Assess the Project Background
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The more you know and understand the project's background the better prepared you'll be to establish a solid foundation.
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Understanding the project's background helps to learn from history, establishes a solid foundation, and minimizes surprises.
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At a minimum, it would be important to know who initiated the project, how the project was initiated, and why it was initiated.
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Knowing if a similar project was done before and how it went can provide insight into what went well and what didn't.
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Previous successes can be cloned or leveraged.
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Being aware of who was involved in identifying the need for the project can provide insight into the degree and depth of problem solving or vetting that occurred.
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Knowing if a specific metric or goal will need to be met typically signifies the business impact and importance of the project.
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When the business problem hasn't been defined prior to launching a project the project manager and team will need to facilitate gaining clarity otherwise conflict will typically develop.
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Knowing if this project is part of a broader initiative or strategy is an indication of its potential importance to the organization.
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Gather background information that's available and determine if you're comfortable moving forward.
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Sometimes you may need to move forward regardless of the information available and continue doing research while starting the project.
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Project background can be the result of senior management planning, customer requirements, employee suggestions, responses to daily problems, suggestions for leveraging new technology, etc.
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The following business factors can have either a positive, neutral, or negative affect on your project. Consider reviewing each factor's impact on your project with the project sponsor.
Business Factors to Consider:
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Company's # of Years in Business
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Company Stage: start-up, growing, stable, or downsizing
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Culture: Random, Collaborative, Closed, or Synchronous
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Operating Maturity: Informal, Experimental, Systemic, or Sustainable
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Revenue Performance: 0$, Declining, Stable, or Growing
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Expenses Performance: Below Budget, On Budget, or Above Budget
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Market Share: Declining, Stable, or Growing
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Customer Satisfaction: Declining, Stable, or Growing
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Employee Satisfaction: Declining, Stable, or Growing
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Project background - Linkage with strategic or business plan, how project was initiated, sponsor, previous similar projects, any critical must meet requirements, i.e. schedule, budget, or deliverable quality, other?