Project definition precedes other project activity. This phase includes project initiation processes that formally commit AIS to undertaking the project. It is important to understand that a project is subject to review and potential termination at a number of points in the project management process. Some projects may be cancelled or placed on hold at the end of the definition phase if the required resources are committed to higher priority projects or the funding source can not afford the project.

Project requests may come from customers or they may be internally generated within AIS. A project request that meets project size and/or cost criteria outlined in the AIS Planning and Budgeting Process will require a project proposal to be written. The project proposal will be assigned a project ID number and stored in the project proposal folder on the AIS LAN. Refer to the AIS Planning and Budgeting Process section 2.0 for information on the criteria to decide if a request requires a project proposal and how project proposals are initiated, documented, and prioritized.

The project coach is responsible for coordinating the assignment of a project manager to the project. The project coach will review the candidate project, consider available resources, and assign an individual, or may use a more formal approach as outlined in the Project Manager Selection Process. Once assigned, the project manager will gather some basic project information that will be documented by updating the existing project proposal. This information will be gathered through historical information and discussions with the project coach, customers, and other stakeholders. After the document is completed, the project manager will review the results with the project coach and customers for agreement and subsequent decision on whether to proceed with the project. The project could be continued as defined, cancelled, placed on hold, or possibly require further negotiation of scope, constraints, or deadlines with the project coach and customers. The project manager will inform project stakeholders and the Planning and Leadership Team whether the project will continue as defined, be cancelled, placed on hold, or renegotiated.

Inputs

Project Proposal Form

Project proposals can be initiated by anyone in AIS and are intended to be a simple mechanism for proposals to be collected, discussed, and prioritized before formal project management processes are invoked. See the Planning and Budgeting Process section 2.0 for a complete description of the project proposal, instructions, and planning process. The location of the proposals on the AIS LAN can be found in Additional Resources under the section titled AIS Project Management Libraries.

Operational Plan

The Operational Plan identifies all projects planned to start in the current fiscal year for which a project proposal exists and identifies key information for the projects such as priority. See the Planning and Budgeting Process sections 2.0 and 3.0 for a description of the planning process, prioritization process, and management of the Operational Plan.

Original Customer Request

Requests can originate either from within AIS or from external customers. The requests can take various forms like the more official Request for Application Support (RAS), an electronic mail memo, or simply a verbal request. Where possible the project manager should review all initiating documents.

Historical Information

The documented experiences of other project managers who have completed similar projects (stored in the AIS Project Archives and Post Project Reviews, see the section AIS Project Management Libraries in Additional Resources for AIS LAN location) should be reviewed by the Project Coach and Project Manager prior to meeting with the customer.

Outputs

Project Proposal Form

All information on the project proposal form is reviewed/updated with new details regarding the project. The location of the proposals on the AIS LAN can be found in Additional Resources under the section titled AIS Project Management Libraries.

Information that will need to be added during the Initiating the Project phase includes:

• Scope Definition
• Deadlines
• Assumptions
• Project Deliverables

Decision to Proceed/Not Proceed

Tools and Techniques

Expert Judgement

Expert judgement will often be required throughout this phase. Such expertise may be provided by any group or individual with specialized knowledge or training and is available from many sources including:

• Other teams within AIS
• Professional and technical associations
• Vendors
• Universities with similar projects

Project Management References

This includes tips, AIS-specific reference materials, document locations, training classes, books, articles, and other materials as mentioned in the Additional Resources section of this document.