Week 1: Initiation and Planning · Lesson 4 ·
Let's begin at the beginning: with asking questions of the sponsors and stakeholders behind the project; and with the logistics you have to tame. Plus, the project manager's secret weapon.
The Initiation Phase - Brought to you by Sponsorship.
Sponsors and Stakeholder(s) are related entities, but slightly different. Sponsors ask for projects to be initiated and stakeholders benefit from a project's completion.
The Sponsor Interview is crucial to build context for the project, to understand its intention, and to decide how the project can be accomplished as efficiently as possible. Ask all the questions!
The unique position of the project manager allows you to see potential conflicts and support different teams of people on your project. That vision is not a responsibility that comes with red spandex, necessarily, but it is one that allows you to facilitate solutions.