Defining Project Parameters and Limitations (scope)

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Resource Allocation

Forecasting:

• What resources will OpenUp allocate toward this project?

• How, Where, and Why will these resources be utilized?

This is a key part of the project proposal.

Budgets and Finances

• What is our budget for this project?

• Is the project a potential revenue stream for OpenUp?

See Budgets & Finance for more information.

Time Frames and Limits

Tasks within a time frame are broken down into bimonthly sprint sessions.

The length of the Project Initiation phase depends on the circumstances.

Elements of a short/expedited initiation process

• Clients who come forward with outlined intentions and set deliverables

• Fixed contracts

clear client with outlines intentions and set deliverables typically indicate a shorter initiation process. Fixed contracts easily expedite this phase of the project lifespan.

Otherwise...

For projects borne from proposals and concept notes that require OpenUp to engage with possible

• users

• participants

• clients

the initiation process easily takes two to three months, minimum.

PROJECTS CANNOT RUN INDEFINITELY. If clients and/or partners don't have hard deadlines, deadlines must be created to drive the project forward.

• How long do we want to do this for?

SELF-REFLECTION Questions: Project Managers

• What resources will OpenUp allocate toward this project?

• How, Where, and Why will these resources be utilized?

• What is our budget for this project?

• Is the project a potential revenue stream for OpenUp?

• How will we engage our partners and stakeholders?

• What is the expected time frame for this project? How long do we want to be involved?

Some projects never exit the initiation phase. A proposal or a concept note could be put together and approved, and still fail to leave the procedural planning stage. A common reason for this is a lack of funds- which is why the budget is the last item to be signed off. Sometimes the project incubates, or gets written off as a waste of time. This is why it's imperative to get to the decision-making stage as quickly as possible.

INTERNAL VS EXTERNAL PROJECTS. What's the Difference?

External projects are revenue based.

Internal projects pool money from our core grant

• Additional budget-creating activities we invest (or might invest) in will be packaged and shaped as an internal project. This is done to allocate the activity to the Core Operations Budget, even if the activity isn’t necessarily a project itself.