Project Management - Initiation

Define your goals in writing as much as possible, so they make sense to everyone involved. In the process, define exactly who your target audience is. You may think that your goals are obvious, but write them down anyway! Consider the following criteria for goals.

They should:
* be agreed upon by everyone involved
* be realistic
* be specific
* be measurable (can you translate it to a calendar or Gantt chart? More on this later.)
* have a time component or deadline
* have a clearly defined set of responsibilities (can you assign this goal to someone, or a team?)

To identify your goals, first write down everything you can think of that might be a goal for your project. At this point, you are brainstorming; don't worry about including unrealistic or unlikely goals, or including ideas that don't meet the criteria above. But don't confuse goals with features. "Include lots of links to previously published research" is not a good project goal. Better: "provide a central resource for undergraduate students to access research on Medieval Art."

Second, cross out anything on your list that has no direct bearing on your project. But consider keeping the "unlikely" goals you dreamed up that might be difficult to achieve.

Third, eliminate anything that is a step in achieving an end goal. You are trying to identify desired results, not the process itself. "Digitizing two hours of video" is not a goal. Better: "offer streaming videos of lectures to my class."

Finally, does everything left on the list meet the six criteria above? Are they really what you want to achieve? Are they realistic?

Once you have a written list of clearly defined, realistic goals, make sure everyone on your team has a copy. This simple step goes a long way toward keeping people focused, motivated, and committed to your project.