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Staff Directory Home Strategic project delivery Stage 1: Initiation and scoping Stage 1: Project initiation and scoping

Stage 1: Project initiation and scoping

Project initiation and scoping is the first stage of the project management lifecycle. During this stage the following activities will need to take place:

  • identifying the idea or driver for the project
  • defining the scope of the project and project objectives
  • considering the outputs or project benefits towards the delivery of the University’s strategic plan
  • providing an initial indication of the resourcing implications of the proposed project
  • providing indicative financial costs for the development of a full business case
  • establishing the appropriate approval process to receive authority to commence a project. The level of approval required to commence a project can be determined by assessing the project against the project assessment matrix. This establishes whether the project will require approval by Project Coordination Group (PCG)*, or whether it can be approved within the established line management structures of the University

Project documentation

When projects are in development, a range of different forms need to be completed for approval, depending on the stage of the project.   

Access the project template forms, including:

  • Business Case
  • Client Brief
  • Closure Report
  • Project Mandate
  • Project Privacy Checklist

If you need further guidance or support please contact pgo@essex.ac.uk who can help.

Project Mandate

The Project Mandate sets out the overall project objectives, scope, and indicative financial costs. It also sets out the resource requirements to develop the full Business Case and may detail other known resource requirements.

The purpose of project mandate is to enable Project Coordination Group (PCG) to make a decision on whether to commit further resources and investment in the development of a full Business Case based on the following criteria:

  • whether the proposed project seeks to address an area/issue that is strategically important to the University
  • whether the proposed project has the potential to deliver strategic benefits to the University
  • whether the anticipated resources required for the project appear to be proportionate, and whether they are likely to be available during the period for which the project is proposed
  • whether the project ‘fits’ with the overall strategic projects portfolio

*PCG have delegated authority for the oversight and delivery of the University’s strategically important projects.

This Client Brief template is for use on capital projects subject to approval and oversight by CPG.

Gate 1: Approval of the Project Mandate or feasibility study

The Project Mandate is submitted to either the Capital Planning Group (CPG) or Project Coordination Group (PCG) depending on the type of project and funding amount.

The approval of a Project Mandate gives permission to progress to the next project stage and releases any approved resources for the development of the Business Case.

The Project Governance Office (pgo@essex.ac.uk) provides advice on the appropriate governance route of newly developed Project Mandates.

PCG will make one of three decisions:

  1. Approved: The proposed project receives approval to proceed with the development of a full business case. PCG make recommendations for consideration in the development of the business case
  2. Referred: The project mandate is referred back to the Project Manager as further work is required. PCG will recommend a future date for submission of the revised project mandate
  3. Rejected: The proposed project is rejected and should not be submitted to PCG for consideration within the next 12 months

CPG will make one of three decisions:

  1. Endorse: The proposed project receives endorsement of the project idea and or feasibility study and CPG recommend the approval of project costs by the Registrar and Secretary if less than £100,000. If greater than £100,000 the mandate will proceed through the respective committees for approval of funds**
  2. Referred: The project mandate is referred back to the project manager as further work is required. CPG will recommend a future date for submission of the revised project mandate
  3. Rejected: The proposed project is rejected and should not be submitted to CPG for consideration within the next 12 months

When approving a project, both PCG and CPG will apply a priority ranking which is based on the time criticality and strategic importance of the project. The scoring criteria is outlined in the project prioritisation matrix (.pdf).

Funding for the development of the business case and/or feasibility study will only be released by finance on approval of the project mandate. Funding requirements for project implementation will be released after approval of the business case by PCG.

Exception

Projects where the content within the project mandate was sufficient to be considered as a business case, will not be required to develop a business case. Instead, such projects can be approved by the Registrar and Secretary for immediate delivery/implementation after approval of the project mandate.

** Committee approval amounts are listed within the University’s’ financial regulations.

Project lifecycle stages
Stage 2: Project planning and defining the design and approach
Stage 3: Implementation readiness and delivery
Stage 4: Business as usual and benefits realisation
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