The importance of initiation

The client or prospect contact me because they want to share a project with me. The initial meetings are the most important: the correct management of the initiation phase is the basis for a successful outcome. In order to make people’s wishes come true, it is essential to listen; we can pick up those nuances that will help us to give shape to what we will then have to realise.

Underlying any project there is and must always be an idea. In this regard, I remember interviews where identifying the goal underlying the project was not easy, simply because the client himself did not have a clear idea of what he wanted to develop or where he wanted to go. In these situations we proceed step by step, accompanying the client in an analysis to clarify the initial idea using the Smart method. First of all, we have to identify with the client’s reality in order to understand the context in which we have to act and thus define the target audience. We have to consider every single input given by the customer and analyse it through precise and targeted questions. Always keep the analysis focused on a few clear points and select the proposals and reflections to be shared with the client, thus avoiding digressing into a thousand alternatives. While guiding the process, it is always necessary to let the client define the key points, as it is essential that he feels the idea is his own.

On the other hand, there are meetings where the definition of the goal was very precise. An important company asked me to develop a project for 270 managers across Italy. The strategic input was to develop an event subconsciously addressing aspects such as affection, motivation and stimulation. I then worked on drafting a playful event to create a shared sense of belonging and fun: make them live an experience, better still, make them take part in an experience.

During the initiation phase it is always a good idea to organise a meeting which then marks the formal starting point of the project and initiates the subsequent planning process. This is usually called the kick-off meeting (KOM): all the actors involved in the definition of the project and in the drafting of a fundamental document for the starting of a project – called the project charter – are invited to attend it.
This document must contain:
– a clear and measurable formulation of the project objectives with their justification (analysis of the context and the need from which the project arises);
– the definition and identification of the main project stakeholders;
– the requirements that meet the needs and expectations of the stakeholders;
– the intermediate results or main deadlines to be met;
– budget;
– aspects of the project regarded as essential to its success;
– the results of the project;
– the criteria for successful completion of the project.

Moreover, a project is a complex undertaking: unique and of fixed duration, aimed at achieving a predefined objective through a continuous process of planning, execution, monitoring and control of differentiated resources and with interdependent constraints of costs, time, quality.

In conclusion, the initiation phase is that fundamental process that supports the definition and approval of the project; changes will certainly be made during the project, without sacrificing quality, to achieve the objective and customer satisfaction.