unit 3: project initiation

3-1 © ESI International

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

UNIT 3: PROJECT INITIATION


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

By the end of this unit, you will be able to:

• Identify stakeholders and organizational influences on a

project over its life cycle

• Describe what is required to identify, categorize and

manage stakeholders effectively

• Formalize an initiative as a recognized project in the

organization

• Effectively kick off a project

• Ensure a successful handoff between the Proposal Team

and the Project Team

• Describe why the Contract Précis is an important document

OBJECTIVES

…


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

Projects are influenced by:

INFLUENCES ON A PROJECT

Stakeholders

Project sponsor

Project manager

Client

Vendors and

suppliers

Others

Internal factors

System

Organizational

structure

Culture

Business and

organizational need

External factors

Social

Economic

Environmental

Market demand

Regulations

Politics

Culture

Laws


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

Consider ─

• Who gets the output from the project?

• Who provides the input?

• Who has oversight?

• Who has other related responsibilities?

• Who reaps the rewards?

• Who suffers the penalties?

WHO ARE THE STAKEHOLDERS?


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

To determine the best approach to managing

stakeholder’s expectations throughout the project:

• Identify the key stakeholders

• Analyze them on:

Interest in the project

Power to impact the project

Engagement to the project

• Identify their needs and expectations

STAKEHOLDER IDENTIFICATION

AND ASSESSMENT

Pow

er

Interest Low

High

High


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

Partners

TYPES OF STAKEHOLDERS

Tool: Stakeholder Register (Simple)

Communities


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

Good Answers Is Growing: Introducing Your Next

Project

The instructions for this exercise are in the back of your

student binders, behind the Exercise tab.

EXERCISE 3-1


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

REQUIREMENTS AND

SPECIFICATIONS

Functional and Nonfunctional

Requirements

Written in business

language

Solution independent

Performance characteristics

Client view

Product features and

capabilities

Technical specifications

Written in technical

language

Particular technology

solution

Design specifications

Build team view

Sometimes called

"specifications”

…


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

REQUIREMENTS AND

SPECIFICATIONS (cont)

Key problem

• Clients dictating the

technical solution

• Team members rewriting

client requirements (outside

of the change process)

Tool: Requirements Checklist (Basic)


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

• Project requirements document (PRD)

Lists what the project is to do

Links the project requirements to business objectives

• Business requirements document (BRD)

Lists the TO-BE solution

Maps business goals and needs to solution scope and

requirements

REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENTATION

…


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

• Requirements work plan

Documents how

requirements are to be

collected

Is incorporated into the

project management plan

• Traceability matrix

Maps each requirement

through the life of the project

REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENTATION

(cont)

Tool: Traceability Matrix (Basic)


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

• A core group of key people should:

Include a representative from the major business

functional areas

Not be the whole team

Not be senior management

• The core team should be self-directed and interactive

Project management tip: Get the right people with the right

skills and knowledge on the core team!

THE CORE TEAM


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

For Key SNC-Lavalin Personnel

• Client Project Manager and Project Team

Responsibility will depend on the type of contract

Provide scope of work, policies and procedures

Perform timely reviews and approvals

• SNC-Lavalin Project Sponsor

Ensures that relationship between SNC-Lavalin and client

team members is working to the satisfaction of both parties

• SNC-Lavalin Project Manager

Responsible for accomplishing the project objectives

OVERVIEW OF ROLES AND

RESPONSIBILITIES


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

Understanding roles and responsibilities

The instructions for this exercise are in the back of your

student binders, behind the Exercise tab

EXERCISE 3-2


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

• A document issued by the project approver that

authorizes the existence of a project. This charter ─

Acts as the written agreement between senior

management, the project manager, and functional

managers

Delineates preliminary roles, responsibilities,

authority, and accountability

Describes project scope, including high-level

requirements and risks

PROJECT CHARTER

…


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

Documents business needs

and a current

understanding of the

product service or result

Documents a high-level

milestone schedule and

budget

Summarizes, as a

minimum, the preliminary

boundaries of a project

PROJECT CHARTER (cont)

Tool: Project Charter


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

• Work Authorization (WA)

• Limited Notice to Proceed

(LNTP)

• Notice to Proceed (NTP)

SNC-LAVALIN TOOLS AND

TECHNIQUES

The following are examples of SNC-Lavalin tools and

techniques used for formalizing an initiative as a project:

• Contract (internal or external)

• Letter of Understanding (LOU)

Engineering home office

only

• Letter of Intent (LOI)

Engineering home office

only

…


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

• The end result is that a contract is awarded and the

team can get to work on delivering the product,

service or result

SNC-LAVALIN TOOLS AND

TECHNIQUES (cont)


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

• Preliminary meeting with the project team, and

where appropriate, should include the client

• Fundamental purpose is to ─

Provide the team with a common understanding of

project goals and desired outcomes

Establish roles and responsibilities

PROJECT KICK-OFF MEETING

…


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

• Typical agenda items include a review and/or discussion

of:

Project background, purpose and objectives

Review lessons learned from previous similar projects

Business Case, or equivalent project justification document

Project Charter, or equivalent initiating document

Project scope and milestones as currently understood

Team structure, roles and responsibilities

Next steps

PROJECT KICK-OFF MEETING (cont)


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

One of the most important activities early in the project is to

ensure that there is a smooth handoff of the project from the

Proposal Team to the Project Team:

Key contract documents are reviewed

A review of the context and background for the project is part

of the handoff.

Understanding Contract Requirements:

Ensuring project team is aware of contractual obligations

HANDOVER OF CONTRACT FROM

PROPOSAL TEAM TO PROJECT TEAM


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

• To ensure a smooth handoff it is important that the

project team understand the contract requirements

• Due to legal jargon, contracts can be difficult to

understand

• The Contract Précis is intended to put key contract

documents into a more user friendly, easier to read

and understand format

CONTRACT PRÉCIS

…


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

• The project manager reviews

key contract documents and

summarizes key information

into the Contract Précis

• Typical topics found in the

Contract Précis are listed in the

Contract Précis checklist

CONTRACT PRÉCIS (cont)

Tool: SNC-Lavalin Contract Précis Checklist


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

SNC-LAVALIN PROJECT FACT SHEET

The Project Fact Sheet (PFS) is a tool that is used to compile

key information about the project including:

Client and client contact details

General information about the project

Country, location

Currency, language

Type of contract

Tool: SNC-Lavalin PFS Template …


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

SNC-LAVALIN PROJECT FACT SHEET

(PFS) (cont)

Financial data

Team members, roles and

responsibilities

Technical characteristics

Special or unusual challenges or

constraints

Special awards received

Detailed instruction on how to complete

the PFS are embedded in the master

template

Tool: SNC-Lavalin PFS Template


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

FROM INITIATION TO PLANNING

• Tools used ─

Project Charter

Project Kickoff Agenda example

Stakeholder Register (simple)

SNC-Lavalin Contract Précis Checklist

SNC-Lavalin Project Fact Sheet


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

DISCUSSION

Working in your teams, take 10 minutes to discuss:

What are the key “take-aways” from what you have learned in

this unit?

What can you integrate and implement back on the job?

What positive outcomes have you seen on a project you have

worked on that are aligned with the best practices discussed in

this unit?

Be prepared to share your findings with the rest of the

class.


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

• Internal and external factors influence every project

• It is important to understand who the stakeholders are,

and what is their power over and concern for the project

• Clients define the requirements; the project team

develops the technical specifications

• Getting the right people on the core team is a key

project success factor

KEY MESSAGES

…


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

• A project charter formalizes the initiative in the

organization as a project

It spells out the roles and responsibilities of the project

manager, key members of the project team, and input

from other organizational agencies

• A smooth transition from the Proposal Team to the

Project Management Team lays the foundation for

successful project planning and implementation

• Checklists are available to assist in these important

initial steps

KEY MESSAGES (cont)


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

You are now able to:

• Identify stakeholders and organizational influences on a

project over its life cycle

• Describe what is required to identify, categorize and

manage stakeholders effectively

• Formalize an initiative as a recognized project in the

organization

• Effectively kick off a project

• Ensure a successful handoff between the Proposal Team

and the Project Team

• Describe why the Contract Précis is an important document

SUMMARY


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

• How can you apply what you learned in this

module to your work environment?

Turn to the Action Plan tab and find the

worksheet for this module

Develop a list of actions to complete when you

return to work

For each action (what), identify

• Who needs to be involved

• When you anticipate completing the action

NEXT STEPS: ACTION PLAN

Document the key

learnings from this

unit

Develop an action

plan on how you

will apply these

learnings.

…


PROJECT MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

MANAGING PROJECTS

• Take a few minutes to think about what you have

learned during class and review the questions below

In the past, what steps have you taken to ensure you have

identified all of the stakeholders in your projects? What can

you do to ensure you do so in the future?

How can you ensure that you have the right people on the

core team?

What uses can you see in SNC-Lavalin for a project

charter?

Why is a smooth handoff from the Proposal Team to the

Project Management Team so important?

NEXT STEPS: ACTION PLAN (cont)