Q. How do I get started?

At one as well as the same time this step is possibly the most important and least understood of all the steps in the project management process. Entire books have been written on this topic alone yet there are some basic guidelines which are helpful

1. Ensure you know who is your primary client to whom you will be reporting on project progress as well as from whom you will be receiving direction as the project process evolves.

2. Ensure that you understand your client's goals and objectives and that you will can document them in increasing detail as part of developing a project plan which you will eventually be able to execute.

3. Ensure you understand the context of the project Why now? Why is it being done? What are the consequently the risks and implications that will be faced? Do the delivery date furthermore budget look realistic? What are the tangible as well as intangible benefits? Does it seem like the project is worth doing at all? In short will it be successful?

4. Document all of this as well as together with any assumptions that you may have to make and obtain your client's concurrence. You may perhaps well be faced with some hard negotiating to do but in the end you will have an initiation document which once approved by the appropriate funding authority will be your project mandate to proceed and give you the best chance for success.

With this out of the way you are now off also running and the next steps will be to build a project team develop a project plan and identify the additional information and resources required for the project.