Stage 2: Project planning and defining design and approach

Once the project mandate has been approved (Gate 1), the Project Manager can commence detailed planning of the project.

This is an important phase within the project as it determines the preferred approach along with the key milestones, deliverables, activities and resources (people and money), and the project benefits including success measures.

This includes:

• defining the governance structure for the project, involving setting up regular project board or steering group meetings and defining the roles and responsibilities of project team members. The documents by which you will manage and control the project will also need to be put in place. Further information is available in the meeting guide
• describe the delivery approach i.e. big bang, phased, pilot, feasibility or design study
• baseline the anticipated benefits
• identify the resource profile; quantify resources, identify skills required and whether they exist within the University or will need to be procured externally
• undertake full consultation with stakeholders. This involves those who will need to contribute to the project, will influence the project and or are impacted by the project. If the project requires existing resources to work on the project, approval must be sought from the relevant business area/Head of Department prior to submission of the business case
• develop a project plan which sets out the timescales and key milestones for delivery of activities, products and completion of project phases
• describe how the project will transition to business as usual

If the project requires the procurement of a system, it is important that key requirements are captured and reviewed by IT during the business case development, and attached to the business case as an appendix.