Initiation
Project setup and planning: the project becomes operationally real. Roles are clarified, the project team is appointed, resources are booked in, and the approach to Discovery (and possibly the whole project) is agreed. Ownership transfers to the Projects Coordinator and the Project Manager (from New Work or Account Management).
Roles
- Phase owner: Projects Coordinator (operations) + PM (delivery)
- Informed: Sponsor, AM, Design Lead, Dev Lead, Support Point of Contact, Finance Team
- Primary Client contact: Project Manager
Typical activities
- Project Manager (and internal sponsor/AM) is confirmed
- Review of proposal and contract, assumptions, and risks
- Initial resourcing and availability checks - Discovery, Design, Backlog Steward, Development, etc
- Assign Support Point of Contact and discuss likely technical requirements
- Planning the Discovery approach and cadence
- Project kick-off (internal and/or client)
- Project administration (document set-up, Harvest codes, Rocket channel etc) and coordination with other projects
- Risk register
- Decision register
- Budget + Finance setup
- Statement of Work created
- Draft project KPIs (budget, timeline, client satisfaction, maybe scope stability)
Deliverables
| Deliverable | Owner | Shared With | Format | When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project admin in place (Harvest, docs, repo) | Projects Coordinator | PM | Harvest, Google Docs, Gitlab | Before kick-off |
| PM onboarded | Projects Coordinator | PM | Internal project initiation meeting template | Day 1 of initiation |
| Risk register in place with known risks documented | PM | Project team + Sponsor | Risk Register template | By end of initiation |
| Decision register | PM | Project team | Statement of Work template | By end of initiation |
| Project resourced (roles confirmed) | Projects Coordinator | PM + Sponsor + Leads | Internal project initiation meeting inc Support | Before kick-off |
| Project Plan | PM | Project Team | Project Management Sheet | Internal kick-off |
| Statement of Work signed by client | PM | Project Team + client | Statement of Work | Before Discovery phase |
Templates
| Template | Owner | Audience |
|---|---|---|
| Statement of Work | PM | Both |
| Project Management Sheet | PM | Internal |
| Internal project initiation meeting | Projects Coordinator | Internal |
| Client K-O meeting | PM | Both |
| Board templates (Gitlab; other) | Projects Coordinator | Both |
Tools and Platforms
- Harvest — project codes, time tracking
- Google Docs / Project Drive — project documentation and shared workspace
- Rocket — project channel
- Slack — if relevant for client
- GitHub / GitLab — repository setup
- [Other backlog tool — backlog setup]
- Google Meet / Zoom — kick-off meetings
Checkpoint
-
Core project roles are assigned and accepted (Sponsor, Discovery, Design, Development, Backlog Steward, Support) ↳ Required output: Role confirmation documented in project workspace (project management sheet)
-
Statement of Work is signed by client ↳ Required output: Scope and timeline are agreed and signed off
-
Internal kick-off completed ↳ Required output: Internal K-O meeting notes recorded; project documents updated
-
Budget and timeline for Discovery are agreed ↳ Required output: Documented in project management sheet
-
Project infrastructure is in place (repo/backlog, tracking, comms, docs) ↳ Required output: Checklist signed off by PM
-
Known risks are logged and visible ↳ Required output: Risk register created and accessible by client
-
Client understands what Discovery will and will not cover ↳ Required output: Discovery Plan document confirmed in writing or via kick-off notes
-
Project plan signed off ↳ Required output: Project plan includes phase with high-level estimates and timeline (currently in project management sheet)
If any of these is unclear, we resolve them before beginning Discovery.
Handover
| From | Projects Coordinator + Project Manager |
| To | Discovery Lead + Project Manager |
| Mechanism | Internal handover meeting. PM remains on the project; the Discovery Lead is formally introduced and confirmed. |
| Projects Coordinator | Confirm resourcing is in place and the Discovery Lead is booked. Share the full project admin pack (risks, decisions, SoW, infrastructure). |
| PM | Brief the Discovery Lead on the proposal, scope, risks, client context, and agreed Discovery approach. Ensure the project workspace is ready. |
| Discovery Lead | Attend handover, confirm scope of their involvement, and take ownership of the Discovery plan. |
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