TOPIC 2.

ESTABLISHING A PROJECT:

Establishing a project involves initiation,planning and organizing,implementation and project

clean up phase.
Initiation:
Project initiation includes generating ideas, profitability of the project, definition of the scope of
operation and doing a feasibility study. The activities involved are developing a business case,
undertaking the feasibility study, establishing a project charter, creating a project team, setting up
a project office and performing a review.
Developing a business case involves description of the business problem, describes the cost and
benefit. The success of the project is measured by its ability to meet the objectives defined in the
business case.
The project initiation involves the determination of the problem to be solved, business case or
feasibility study. It further defines the objectives and goals that are specific,
measurable,achievable, relevant and time bound (SMART).Then create a project charter that
outlines the project’s purpose, objectives, scope, stakeholders and have the project authorized.
Identify stakeholders and analyze their needs, expectations, influence, impact and develop a
strategy to engage and manage them. Develop a detailed scope that defines what is included and
excluded and create a work breakdown structure that decomposes the project into smaller
manageable tasks.
Identify resources required for the project that include human resources, materials, financial and
equipment. Resources are assigned to the specific tasks and ensure that not activity is delayed
because of non availability of the resources.Identify and appoint the team members and allocate
duties and responsibilities, sign performance contracts , provide the necessary working tools and
sensitize them on the expectations and the need to work within the deadlines.
The project comes with challenges and risks and there is need to maintain records and mitigate
these problems. These records may be used as reference and future management of projects for
faster performance. The risks are evaluated , the impact analyzed and categorized in the order of
priority for mitigation. The team develops strategies to minimize and manage the identified risks
and records of the lessons learned maintained.
The project team prepares a schedule with details of the activities and expected timelines from
start to end dates of the tasks with the estimated costs. These costs forms the budget and is
presented to the sponsor together with the procurement plan for deliberation and approval.. The
approval is then shared with the project implementation team for implementation.
The team develops a communication plan that outlines the information flow to both internal and
external stakeholders. These include stakeholders engagement through meetings and periodic
reports on the progress of the project, and are also called upon for interventions where there is a
need. The interventions include political influence and additional resources as determined by the
need.
A project management plan is developed to guide in execution, monitoring and evaluation and
control of the project and management of any deviations and changes.The quality standards are
set and the criteria for verification and quality assurance established for purposes of ensuring that
all deliveries are inspected and meet the specifications.
The project team holds a meeting to discuss the approved project plan, communicate the project
objectives, scope, timelines, roles and start the project.

Project Manager:
The roles of the project manager include:
A project manager(PM) has to be a professional in project management.
A project manager is responsible for initiation, planning, design, execution, monitoring,
controlling and closure of a project. He/She is responsible for the timely completion ,cost and
quality of the project.
PM is responsible for managing people,resources and the scope of the project.
PM provides leadership, coordination,meeting the deadlines, decision making, knowledge
management, and interpersonal skills.
Develops the structure of the project team and assigning roles to team members with targets to be
achieved.
Must have the discipline to create clear and attainable objectives and to ensure successful
completion of the project.
Must have the ability to influence other team members to perform the tasks assigned to them and
complete on time.The PM in planning and analysis, uses the introverted and reflective
individuals in analyzing data and risks assessment. These skills are reliable in developing project
plans, identifying potential risks, and creating strategies to mitigate them. When delegating tasks,
the PM considers the strengths of each team member. The introverted and reflective individuals
may be well suited for tasks that require independent work and analytical thinking and may excel
in problem solving scenarios where careful consideration and evaluation of options are required.
The introverted individuals may prefer written over verbal communication and therefore PM
may consider other means of communication which include emails, documentation or project
management tools.
The extroverted and social individuals are good in building relationships and fostering
collaboration within the team. Pm therefore assigns them roles that require group discussions,
team building activities and positive team culture. PM also rely on effective communication to
engage stakeholders and update them on the project progress. This role can effectively be done
by the extroverted individuals which involve client interactions, presentations, and negotiations.
The PM rely on the extroverted individuals in situations where there are conflicts within the team
or between stakeholders, where they may effectively address the conflicts directly, facilitate
discussions and finding beneficial solutions.
Provides advise on technical matters, is concerned with controlling uncertainty by forecasting,
planning and resolving issues as they arise.
Communication is also a major role of the PM, and is to both external and internal customers.
PM generates reports to the stakeholders and provides feedback to the team members.The PM
must have knowledge worker skills because modern projects involve complex tasks, dynamic
environments, and multidisciplinary teams. Knowledge worker skills enable PM to understand
and appreciate the perspectives of professionals from different fields, facilitating effective
collaboration and integration of ideas.Projects are subject to change due to various reasons which
include but not limited to evolving requirements, technology advancements or market conditions.
Knowledge worker skills equip PM with the ability to adapt to changes and adjust project plans
as needed.
Ensure monitoring and evaluation of the performance of the project by measuring progress,
evaluating causes of deviation and taking appropriate corrective measures.
Managing risks by analyzing the potential risks and their impact to the project.

Conducting feasibility studies

Feasibility studies assist in building and testing effective implementation strategies to address
uncertainties in design, assessing potential implementation strategy effects and identifying
potential causal mechanism.
Conducting feasibility studies helps assess the viability and potential success of a proposed
project before committing significant resources in implementation.
Feasibility studies : A schematic Diagram

P Generation of Ideas
r
e
l Initial Screening
i
m
i Is the idea prima Facie promising?
n
a Yes
No
r Plan Feasibility analysis
y

N
o
Terminate
r
k
Conduct Market Conduct Technical
A Analysis Analysis
n
a
l
y Conduct Financial Analysis
s
i
s
E Conduct Economic
v and Ecological
a Analysis
l
u
a
Is the Project Worthwhile?
t
No
i Yes
o
n Prepare Funding Proposal
Terminate

The process involves defining the project scope, understanding what the project aims to achieve
and the expected end results. Determine the stakeholders such as the sponsors, clients and
user,work on their expectations, concerns and project needs.
Establish and gather all project requirements that include functional , technical specifications,
relevant laws, budget needs and expected duration of the project. Evaluate alternatives and weigh
the cost , time and relevance to the organizational goals before making a choice of the project.
Conduct market research and survey to assess the demand for the project product or service,
consider market size, competition, customer requirements, potential risks and opportunities
involved.
Evaluate technology requirements, resources available and confirm that the project needs for
implementation are all in order for the possible takeoff. Estimate initial investment requirement,
operational costs, potential revenue and expected return on investment(ROI) by applying the
financial metrics that include net present value(NPV), internal rate of return (IRR) and payback
period to evaluate project financial feasibility.
Assess integration of the project into the existing operations, consider organizational capabilities,
workflows, resource availability and the impact to stakeholders. Identify potential risks for bot5h
internal and external such as technical challenges, market volatility, regulatory changes and
resource constraints and develop mitigating factors to address them.
Evaluate the legal and regulatory requirements which includes licenses, compliance certificates
and industrial standards and ensure adherence. Asses the environmental impact, evaluate risks to
air and water quality, natural habitats and community health and safety.
Compile the findings of the feasibility study, present the analysis, conclusions and
recommendations to stakeholders and decision makers. The report outlines the feasibility,
potential risks and challenges and recommendation for further action. The findings will influence
decision on whether to proceed with the project, modify the project scope or approach, or reject
the project. Consider stakeholders opinion, financial viability, technical feasibility and project
alignment to the organizational goals.
The project purpose
The project purpose outlines the reasons for the project, the expected outcome and the
stakeholders interest, significance of the project and alignment with organizational goals.
Project objectives
Project objectives are specific, measurable, achievable,relevant and time bound (SMART) and
clearly defines the intended outcome. They provide a clear focus and criteria for success, guiding
the project plan, execution, monitoring and evaluation.
Project Scope
The scope defines the boundaries, specific deliverables, features, functionalities, and the project
constraints that the project team will address as they execute the project.

Identifying stakeholders
Stakeholder identification and analysis is a critical step in a project for it to be successful and
they include both internal and external groups. Anyone who can affect the project or be impacted
by its results is a stakeholder. Those that are within the organization and involved or affected by
the project such as project team, managers , executives, IT depending on the project , are internal
stakeholders. The individuals or groups outside the organization who have a stake in the project
are external stakeholders and could be clients, customers, suppliers, regulators- and the
community.
After identifying the stakeholders, figure out what they want from the project and assess their
power and influence- because not all stakeholders are equal. Their power and influence depends
on their position, financial backing or potential impact on the success of the project. Based on
their needs and influence, prioritize how to engage them. The high power stakeholders may need
frequent updates on the progress of the project while the rest may only need periodic reports.
Benefits of stakeholder identification
It leads to improved communication because stakeholders needs and concerns are understood
and therefore updated on the progress accordingly.
It also results in reduced risks in that potential risks are identified early and strategies to mitigate
them developed and implemented to ensure project success.
There is also increased buy in because the stakeholders have the opportunity to be heard and
understood and for that reason they fully support the project.

Project charter
This is a document that authorizes the existence of a project and provides the project manager
with the authority to use organizational resources for the project activities.It is the reference
document throughout the project lifecycle.
The project charter defines the purpose and objectives of the project which includes the reasons
for the project and what it aims to achieve.
It further outlines the project scope and defines what is included and what is excluded and also
helps manage stakeholder expectations and prevent scope creep.
It also lists the tangible products, services or expected outputs of the implementation plan.The
charter identifies the stakeholders involved in the project which include but not limited to
sponsors, customers, project manager and project team members.
The risks and risks management plan is also included in the project charter but is updated from
time to time based on the experience during implementation.
The project approvals that also include licenses required and any other relevant document are
attached as evidence and support in the implementation of the project.