Chapter 3: Starting a New Project

Overview

In the planning processes of a new project, you do a substantial amount of work to set the stage. You define the big picture and get stakeholder approval for the project, in terms of the product or service you're creating as well as the overall project scope.

After this vision is in place, you're ready to create your project blueprint ”the project plan ”using Microsoft Office Project 2003. You create a new project file and enter foundation information.

Then you begin to break down your project goals and objectives into the actual phases, milestones, and tasks that form the backbone of your project information system. You sequence the phases and tasks , and organize them into a hierarchy that maps to your project.

If your project or organization has more specialized or advanced requirements, you can use work breakdown structure codes that organize your task list by each deliverable .

You can add your supporting documentation, such as the vision or strategy document, to the project plan. Likewise, you can add other supplementary information such as notes or hyperlinks to individual tasks, milestones, and phases. All this information makes your project plan the central repository of all project information.