The Starting Up a Project process in PRINCE2 7 serves as the pre-project phase that occurs before the project formally begins. This process has several critical objectives that ensure the project is viable and properly set up for success.
The primary objectives of Starting Up a Project include:
1…The Starting Up a Project process in PRINCE2 7 serves as the pre-project phase that occurs before the project formally begins. This process has several critical objectives that ensure the project is viable and properly set up for success.
The primary objectives of Starting Up a Project include:
1. Ensuring there is a business justification for initiating the project. This involves creating an outline business case that demonstrates the project is worthwhile and aligns with organizational strategy.
2. Establishing that sufficient information exists to define and confirm the scope of the project. The project team must understand what the project aims to deliver and its boundaries.
3. Identifying the various ways the project can be delivered and selecting the most appropriate approach. This includes determining the delivery method, whether agile, waterfall, or hybrid.
4. Appointing individuals to undertake the work required in the initiation stage and establishing the project management team structure. Key roles such as the Project Manager and Project Board members are identified and assigned.
5. Creating the Project Brief, which captures essential information about the project including the project definition, outline business case, and project approach.
6. Planning the initiation stage to ensure the next phase of the project is properly resourced and scheduled. This results in the Stage Plan for the initiation stage.
7. Preventing poorly conceived projects from proceeding by providing a checkpoint where the Project Board can assess whether the project merits further investment of time and resources.
The Starting Up a Project process acts as a filter, ensuring that only projects with genuine potential value progress to the initiation stage. It establishes the foundation for sound project governance and sets the project on a path toward successful delivery by confirming that key elements are in place before significant resources are committed.
Starting Up a Project Objectives - Complete Guide
Why Starting Up a Project Objectives is Important
The Starting Up a Project (SU) process is the first process in PRINCE2 and serves as a crucial gateway before committing significant resources. Understanding its objectives is essential because they define what must be achieved before a project can proceed to initiation. This ensures that only viable projects receive investment and that there is sufficient justification to proceed.
What are the Starting Up a Project Objectives?
The objectives of the Starting Up a Project process are to ensure that:
1. There is a business justification for initiating the project - A Project Brief must exist that provides enough information to determine whether the project is worthwhile.
2. All necessary authorities exist for initiating the project - The right people are in place and have agreed to participate, and authorization to proceed is confirmed.
3. Sufficient information is available to define and confirm the scope - The Project Product Description outlines what the project needs to deliver.
4. The various ways of delivering the project have been considered - Different delivery approaches and options have been evaluated.
5. Individuals are appointed who will undertake the work in project initiation - The project management team structure is defined for the initiation stage.
6. Work planned for initiation is planned - A Stage Plan for the initiation stage exists.
How Starting Up a Project Works
The SU process is triggered by a project mandate from corporate or programme management. During this pre-project phase, the following activities occur:
• Appoint the Executive and Project Manager - These key roles are established first to drive the process forward.
• Capture previous lessons - Learning from similar projects helps avoid repeating mistakes.
• Design and appoint the project management team - The team structure is created based on project needs.
• Prepare the outline Business Case - Initial justification is documented to support the decision to initiate.
• Select the project approach and assemble the Project Brief - The delivery method is chosen and key information is compiled.
• Plan the initiation stage - A detailed plan for the next stage is created.
Key Products Created
The main outputs include: the Project Brief, the outline Business Case, the Project Product Description, the project management team design, and the Stage Plan for initiation.
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Starting Up a Project Objectives
Tip 1: Remember that SU is a pre-project process - it happens before the project formally starts. Questions may test whether you understand this distinction.
Tip 2: Focus on the word 'sufficient' - the objectives use terms like 'sufficient information' because SU produces outline documents, not detailed ones. Full detail comes during initiation.
Tip 3: Know the key outputs - exam questions often ask which products are created during SU versus other processes. The Project Brief and outline Business Case are SU products.
Tip 4: Understand the trigger and outcome - SU is triggered by a project mandate and results in a request to initiate a project being sent to the Project Board.
Tip 5: Remember that SU ensures the project is worthwhile and viable before significant resources are committed.
Tip 6: Questions may present scenarios where you must identify whether an activity belongs to SU or Initiating a Project - SU activities are lighter-touch and preparatory in nature.
Tip 7: The Executive must be appointed first, followed by the Project Manager, as these roles drive the remaining SU activities.