Typical Phase by Phase Activities

Pre-Project

Although DSDM has a formal pre-project phase, OpenUP does not. Nevertheless, there are important activities that need to be undertaken before a project can be started. The Executive Sponsor is key in ensuring that these are completed. You can use this extract from DSDM as a form of checklist for starting Inception.

• Determine the need for the project and that is in line with the business strategy.
• Allocate someone to the Visionary role for the duration of the project.
• Obtain initial funding for the Inception Phase.
• Agree the approach to project governance with the relevant parts of the organisation.
• Commit the necessary business resources to the Inception Phase, e.g. especially Ambassador User and Advisor User(s) as requested by the Project Manager.
• Ensure that planning, co-ordination and management responsibilities for both the IT/IS project and any associated business change are clearly assigned to the relevant people.

Inception Phase

• Monitor project governance.
• Respond to issues escalated by the Visionary.
• Review/approve the Risk List.
• Review/accept the Project Plan (or not: the project can stop here if no viable solution is possible).
• Commit the necessary business resources to the next phase of the project.

Elaboration Phase

• Monitor project governance.
• Respond to issues escalated by the Visionary.
• Review/approve the Risk List.
• Approve the Business Case for the project to proceed beyond the Elaboration Phase and obtain funding as necessary.
• Review/agree the Project Plan (or not).
• This is a major go/no go decision point in the project.
• Commit the necessary business resources to the rest of the project.

Construction Phase

• Monitor project governance.
• Respond to issues escalated by the Visionary.
• Review/approve the Risk List.
• Monitor project governance.
• Review/agree the Project Plan (or not).
• Commit the necessary business resources to the rest of the project.

Transition Phase

• Monitor project governance.
• Respond to issues escalated by the Visionary.
• Review/approve the Risk List.
• Sign off the delivered system.
• Determine whether or not the project is to deliver another increment or stop now.

Post-Project

This occurs after the final Transition iteration.

• Ensure that the Post-Project Review is run if appropriate to the size of project - especially to prove that the Business Case has been achieved.