Project origination stage

Designing and executing projects

See before the section "general characteristics of "planning"

In Project Origination, someone proposes an action that can help to achieve the objectives of a  programme  plan.   We cannot have a project (in the sense described before) unless there is a programme  plan in place.  By developing a  programme the organizations describes needs and opportunities. A project is an action meant to produce results that are functional to the achievement of the programme objectives. We can say that project is an action implementing a section of a programme. So when the need/opportunity arises to implement that portion of the programme, there starts the scope for originating the project.

The three major components in the origination phase of the project management are:

• Develop an initial concept paper, where the initial case for the project is made and initial project parameters are defined (i.e. prepare the Project Business Case document);   This include

  • the  identification of  the problem/s and of the factors causing suffering or injustice  (you can use the problem tree  and the objective tree method. The problem tree moves top downwards, identifying first the major problem, then the factors that determine these problems and then the causes of these factors.  The objective tree moves bottom upwards, first identifying the outputs that would directly address the causes of the factors and then identifying the specific objectives that directly address the causes of these factors.)

  • the  identification of  the  objectives , i.e. . the solutions to the problem identified after you  (you can use the objective tree method);

  • The identification of the principal  stakeholders ,

• Evaluate the original idea, and decide whether to assign organizational resources for preparing a more detailed and elaborated project proposal to be recommended to those who can allocate financial resources for it.  (fill the Checklist for approval of Project Business Case)

• Select a project designer and assign to her/him with the responsibility to lead the successive stages of project initiation and detailed planning.

The deliverable that terminates  Project origination stage  (and opens the initiation stage stage) is the decision document by the programme managers to assign organizational resources for developing further the project and move to the following phases of project initiation and detailed planning).

Note: It is important that the business case is written (or translated) in simple language (avoid technicalism) so that one can use it for the dialogue with beneficiaries and other stakeholders; such a dialogue is necessary in the following project development step (initiation) to define the project scope 

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Templates

• see Project Planning Checklist

Examples:

• first draft of Project Busness case;

See also:

• Project Integration:  one of the 9 topic areas  of project management knowledge.

• Stakeholders Identification

• analyzing potential stakeholder resistance. 

• What Do They Want and Expect to See 

• The factors causing poverty and suffering;

• the problem tree 

• The logical framework

• Exploring the problem/s:

• Objective tree ;

• Stakeholders Identification

• Required characteristics of the project manager

• the 3 level hierarchy of project/programme objectives;