This task describes how to staff the team that will define the high-level lifecycle plan and the criteria for measuring project success.
Relationships
RolesMain:
Project Manager
Additional: Assisting:
InputsMandatory:
Business Case
Optional:
None
External:
None
Outputs
Software Development Plan
Main Description
The Initiate Project task is carried out following approval of the project's Business Case by the Project Approval
Review. The task sets up the necessary executive management and project planning teams, and also sets out the criteria
that will be used to determine when the project has been successfully completed.
Steps
Assign Project Review Authority (PRA)
The Project Review Authority (PRA) is an organizational entity responsible for overseeing the project. It is strongly
recommended that an individual be nominated as the PRA, with assistance in project oversight coming from a defined
group of senior technical and business management staff from the project organization, as well as executive-level
customer staff. A typical group assisting the PRA for a medium sized contract software project might include the
following:
VP, Software Development
VP, Marketing
Quality Assurance Manager
Software Engineering Process Authority representative
Manager of the customer business unit ordering the software
Assign Project Manager
A project manager with appropriate skills and experience is identified and approved by the project board.
Assign Project Planning Team
The project planning team, is the initial group of project team members who will carry out the work of the Inception
phase. The planning team is identified, approved and assigned by the project manager, in conjunction with the PRA. The
project planning team might typically include the following:
Project Manager
Software Architect
System Analysts
Development Lead
Test Lead
Configuration Management Manager
Customer representative
Approve Product Acceptance Criteria
The final step in Initiate Project is to define some objective criteria that will be used by the customer to determine
when the project deliverables are acceptable. These criteria should be developed jointly by the customer organization
and the project team, and may include the following:
Delivery of all work products identified as deliverable to the customer
List of required participants for acceptance testing
Required test location(s)
Successful completion of the work product evaluations identified in the Product Acceptance Plan
Successful completion of customer training
Successful completion of on-site installation
Measures that will identify to what extent original project specifications have been met
Measures that will identify to what extent the objectives of the business case have been met