The Starting Up a Project process in PRINCE2 7 serves a crucial purpose as the first process in the project lifecycle. Its primary aim is to ensure that the prerequisites for initiating a project are in place before committing significant resources and time to detailed planning activities.
The fun…The Starting Up a Project process in PRINCE2 7 serves a crucial purpose as the first process in the project lifecycle. Its primary aim is to ensure that the prerequisites for initiating a project are in place before committing significant resources and time to detailed planning activities.
The fundamental purpose of Starting Up a Project is to answer the question: "Do we have a viable and worthwhile project?" This process acts as a pre-project phase where essential groundwork is established to prevent poorly conceived projects from proceeding further.
Key purposes include establishing whether there is sufficient justification to proceed with the project. The process ensures that a Project Brief is created, which outlines the project definition, business case outline, and project approach. This documentation provides decision-makers with enough information to determine if the project merits further investment.
Another critical purpose is appointing the right people to the project management team. During this process, the Executive and Project Manager are appointed, and the project management team structure is designed. This ensures appropriate governance and accountability from the earliest stages.
The process also focuses on capturing lessons from previous similar projects. By reviewing past experiences, the project can benefit from proven approaches and avoid repeating mistakes, thereby increasing the likelihood of success.
Additionally, Starting Up a Project ensures that the approach to project delivery is established. This includes determining how the project will be managed and what tailoring of PRINCE2 practices might be necessary for the specific context.
The process culminates in creating a Stage Plan for the Initiation Stage, providing a clear roadmap for the next phase. Ultimately, the purpose is to provide the Project Board with sufficient information to make an informed decision about whether to authorize the initiation stage, ensuring resources are only committed to projects with genuine potential for delivering value.
Starting Up a Project Purpose - Complete Guide
Why is Starting Up a Project Purpose Important?
The Starting Up a Project (SU) process is the first process in PRINCE2 and serves as a critical gateway before any project begins. Understanding its purpose is essential because it ensures that only viable and worthwhile projects proceed to the initiation stage. This prevents organizations from wasting resources on poorly conceived projects and establishes the foundation for successful project delivery.
What is the Purpose of Starting Up a Project?
The purpose of Starting Up a Project is to ensure that the prerequisites for initiating a project are in place by answering the question: Do we have a viable and worthwhile project?
The key objectives of this process are to:
• Ensure there is a business justification for initiating the project • Establish that all necessary authority exists to initiate the project • Provide sufficient information to define and confirm the scope of the project • Identify the individuals who will undertake the work required in project initiation and determine how to approach the work • Create the outline business case and project product description • Plan the initiation stage
How Does Starting Up a Project Work?
Starting Up a Project is a pre-project process, meaning it occurs before the project formally begins. It is triggered by a project mandate from corporate, programme management, or the customer.
The process involves the following activities:
1. Appoint the Executive and Project Manager - Establishing initial leadership 2. Capture previous lessons - Learning from past projects 3. Design and appoint the project management team - Structuring governance 4. Prepare the outline business case - Documenting initial justification 5. Select the project approach and assemble the project brief - Defining how to deliver 6. Plan the initiation stage - Preparing detailed plans for initiation
The output of this process is a request to initiate the project, which goes to the Project Board for approval.
Key Products Created During Starting Up a Project:
• Project Brief • Outline Business Case • Project Product Description • Initiation Stage Plan • Project management team structure and role descriptions
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Starting Up a Project Purpose
Tip 1: Remember that SU is about ensuring prerequisites are in place - it answers whether there is a viable and worthwhile project. Questions often test whether you understand this is a pre-project process.
Tip 2: The Executive and Project Manager are appointed during this process, not before it. This is a common exam question topic.
Tip 3: Know the difference between an outline business case (created in SU) and a detailed business case (created during Initiation).
Tip 4: The process is triggered by a project mandate. Exam questions may ask what triggers SU or what input is required.
Tip 5: Understand that SU should be kept as brief as possible while still achieving its objectives. PRINCE2 emphasizes this as a lightweight process.
Tip 6: The output is a request to the Project Board to authorize initiation - not to authorize the project itself. The project is authorized at the end of Initiation.
Tip 7: When faced with scenario questions, look for clues about whether basic viability has been established and whether the right people are in place to proceed with initiation.
Tip 8: Remember that lessons from previous projects are captured during SU to inform how the current project should be approached.