Project Definition Phase

The Project definition phase provides groundwork for project planning. The key activities and outputs from this phase are described below, as well as, the risks that this activity minimises. 

Defining a project consists of a number of key steps: 

                                                                               

Step 1:  The project scope is a definition of the end result or mission of the project i.e. a product or service for the client/customer - in specific, tangible, and measurable terms. For example, as a result of extensive market research a computer software company decides to develop a program that automatically translates verbal sentences in English to Indian. A project scopes primary purpose is to define the deliverables for the end user and to focus project plans. Many projects suffer from scope creep, which is the tendency for the project scope to expand over time and in most cases means added costs and possible project delays. By carefully writing the scope statement, scope creep can be reduced.

Step 2: Quality and the ultimate success of a project are defined as meeting and/or exceeding the expectations of the customer and/or upper management in terms of cost, time and performance of the project. It is interesting to note that the interrelationship among these criteria varies.  For example, sometimes it is necessary to compromise the performance and scope of the project to get the project done quickly or less expensively. A project priority matrix is used to identify which criterion is constrained, which should be enhanced and which can be accepted. This is essential when managing trade-offs among the triple constraints and is useful for approaching a problem that must be solved.

Step 3: Once the scope and deliverables have been identified, the work of the project can be subdivided into smaller manageable work elements for the team. The outcome of this hierarchical process is called the work breakdown structure (WBS). The visual representation defines all the elements of the project and establishes their relationships to the project end items. The WBS can be used to define communication channels in many parts of 
the project. The structure shows the work and organizational units responsible and suggests where written communication should be directed. This means that problems can be quickly addressed and coordinated because the structure integrates work and responsibility. This diagram illustrates the major groupings commonly used in the field to develop a hierarchical WBS.

Step 4: The WBS is used to link the organizational units responsible for performing the work. In practice, the outcome of this process is the organization breakdown structure (OBS). The OBS depicts how the firm has organized to discharge work responsibility. The purposes of the OBS are to provide a framework to summarize organization unit work performance, identify organization units responsible for work packages and tie the organizational unit to cost control accounts.

Step 5: Gaining the maximum usefulness of a breakdown structure depends on a coding system. The codes are used to define levels and elements in the WBS, organization elements, work packages, and budget/cost information. The codes allow reports to be consolidated at any level in the structure. The most commonly used scheme in practice is numeric indention. In practice most organizations are creative in combining letters and numbers to minimize the length of WBS codes.

“We can control only what we have planned”