Project Initiation Documents

Posted by SkillMaker in Dec, 2016

Project Initiation Documents

Project initiation documents are the collective name for the documentation compiled during the start-up phase of a project. This documentation—effectively the project brief—formalises the activities of the Initiation stage of the project life cycle. It documents something that began as a speculative idea into something more concrete—a project that is going to happen.

Project initiation documents are needed to secure the project, allowing it to progress into planning and implementation phases. For instance, certain documents may have to be signed-off by an Executive Board or by the project sponsor(s) or other stakeholders—even a government agency such as Cabinet— before any activity on the project can start.

Project initiation documents are responsible for setting out the ‘who’, ‘what’, ‘when’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ aspects of a project, so that the reader is very clear about the intended course of action for the project. It provides a base reference for stakeholders and project team alike as a project progresses.

Project initiation documents will normally include:

an explanation of project goals
the project’s terms of reference
information about the scope of the project
information about the organisation and resources undertaking the project
a business case setting out the needs of the project and the costs and benefits
any known or expected constraints
any projected risks.