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One of the worst feelings has to be trudging through a difficult project that the team doesn’t fundamentally believe in. It’s hard enough keeping a project within scope, under budget, on schedule, etc. but what’s worse arguably are those times when the team is scratching their head wondering, “Why are we doing this anyway?” Perhaps the project involves changing a product design that’s been a winner for years or redesigning a process that is already working efficiently or executing a half-baked idea initiated by a disconnected executive. These “dog” projects are what teams are stuck with oftentimes when organizations skip the very first step in project management—Initiating.
While most people mistakenly think that planning is the first step of project management, that’s actually not the case. Before planning takes place, the idea or concept should be properly vetted, and that is the purpose of the initiating phase. Just because an idea sounds good on the surface, doesn’t mean it should necessarily consume resources required to execute it as a project, and the initiating phase is there precisely to ensure that a project is indeed warranted. Contrary to what some may believe, every seemingly great idea should not in fact become a full-blown project.
Perhaps one of the most famous examples of a project that seems to have skipped the critical initiating phase is New Coke. While it may be hard to imagine now, in 1985, the Coca-Cola Company actually decided to do the unthinkable—change the formula that arguably had been central to its success. While blind taste tests showed that customers generally preferred New Coke’s sweeter taste, there were other risks that seemingly hadn’t been factored into their decision process. “The company severely underestimated the nation's sentimental attachment to the iconic American brand — especially in the South, where Dr. John Pemberton first concocted the fizzy drink in 1886,” recounts the Time article “Top 10 Bad Beverage Ideas.” “After being flooded with phone calls, 40,000 letters and reams of bad press, the company backtracked three months later, announcing the return of Coca-Cola ‘classic’ — news that TV anchor Peter Jennings interrupted General Hospital to bring to the nation.” While sweetening the taste may have been an interesting idea, a thorough vetting of said idea (weighing pros/cons, benefits/costs and potential risks) likely would have alerted leadership that it wouldn’t in fact be prudent.
If your organization or team has been guilty of skipping over the initiating phase, here are some key questions to consider during the vetting process.
· What problem are we trying to solve?
· Is this project the best way to solve it?
· Is this a good use of our resources (time, money,
· assets, etc.)?
· Do the anticipated benefits outweigh the risks?
· What are the anticipated risks?
· What is the cost of not doing the project?
· Should we walk away instead?
For significant initiatives it may be necessary to complete a develop a full business case and/or conduct a feasibility study. While the scope of analysis conducted during initiating can vary significantly depending on the scope of the proposed project, the ultimate goal is essentially the same—determine whether the anticipated benefits outweigh anticipated costs and whether moving forward with a formal project is the best use of resources at that time.
While senior level stakeholders may delegate the analysis work to others, typically executives or other senior level stakeholders are making the go-no go decision. Once a project receives the green light, then resources should be assigned (including project manager, team members, and/or project management office), and work would begin to develop a project charter. As this initiating work concludes, formal project planning activities would then typically begin (although overlapping work between phases is common).
When organizations skip the initiating phase and begin planning immediately, they’re wasting critical resources on projects that should never have been initiated in the first place. As the project management saying goes, “Kill what’s ugly, while it’s young.”
