Our definition of ‘project set up’ includes all activities up to the submission of the business case and therefore includes...

• defining the terms of reference
• conducting a feasibility study (if necessary)
• defining the project’s scope
• gathering the business requirements
• selecting any solution software or technology
• presenting your business case for investment.

This is the time when everyone is endeavoring to find out what is required, what is the best direction, the best approach and the optimum scope. There are a lot of major decisions to be made - so the governance team has to be on its game - active, informed, decisive and focused.

This “How to govern project set up” Guide is an essential aid for all Project Sponsors and Governance Team members from the outset of the project. 

This stage is when you put your project on its ‘rails’. If the project is put on the wrong ‘rails’ it is very difficult (and expensive) to fix this later. This Guide enables you to get it right first time and avoid the common pitfalls, such as ...

• heading off down a technical path from the outset
• skipping or skimping on the business requirements
• allowing feasibility studies to go on forever with no results
• buying a solution that actually does not meet your needs
• not being able to easily articulate the benefits of your project for the business case.

This Guides provides you with the knowledge to effectively govern this vital stage of the project.

How to govern project set-up

1. Understanding the end-to-end value delivery process
2. Understanding project set up
3. Understanding your (set up) roles and accountabilities
4. The end-to-end project set up process
5. How to govern your project’s ‘terms of reference’
6. How to assess your project’s feasibility
7. How to name your project
8. How to determine your governance approach
9. How to govern your business requirements gathering process
10. How to govern your business needs specification
11. How to govern your project’s desired business outcomes
12. How to govern the (technical) design
13. How to select the technology (and software)
14. How to justify the value of your project
15. How to monitor that the project set up stage has been finished

• Project Sponsors/Governance teams - to understand their roles and how to perform them effectively
• Project Practitioners - to understand the governance role in this vital stage of the project
• PPMOs - to enable them to support successful project set up
• Project Investment Committees - to understand the project set up process from a governance point of view
• Executives/Boards - to understand the importance of this set up stage
• Auditors - to understand the nature of importance of this project stage

• Explains the role of the governance team in the set up stage
• Brings in new concepts such as the two types of project scope that can be used to optimize the business value
• Equips you to govern the technical elements of the project from a business perspective
• Ensures that what is proposed in the business case is a solid, justifiable value proposition that can be delivered

Coming soon