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Controlled Start-Up

Before starting, it is vital to gain the commitment of the business to the proposed project. The outputs must be clearly defined and agreed, along with the measures (critical success factors) against which the outputs will be judged. It is also vital to ensure there are adequate numbers of staff with the required skill set and experience for the task.

Obtain commitment from the business

You are on step 1 of 15 steps.

Click for slide: Obtain commitment from the business Click for slide: Define the outcome Click for slide: Define critical success factors Click for slide: Adopt processes for project management Click for slide: Check staff skills and experience Click for slide: Determine governance arrangements Click for slide: Define the project scope Click for slide: Determine the project approach Click for slide: Plan for management of risk Click for slide: Identify the dependencies with other projects Click for slide: Determine whether procurement is required Click for slide: Define the project organisation Click for slide: Produce a project plan Click for slide: Revisit scope Click for slide: Define reporting arrangements
Next step

What you need to do

Confirm that the proposed way forward is a project, not a programme. Make sure you have the ongoing commitment and support of the business. There must be a role responsible for making the investment decision, on behalf of the business (the Investment Decision Maker (IDM) role) . There must also be a Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) appointed, with personal accountability and overall responsibility for the delivery of the successful outcome; this individual must be able to commit adequate time to the project.

For cross-cutting projects, there must be a single SRO accountable for the outcome, from the collective activities of all the contributing organisations.

Points to consider

For more info on roles & responsibilities see Toolkit Role Descriptions and the Project management briefing. For information about the difference between projects and programmes (and which approach to adopt) see the Programme management briefing. Note the construction projects require special consideration - see the Achieving Excellence Guides.

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