For the project to succeed, get off to a good start

 

For the project to succeed, get off to a good start.

“Well begun is half done” - Aristotle

Any organisation won't start a project right away after the Sponsor gives it the thumbs-up. The Project Sponsor and all the key stakeholders come together to define the Project's goals in a clear statement as part of a formal process called initiating. For those who are unfamiliar with project management, the term sponsor simply refers to the body that authorises the project's financial expenditures. All those who have an impact on the project or who are impacted by it are considered stakeholders.

In the Initiating process, the business need as well as the benefits due to the proposed solutions are evaluated by the Project Sponsor alongwith the stakeholders and if necessary a Feasibility study is undertaken by a team which is appointed by the Sponsor. Invariably, Benefit-cost analysis is worked out and if the benefits outweigh the costs, the project is then taken into consideration. The output of this Initiation process is a Project Charter which is approved by the Sponsor. The Project Charter contains the information about the Business need, Objectives, Solutions, Assumptions, Constraints, approximate cost and time required etc. on a bird’s eye view. The estimations of the initiation process shall not be construed as detailed ones. Rather they give a rough idea about the time and money required to complete the project. They can vary even by 50 - 100 % when compared with the detailed estimates which will be worked out in the Planning stage later.  

The Project Manager is also named in the Charter, though it is always preferable to do so before the actual initiating process so that he can participate in it and apply his skills. He takes the necessary precautions to ensure that the proposed project is consistent with the Organization's Strategic Plan, which means the Project aids in some way in the accomplishment of the Organization's long-term goals. It must not hurt it even if it doesn't support it. If not, the Sponsor will designate the project proposal for rejection. The Project Charter’s approval authorizes the expenditure of funds for carrying out the detailed planning.

The Planning Process should be undertaken to manage the Scope, Time, Cost, Quality, Risk, Resources, Communications and Procurement. The output of each of these processes will be the respective Management plans. All these plans are to be integrated by the Project Manager into a Project Management Plan which is the document that contains all the information required about the Project. The estimations in this document are accurate within +- 10%. So, The Cost and time required for the completion of the Project can be narrowed down to +- 10 % by the Planning process. This is the greatest advantage here. The sponsor can now reconsider whether to approve the project management plan for the project's implementation OR to abandon the project. The Risk Management Plan will also provide a clear understanding of the likely risks that the Project will face and whether those risks may have any impact on its completion. Thus the Sponsor can get a detailed document (Project Management Plan) by spending a small amount, say 5-10% of the Project cost, for the Planning process.

Approval of the Project Management Plan by the Sponsor authorizes the execution of the Project.

Whether a project is large or small, the initiating and planning stages must always be followed to assure success. Some planning procedures might not be necessary for minor projects because they won't likely have an impact. However, it is preferable to write a single sentence stating that they are irrelevant and should not be taken into account. Therefore, any new project manager who reads the plan will be assured that all industrial best practices were rigorously observed during the planning stage.

So it is clear that the Project Charter is important for the next Planning phase and the Project Management Plan is important for the next Execution phase. Organisations may have different names for the above two documents but the content remain the same.

Projects which undergo the above two processes are more likely to end successful whereas those which skip the above processes are destined to become failures. My own experience has shown me that some projects that didn't go through the aforementioned two phases have failed miserably. I came to know about a project which was mooted by a Sponsor without analysing the business need & the proposed solutions. The project was meant to curb the theft of fuel in the DG sets in telecommunication towers by providing energy meters. The Sponsor believed that the energy usage reported in the meter would indicate whether or not the DG had been used.  However, In order to determine whether the suggested solution will genuinely address and meet the need, the initiating procedure was not carried out adequately. The planning phase began and was approved. The project was completed at a significant expense, and meters were installed in each tower. This does not, however, resolve the issue because the consumer still needs to use the meter readings to perform intricate calculations to determine whether the fuel was taken. Therefore, the consumer made no use of the meter. While the project's planned goals were achieved, the business problem was not resolved. The issue persisted even after investing millions of rupees. This is a common instance of a project failing owing to an inadequate Initiating.

Initiating process narrows down the solutions to the business problems. It evaluates the effectiveness of the solutions one by one and goes for the one that is most effective.

Planning process describes how efficiently the solutions can be achieved in the earliest time at the least cost, with fewer resources etc.

So, Initiating is about Effectiveness whereas Planning is about Efficiency. Compromising on efficiency can be tolerated to a certain extent but not on the effectiveness.

To give one instance, You have made good preparations to attend a friend's wedding. Everything went smoothly, including buying new clothes for family members, purchasing an expensive gift to remember the occasion, taking time off work, gathering with family, starting well on time, getting to the destination on time for the least amount of money, etc. Everything is completed quickly. However, you are unhappy to learn that you brought the wrong package when it comes time to offer the gift.

A work well begun is half done