How to start a Project

How many times have you said: I wish Id never started the conversation, the idea, the project? We cant
help you with the first two but we can certainly help with the third. For PRINCE2 will work with any
project whether its domestic, commercial or industrial and its Starting up a Project process that will help
ensure that theyre all viable. For the full picture visit PRINCE2.com; for a sneak and simplified preview, read on.
1. Deciding if the project is a viable. We said that PRINCE2 was good for any project and we meant it. So if youre just
about to redo your garden, put that fork down and get your thinking cap on. For you can use the Starting Up a Project
process to do the minimum necessary in order to decide if your plans for a Versailles in the back garden are realistic and
worth the effort of the whole Initiating a Project process.
2. Thinking tough. In life and in projects it pays to hang tough early so you dont have to deal with thorny problems later
on. The objective of the Starting Up a Project process is to make sure that youve thought through things such as: having
a business justification for initiating your project (no, wanting to out-do the neighbours doesnt count); having the
authorities to initiate the project; having the right information to define the scope of your project.
3. Lessons from history. Any good gardener will tell you that the secret to success lies in unashamedly taking ideas from
other gardens, experts and sources of information such as magazines and blogs. Its the same for PRINCE2 project
management. In fact, the methodology positively encourages you to learn from other projects and other sources both in
and outside the organisation. Why? Well, as PRINCE2 is the result of the experience and knowledge of project experts,
their experience shows that learning lessons has a positive effect on everything from the Business Case to project
personnel - even if its the wife, the husband or any children youve roped in.
4. Finding the face that fits. Talking of personnel, one of the critical objectives of the Starting Up a Project process is to
create the right roles and to put the right people in them. Sticking to our garden analogy you first need a head gardener
(the executive) and a foreman gardener (project manager). The executives role is to represent the interests of the
stakeholders and make decisions accordingly. The foremans role is to run things on a day-to-day basis him. After that,
you need to build a team whose members have defined roles, responsibilities, accountabilities and so on. As a result,
everyone knows what theyre doing, nothing is forgotten and no-one passes the buck.
5. Answering the big why question. It cant be said often enough that the Business Case, where you answer the why do
we want to do this? question, is critical in any project. It comprises many elements. For instance, it looks at the
objectives of the project, at the reasons behind it, at the funding and also the background information like feasibility
studies. This is also an opportunity to determine crucial things like the customers quality expectations and key
milestones.
6. Taking the right approach and writing the brief. Is it more cost-effective to develop solutions ourselves or to buy in
from outside? Is it better to modify an existing product or create a new one? These are some of the prickly questions that
this step helps you answer while you think things through in terms of resources, security and legality and the like. Oh,
and remember, the project brief should be just that brief! It should sketch out the current status of the project, desired
outputs and outcomes, the scope and well, instead of just reading about it, take a look at a sample brief for Ace
Software on our Free PRINCE2 Downloads page.
7. Planning for Initiating a Project. Love it or hate it, planning is essential: it can make the difference between success
and failure for any project. Jobs to do in this period include reviewing the lessons log, evaluating the time needed to
create the stage plan, reviewing and analysing any risks and getting approval to initiate the project.

London, UK
Australia
Dubai
New Zealand

ILX Group Plc - 4th Floor, 15 Fetter Lane, London, EC4A 1BW, United Kingdom T: +44 (0) 207 371 4444 E: sales@ilxgroup.com www.ilxgroup.com
ILX Group Pty Ltd - Level 1, Building 1, The Binary Centre, 3 Richardson Place, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia T: +61 (0)2 8035 4350 E: australia@ilxgroup.com www.ilxgroup.com/au
ILX Consulting JLT - 901A 1 Lake Plaza, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai, PO Box 643829, United Arab Emirates T: +971 (0) 561 496 498 E: uae@ilxgroup.com www.ilxgroup.com/ae
ILX Group Ltd - PO Box 796, Shortland St. Mail Centre, Auckland 1140, New Zealand E: newzealand@ilxgroup.com www.ilxgroup.com/nz
w w w . i lx g r o u p . c o m I LX G r ou p 2 01 4

PR I N C E 2 i s a r e g i s te r ed t r a d e m a r k o f AX E L O S L im i te d

How to start a Project

A final word: by now youre probably thinking that this PRINCE2 stuff is no good for doing your g arden or anything else
because its all about talk and paper and meetings. You couldnt be more wrong. Sure all these steps cost time, effort and
money but it would cost an awful lot more if you started a project that ended in failure.

Useful Links
ILX Group delivers PRINCE2 Foundation and Practitioner e-learning, classroom and blended learning to suit every
situation. Dont forget the guaranteed pass offer.
The PRINCE2 e-learning experience provides cost-effective, rich and collaborative training that includes a blog, a forum
and Twitter and Facebook.
ILX Connect can help companies implement PRINCE2 training.
ILX Consulting provides everything from maturity assessments and organisational health-check to programme and
project performance management.
For definitive information about PRINCE2 the official site is the place to go for information

For further useful PRINCE2 resources, templates, white papers and study aids, please visit the PRINCE2
Download Centre on www.PRINCE2.com. For training advice and pricing options, visit
www.ilxgroup.com, email: training@ilxgroup.com, or contact your local training advisor.

London, UK
Australia
Dubai
New Zealand

ILX Group Plc - 4th Floor, 15 Fetter Lane, London, EC4A 1BW, United Kingdom T: +44 (0) 207 371 4444 E: sales@ilxgroup.com www.ilxgroup.com
ILX Group Pty Ltd - Level 1, Building 1, The Binary Centre, 3 Richardson Place, North Ryde, NSW 2113, Australia T: +61 (0)2 8035 4350 E: australia@ilxgroup.com www.ilxgroup.com/au
ILX Consulting JLT - 901A 1 Lake Plaza, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai, PO Box 643829, United Arab Emirates T: +971 (0) 561 496 498 E: uae@ilxgroup.com www.ilxgroup.com/ae
ILX Group Ltd - PO Box 796, Shortland St. Mail Centre, Auckland 1140, New Zealand E: newzealand@ilxgroup.com www.ilxgroup.com/nz
w w w . i lx g r o u p . c o m I LX G r ou p 2 01 4

PR I N C E 2 i s a r e g i s te r ed t r a d e m a r k o f AX E L O S L im i te d