For projects with a complex stakeholder context, or where a rapid innovation is needed, a early focus on project definition reduces risk and maximises impact.

Project Definition is a delivery team collaboration, held at commencement that reduces risk and maximises value, right at the start of the project where we can have the greatest impact. It establishes a shared vision, defines the problem to be solved and the opportunity to be realised, confirms the scope, improves the approach, and builds working group cohesion. 

We start with the end in mind. We define the outcomes of the project, then identify the change, asset or product to be developed. The project activities that develop the value, realise the opportunity and mitigate the risks are confirmed.

This is not a stakeholder engagement session, rather a conversation with the project team about context and approach — about aims and means. The objective is to create clarity, certainty and momentum in the work as it begins. Starting in this way we are able to realise the project outcomes. 

Context and Roadmap

There are two parts to the Project Definition:

• Project Context to confirm and expand our understanding of the project purpose, context, issues and opportunities, risks and definition of done.
• Project Roadmap to confirm and refine the project approach, and allow course correction with the new understanding provided by Context.

Project Context

Project Context is a structured, thematic conversation for understanding any project. Purpose, issues, opportunities, outcomes, stakeholders, risks and definition of done are all discussed, with the dialogue dwelling on those topics that matter most to the success of the project.

Success of the project hinges on the team’s shared understanding of these fundamentals. Context builds team cohesion and the alignment that will sustain the delivery over time, even as the project inevitably changes.

Agenda

1. Business context. We confirm an understanding of the business context and the value, opportunity and risk drivers of the work. The business leadership perspective is understood, alongside material contextual factors.
2. Value at risk and opportunities. What are the issues and opportunities to be addressed? Who has them? What do stakeholders think?
3. Purpose and objectives are explored for a clear articulation of the outcomes, which in turn provides the program of work with meaning, context and value.
4. Stakeholder engagement. Project success or failure hinges on stakeholder agreement. Prioritisation and planning in engagement is critical.
5. Risks, issues and unknowns. Every project has these, and having them out early enables better risk mitigation and flexible adaptation along the way.
6. Definition of done. Project completeness is not always the same as project outcome. How will we all know that the work is done?
7. Project approach. The high-level project approach should make sense in the the context of the value at risk, the opportunity, the purpose and objectives, stakeholder engagement, project risk and the definition of done.

Project Roadmap

Once the context and approach is established, the project roadmap can be confirmed. Project Roadmap is a collaborative delivery team session to detail the approach, and co-design elements, changes to scope, clarifications and course corrections that emerge in the Context conversation.

Roadmapping

What do we mean by roadmapping? It’s a card-based way to represent scope.

Roadmapping is a way to write stories that represent project scope (this is also called Storymapping by some). This workshop technique uses coloured cards organised in a meaningful, easily re-organised array to represent scope.

• Green: Epics – for themes, categories, timings and abstract and ad hoc arrangements.
• Blue: Stories – the names of valuable things. Normally a noun phrase.
• Yellow: Cases – the definition of a story — description, attributes, narrative, delivery, lists.
• Red: Issues, questions blockers, unknowns… that prevent delivery
• White: Resources – who owns the work? Who is in the team? When, how long, how much?