Project Management Process – Phase 1 – Initiating – Identify Project Alternatives

Project Management Process – Phase 1 – Initiating – Identify Project Alternatives (#2 in the Hut Project Management Process)
By John Filicetti

Description

Organizations are faced with constant challenges that require making difficult choices about alternative courses of action. Since each alternative will require the commitment of limited organizational resources, making an effective project selection decision requires the identification of the major competing alternatives. Examples of such alternatives include:

• Which product improvements must be implemented to achieve customer satisfaction and the greatest profits?
• Which new products and services are needed to achieve competitive advantage?
• Which organizational systems need to be re-engineered or upgraded to keep pace with escalating demands or improve efficiency?

Evaluating these alternatives is complicated by the diverse or even conflicting demands placed on decision makers by the various potential project stakeholders:

• One client may require the addition of a new product feature while another demands changes to the user interface
• Marketing may want to respond to competitive product features or process improvement while engineering feels strongly that a new product architecture or re-engineering should be a higher priority
• Finance may believe that product or process cost reduction should be the highest priority while the service department wants to improve process or product reliability.

These competing demands represent alternative projects from which the organization must choose before a project can be authorized and work begun. The collaborative nature of a project workspace can aid the committee while choosing the project alternatives by allowing them to discuss alternatives using the discussion area and even vote on alternatives using polls.

Steps

• Solicit input from stakeholders of relevant potential projects
• Create a list of potential projects
• Review list with stakeholders to ensure completeness

Templates

• Meeting Report
• Concept Proposal

Owner of This Step

• Corporate Governance Committee
• Other Corporate/Divisional/Department Management and other Resources as necessary

Next in the Hut Project Management Process:

Project Management Process – Phase 1 – Initiating – Identify Project Sponsor

Previously in the Hut Project Management Process:

Project Management Process – Phase 1 – Initiating Overview

John F. Filicetti, PMP, MBA
John Filicetti is a Sr. Sales Engineer/PM-PMO-PPM Consultant with a great depth of experience and expertise in enterprise project management, project management methodologies, Project Portfolio Management (PPM), Project Management Offices (PMOs), Governance, process consulting, and business management. John has directed and managed project management teams, created and implemented methodologies and practices, provided project management consulting, created and directed PMOs, and created consulting and professional services in such areas as project portfolio management, Governance, business process re-engineering, network systems integration, application development, infrastructure, and complex environments. John has enjoyed many years as PMO Director for large corpoations in the Seattle area and leads the PMO Roundtable discussion group and forum.

John has attained a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Education/Technology from Washington State University and an MBA from St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA.