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2.1 Every masterpiece starts with a sketch

Projects don’t grow on trees, nor emerge out of thin air. As more companies adopt a project approach, they are recognizing early on when a work area should become a project: a peak in business activity with defined beginning and end points, requiring a multi-disciplinary team to carry it out.

Recognizing, initiating and developing a project idea are essential skills for any aspiring project manager.

1 Like trees, projects need strong roots. Make sure your project idea is grounded in the needs of your business, or it will be unlikely to command much support. Similarly, make sure it plays to your organization’s strengths – in other words, that it is practical and makes good use of your capabilities (as well as those of your suppliers).

2 Ideally, your project should be the solution to a business challenge. For example: how can we launch this new product succesfully? How can we cut costs and maximize opportunities

one minute wonder Before developing a project idea, ask three key questions:

• What does research show our customers or end users need? How will they make use of it?

• Why is this the right project (and is it at the right time) for our organization? How does it fit with our strategy, and with currently available resources?

• How are we (and our suppliers) going to deliver what customers need? What particular skills do we have that make this project the right choice?

for collaboration between teams? How can we improve e-communications with our customer base? All these challenges can be the inspiration for a project, such as a marketing plan, a team merger, or a new website.

3 Make sure you have the necessary support in place to get started. Try to view any criticism of your project proposal as constructive – it will help you identify potential risks and pitfalls, and to work out how to reduce the likelihood of these affecting your project.

4 If your project idea doesn’t get off the ground, don’t be discouraged. The cost of ‘closing’ your project at this stage is probably very small; this is rarely the case later on, so, by testing your idea before starting, you are likey to have saved a significant amount of money. Treat it is a learning experience and move on. Besides, without creative ideas, there would be no innovation!

Make sure your project idea is absolutely right for your business.