Overview

Professional project initiation is critical. Research from a leading consultancy in London found that poor project initiation is a major factor in 80 per cent of IT project failures.

On this course you’ll learn about project initiation principles and how to apply them to your projects.

This course is designed to help business stakeholders and IT teams:

• Understand that appropriate project initiation is required on all projects. 
• Gain knowledge of pragmatic project initiation principles and activities that can be applied regardless of the project’s size or complexity.
• Understand the benefits of professional project initiation, including reduced risk and greater stakeholder engagement.

This course covers the key principles of IT project initiation.

Course objectives

The course aims to help you:

• Understand the format and contents of project initiation documents.
• Learn what the documentation should include based on the size and complexity of the project or programme.
• Take a pragmatic but rigorous approach to project initiation.
• Understand that professional project initiation will pay dividends throughout the project lifecycle.
• Learn about work packages and how they can help you deliver projects on time and to budget.
• Understand project initiation on Agile and Waterfall projects.

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for anyone with an interest in IT project initiation.

It will be valuable for project managers, business stakeholders, IT directors, programme managers, support teams, quality assurance managers, test teams or anyone involved in IT project initiation.

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course you should:

• Know how to initiate projects ranging from small projects to major transformation programmes.
• Have an appreciation of the standard items in a project initiation document.
• Have the knowledge to take a pragmatic project initiation approach on Agile and Waterfall projects.
• Be able to reduce risks on projects using professional initiation principles.
• Be able to use the recommended actions in the course to prepare your project initiation template.
• Understand how to agree on critical success factors with stakeholders and confirm they have been delivered.

By taking this course, you'll gain the confidence and expertise to lead successful project initiation activities, setting the stage for a smooth and successful project execution.