Initiating: charter the project, identify stakeholders
What you'll be able to do
Initiating is the 'we're really doing this' moment — sponsor signs the charter, key stakeholders are named.
- Initiating produces the charter and the initial stakeholder register.
- Sponsor signs the charter; PM uses it as authority.
- Initiating happens at project start AND at the start of each new phase.
The Initiating focus area covers the work needed to authorise a new project or phase. Its purpose is to align stakeholders' expectations on the project's purpose, define the initial scope and resources, identify key stakeholders, and assign project-management roles. Two artefacts dominate the output: the project charter and the stakeholder register.
The project charter is the document — signed by the sponsor — that formally authorises the project and gives the PM authority to apply organisational resources. It typically captures the high-level scope, the business case link, the key stakeholders, the high-level risks, the success criteria, and the assumptions. Without a charter, the project has no legitimate claim on the org's people or money.
The stakeholder register identifies who is involved, what they care about, and how to engage them. It's a living document — stakeholders change as the project evolves — but the *initial* register must exist before Planning begins, because every later plan (communications, risk, scope) depends on knowing who to plan for.
Key points
- Initiating produces the charter and the initial stakeholder register.
- Sponsor signs the charter; PM uses it as authority.
- Initiating happens at project start AND at the start of each new phase.
- Without a charter, the PM has no claim on org resources.
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