Initiating projects
In real-life scenarios, the initiation phase of a project often begins when your sales team is pitching a project to a client. The dynamics are very similar even when the project is only in-house with internal customers of the project. The stakes are often high and significant for all the stakeholders and the organizations involved. If the sales pitch is strong enough, the approving authority will want to know the numbers involved—budgets, return on investment, the time frame, resources required, and so on. Process-mature and project-oriented organizations will involve the Project Management Office (PMO), the project manager, and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) at this stage.
Using a robust tool such as MS Project in this situation has many advantages, such as being able to do the following:
- Visualize and justify the complexity of the projects.
- Justify the price, resources, and time sought.
- Identify key milestones and mutual deliverables...
