Mary Levinson | Your Guide to Project Management Best Practices - Part 28

Author: Mary Levinson

project initiation glag

How to Initiate Projects Successfully (Part II)

When the project is defined and the project chart is developed, it is time to acquire and assign the team. At this step of the project initiating phase, the project board is to be established and the project manager is to take responsibility for acquiring the project team and assigning it to project tasks and activities. The project manager needs to recruit the team leader(s) who will assist the project manager in initiating project by selecting and recruiting required project staff (members of the project team). The team leaders take responsibility for making team assignments and the project manager approves these assignments.

During the project initiating phase, the core activity for making right team assignments refers to developing job descriptions. A project job description is a formal project initiating document that states and explains what project roles are required to complete the project work and produce the deliverables, what targets each role is assigned to, and how to measure the targets and to access the performance of each role. Every team member should be assigned to a detailed project job description which defines personal role and responsibilities within the project. When initiating project and developing project roles, the team leaders need to consider the project initiating documents (Project Charter, Feasibility Study).

project initiation phase

How to Initiate Projects Successfully (Part I)

A recent study conducted by the competent US agencies specializing in project initiation researches has shown that a large percentage of projects [of any kinds] are dismissed before they even reach the planning phase. The study investigates that the most common reason of project initiation phase failure refers to improper definition of project scope which results in the lack of sponsorship and investments required to ensure success of those projects. Therefore, it’s critical to understand the importance of the project initiation phase and know which steps can be taken to successfully go through this phase and initiate your projects as quickly and efficiently as possible.

sow

Statement of Work (SOW) – What It Means and Who Writes It

Writing a statement of work (SOW) is an arduous task, and many projects were failed because of too vague, broad or generic SOW. The failure to properly develop and execute a statement of work is also the reason why project parties end up in a dispute. Let’s try to understand what SOW means and how to develop it properly.

rules of teamwork

Four rules of effective teamwork

If during the implementation of your project the team gets stuck with lots of unproductive conflicts and unsolved problems, you can try to follow a general list of team management recommendations. If you haven’t yet found a solution, you can get your team together at a meeting to clarify and agree on the basic rules of teamwork that will govern the team’s behavior. By establishing such rules, you gain more chances to achieve greater team effectiveness and strengthen group collaboration. Read top 4 teamwork tips that you must take into account for building and managing your team.