users? As it will increase architectural complexity.
xvi. Portable: Is the application looking for cross platform implementation?
xvii. Direct Access to third parties: Will the project depend in using third party controls? Understanding third part control may require considerable time.
xviii. User Training facilities: Will the software from user perspective be so complex that separate training has to be provided?
xix. Others: In addition other factors especially related to environment of project like familiarity of project, application experience, motivation, stability of requirements are analyzed.
d. All these analysis forms the basis how identified features and functions will be delivered and used in estimation to make them as realistic as possible.
e. Resources needed skills and competencies are analyzed, some resources may be pre-assigned.
f. At this time project communication needs for the identified stakeholders are made explicit from all documents used as an input of this process. Especially contracts and product scope description. All the identified stakeholders are registered in stakeholder register. For example during analysis of product scope description it may be identified that customer is subject matter expert of project domain then this information may be entered in high level communication planning for further detailing of communication plan during project planning.
g. High level risks are identified from all the available information; this forms the basis of range of estimates.
h. Procurement needs are identified. It is analyzed that what equipment or technology need to be purchased. It is also identified whether any piece of project required outsourcing.
i. After analysis of these aspects ROM cost is established. Range of estimates indicates risk involved in the project. Estimates should be supported by appropriate assumptions to avoid any ambiguity as estimates are based on available information and it may be possible that customer even unclear about some aspects and that need to be uncover in detailed project planning.
6. Constraints need to be documented separately i.e. availability of right skills to the project.
7. It is very important to analyze project charters of similar historical projects to analyze the current project aspects.
8. Information is explored based on measurable project objectives.
9. Include separately that what will not be included in the project from the product scope description and other documents used as an input.
10. Finalize the project charter.
Steps for the stakeholder identification process:
1. It is performed in parallel of project charter. Stakeholders are identified with the help of all the information used as an input for the development of project charter. As project charter process progresses, stakeholder register gets refined in other words Project charter used as an input.
2. External stakeholders are mainly identified with the help of procurement documents, i.e. procurement information explored during project charter development process.
3. Stakeholder analysis is performed and influences and risk tolerances are identified.
4. As each stakeholder’s identification made explicit, their high level requirements and expectations are also made explicit in project charter using coordination of project initiating efforts with stakeholders including customer.
As project charter and stakeholder register including their management strategy developed, project sponsor’s signature make project officially authorized.
Seema Sonkiya
interesting blog. It would be great if you can provide more details about it. Thanks you
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