PART 2 THE INITIATION PROCESS

The initiation process is the most important process involved in controlling the cost and schedule of the project. This process defines the “what” of the project through the delicate balance of two sides of our triple constraint, the scope and the budget. The initiation process focuses on whether or not we should do the project or any part of the project, based on the needs and wants of the customer and how much money they have. In other words, the scope of the project is defined during the initiation process.

The initiation process involves three basic steps:

1.Defining the scope and identifying the work packages required to build the deliverable

2.Estimating the effort, cost, and duration of completing the identified work packages

3.Balancing the scope to the customer’s expectations and budget.