A04 – Describe the project
This management activity belongs to the Project Initiation group. This group of activities are run at the beginning to prepare us for the project.
Conduct workshops to gather information and prepare a Project Description that contains the following information:
- Purpose and expected benefits
- Expected cost and duration
- Requirements and quality expectations
- A high-level description of in-scope and out-of-scope elements
- A list of stakeholders
Some of the information required for the Project Description doesn’t exist at this point – you should focus only on the existing information and add the rest later. Regardless, this document will be revised and refined throughout the project.
If a similar project has been done before, check its archive and use that information to prepare a more realistic description.
Purpose
This document helps us stay aligned with the high-level goals of the project throughout its execution. It’s also a great resource for new team members, higher level managers, or any other people not inside the team to understand what the project is about.
Common pitfalls
There’s an optimal level of detail and accuracy for this document, which is usually lower than what practitioners assume. Make sure you create a document that serves its purpose, rather than just satisfying a preconceived notion of proper project management.
Describe everything clearly and briefly. Avoid the typical kind of corporate statements that don’t communicate any real meaning.
Principles
The following principles play a significant role in this management activity: