Getting started with the course

Introduction to course 2
 Initiating the project
 Identifying project scope, goals, and deliverables
 Manage success of a project
 Identify stakeholders
 Scoping project tools and resources
 Introduce documentation that will help project kickoff
Course 2 Overview (Reading)
During this course, you will learn how to make sure your project is successful. Stakeholders will
be discussed, along with their influence level and how to manage them, as well as determining
project objectives, goals, deliverables, and success criteria. In order to set project expectations,
you will be taught how to use tools such as RACI charts (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted,
and Informed), stakeholder analysis, and project charters. As part of this course, you will also
learn how to set specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound goals in order to
understand the scope of a project, determine its feasibility, and clearly define what success looks
like for a project. As a Google employee, you will receive instructional support and hands-on
training for accomplishing these tasks, while utilizing the appropriate tools and resources.

This section describes the structure and functionality of the Project Management Certificate
program. This material can be skipped if you already read it in the last course. Please accept my
sincere welcome if you are a new participant! In the course you are about to explore, our
program is specially designed for learners of all types to help them complete the certificate and
get ready for a career in project management. You do not need any previous experience.
Understanding the key components of project initiation
Why is project initiation essential? (Video)
Cost Benefit Analysis
The process of adding up the expected value of a project-the benefits- and comparing them to the
dollar costs.

Benefits
 What value will this project create?
 How much money could this project save our organization?
 How much money will it bring in from existing customers?
 How much time will be saved?
 How will the user experience be improved?
Costs
 How much time will people have to spend on this project?
 What will be the one-time costs?
 Are there any ongoing costs?
  What about long-term costs?
Video Question
What questions can a project manager ask to determine a project’s benefits? Select all that
apply.
 How much money can this project save our organization?
Ex: Knowing how much money the project can save tells project managers if the amount offsets
the overall cost.
 How much time will this project save customers?
Ex: Knowing how much time a project can save customers demonstrates to stakeholders the
project’s benefit.

Initiation is the first phase within the project life cycle.

Planning
Executing
Closing

Because initiation is the first phase of the project, it’s important to get it right. A well thought out
planned initiation result is a strong foundation for the project and sets it up for success.

Initiation begins when problems or opportunities have been identified within the organization.

As a project manager it is your responsibility to foresee project goals resources, and other details
based on initial discussions with stakeholders. Regardless of if someone came up with the idea
it’s your job to figure out all the important pieces that make it come together in order for the
work to get done.

The beginning phase is critical for asking the correct questions, conducting research, allocating
resources, and fully documenting the project's major components. This will assist you solidify
the project's scope or boundary. Don't be concerned if all of this seems overwhelming. Later in
this course, we will discuss project scope in further detail. If the project is not properly begun,
things can quickly go awry. For example, if you don't fully understand the project's objectives,
you may underestimate how many resources you'll need or how long it will take. Alternatively, if
you don't agree with stakeholders on what success looks like, you may believe the project was
completed successfully but the stakeholders believe it failed to meet their objectives.
Video Question
What are some of the project manager’s responsibilities during the initiation phase? Select
all that apply.
 Determine the criteria for project success with stakeholders
Ex: Communicating clearly with stakeholders during the initiation phase saves time and effort
later.
 Identify project goals
Ex: Having a clear idea of project success helps keep stakeholders aligned.
  Identify project resources
Ex: Knowing what resources are available can help keep projects from going over budget.

Key Components of project Initiation (Video)

Key Components that make up initiation
 Goals
 Scope
 Deliverables
 Success criteria
 Stakeholders
 Resources
The goal is what you’ve been asked to do and what you’re trying to achieve.
The scope is the process to define the work that needs to happen to complete the project.
Project deliverables are products and services that you will create for your customer, client, or
project sponsor
Success criteria is the standard by which you measure how successful a project was reaching its
goals
Stakeholders are people who both have an interest in, and affected by, the completion and
success of a project
Resources
 Budget
 People
 Materials
Project Charter
A document that clearly defines the project and its goals, and outlines what is needed to
accomplish them.
Video Question
Which of the following are key components of project initiation?
 Resources
Ex: Resources generally refer to the budget, people, and materials you’ll have at your disposal.
 Scope
Ex: =The scope of the process defines the work that needs to happen to complete the project.
 Deliverables
Ex: The deliverables are the products or services that you will create for your customer, client, or
project sponsor.
 Goals
Ex: The goal is what you’ve been asked to do and what you’re trying to achieve
Reflection: Project initiation and key components (Practice Quiz)
 1. In this exercise, you will read a scenario and identify the six key components of project
initiation:
 Goals
 Scope
 Project deliverables
 Success criteria
 Stakeholders
 Resources
Start by reading the scenario:
Imagine you are a project manager at an educational software company. You’re assigned a new
project to develop a digital grading platform for a local high school. Before beginning the
project, you meet with teachers, school administrators, the school IT department, and the district
superintendent to discuss the project and get their input.
During these meetings, you organized your thoughts by writing down project key components
that the stakeholders have requested. Your notes on the key components are:
 $150,000 maximum budget
 Team: can add one member from the school IT department
 Platform should allow teachers to enter grades and allow students/parents to view grades
 Need full teacher buy-in at high school: 100% adoption within next nine months
 Project should focus only on the digital grading platform and NOT impact other digital
platforms (ex. attendance, school lunch payments)
 Overall, the school is seeking a platform for digital grading
The next step in the project is to organize the key components into a project charter. You will
then present the charter to the individuals involved with the project. The project charter ensures
everyone is aligned before planning and then executing the project.

Have you read the scenario?

 I have!
Ex: Great! Now, compare your answers to the feedback below.

2. Which of the key components is the project’s goal? Write one sentence.
 The goal for the project is to focus on the digital grading platform and not impact
other digital platforms. (Ex. attendance, school lunch payments)
Ex: Thank you for your response. The project’s goal is what you’ve been asked to do and what
you’re trying to achieve. The goals are often determined by senior leaders at an organization or
company. Did you consider the goal as: To launch a digital grading platform for the high school
and get full teacher adoption?

3. Which key component outlines the project’s scope? Write one sentence.
  Before beginning the project, the project manager needs to have a meeting with teachers,
school administrators, IT department, and District superintendent to discuss the project
and get their input.
Ex: Project managers use scope as a boundary—what should or shouldn’t be included in the
project. In the scenario above, the project scope is: Creating the digital grading platform and not
updating other digital platforms the school uses such as attendance or meal payments.

4. Which key component is the project deliverable? Write one sentence.

 The project manager then organizes the notes on key components that the stakeholder
requested and then makes a project charter for everyone involved in the project to ensure
everyone is aligned before planning and executing the project.
Ex: A deliverable is the tangible and intangible outcomes of a project. The deliverables in the
examples are: A platform for teachers to enter grades and students to view their grades.

5. Which key component outlines the project’s success criteria? Write one
sentence.
 The key components that outline a project’s success is the cost, scope, and time.
Ex: The success criteria are the standards by which you measure how successful a project is in
reaching its goals. Did you consider: 100% of teachers adopt the digital grading platform within
the next nine months?

6. Who are the project stakeholders? Write one sentence.

 The project stakeholders are the teachers, school administrators, school IT department,
district superintendent, students, and parents.
Ex: Stakeholders are people who have an interest in, or are affected by, the completion of a
successful project: teachers, students, parents, school administrators, school IT department, and
the district superintendent.

7. Which key components outline the resources you will have at your
disposal for the project?
 Budget for the project will be $150,000 maximum, and then one member from the school
IT department
Ex: Resources generally refer to the budget, people, and materials available to complete the
project. In the scenario, it’s the budget of $150,000 and the member from the school’s IT
department.
Afsheen: Listening to learn (Video)
“When trying to set goals for a project, I apply very in depth, active listening.”

“When you initiate a project, you can’t invest enough time in meeting with stakeholders.”
Ungraded plugin: Explore Project Initiation
 Create the scope Provide deliverables
Establish project goals
Among the stakeholder requests, Aside from the project plan,
It focuses on team collaboration which itself was an early
and community building, so Vinh heard that they would like
small-group discussions, team deliverable, Vinh also needs
Formation's teams can to provide event registration,
strengthen their collaboration training sessions, and a karaoke
cocktail party-and that all events a complete schedule of
skills. In consultation with events, and meal service
senior leadership, Vinh agrees would be provided
transportation. As part of the during the conference.
that the event will last three
days and include participation scoping process, Vinh
investigates venues, vendors, Performing a cost-
workshops for 200 employees
worldwide. and technology providers to benefit analysis
determine cost and logistical
(Reading)
requirements.
It has been previously explained that in a cost-
benefit analysis, the expected value, or benefits, of a project is added up and compared to the
dollar cost. Here we'll discuss why it's important to perform a cost-benefit analysis, along with
guiding questions to ask that can help you and your stakeholders determine ROI (return on
investment).

The benefits of a cost-benefit analysis

A cost-benefit analysis can help projects and organizations reduce risks while maximizing
profits. It can help you communicate properly with stakeholders and executives while keeping
your project on schedule. Because this form of analysis employs objective data, it can assist
decrease biases and prevent stakeholder self-interest from influencing decision-making.
Comparing a project's advantages to its expenses can help you create a compelling economic
case for stakeholders and leadership, ensuring that your company pursues the most profitable or
beneficial ventures. Organizations employ cost-benefit analysis to decrease waste and allocate
resources wisely.

Guiding questions for a cost-benefit analysis

When pursuing a project, make sure the advantages outweigh the expenditures. It is critical that
you and your stakeholders examine questions like the ones below early in the proposal-writing
process.

To assess the advantages of a project, you may ask:

 What value will this project create?
 How much money could this project save for our organization?
 How much money will it bring in from existing customers?
 How much time will it save?
 How will it improve the customer experience?

Consider the following questions when determining the costs of a project:

 How much time will people have to spend on this project?
 What are the one-time costs?
 Are there any ongoing costs?
 What about long-term costs?

Consider asking about intangible benefits. These are non-quantifiable gains,

such as:
 Customer satisfaction. Will the project increase customer retention, causing them to
spend more on the company’s products or services?
 Employee satisfaction. Is the project likely to improve employee morale, reducing
turnover?
 Employee productivity. Will the project reduce employees’ overtime hours, saving the
company money?
 Brand perception. Is the project likely to improve the company’s brand perception and
recognition, attract more customers or provide a competitive advantage?

You can also use these questions to analyze intangible costs. These are costs that cannot be
quantified. For example, may the initiative jeopardize customer retention, employee satisfaction,
and brand perception?
When determining the values of tangible or intangible costs and benefits, you can refer to similar
previous initiatives, do industry research, or speak with experts.

Calculating costs and benefits

Calculating costs and benefits is also known as calculating return on investment (ROI). There are
numerous methods for calculating a project's ROI, but the most straightforward is to compare the
initial and recurring costs to the long-term benefits.

One commonly used ROI formula is:

In this formula, G represents the expected financial rewards from the project, while C represents
the initial and ongoing costs of your investment.

For example, suppose your project costs $6,000 up front and $25 a month for 12 months.
Twenty-five dollars over twelve months equals $300 every year, therefore your total expense is
$6,300. You predict that the project will generate $10,000 in revenue over the course of the year.
This leaves you with:

 G = $10,000
 C = $6,300

Now, using the preceding calculation, you plug in the following amounts:

 ($10,000 - $6,300) ÷ $6,300 = ROI

Then you continue with the calculation:

 First, inside the parentheses: 10,000 - 6,300 = $3,700

 Next, $3,700 ÷ $6,300 = 0.5873

 Finally, 0.5873 x 100 = 58.7%
The ROI equals 0.587, or 58.7%. Given that a high ROI is anything above 10%, you consider
58.7% to be a strong ROI and decide to pursue the project.
Review: The fundamentals of project initiation
Wrap-up (Video)
 Poll Question
Think back on a project you completed recently. It could be a work project (like adopting
new software) or a personal one (like moving to a new city). Consider the challenges you
faced while carrying out the project. Then, select up to three issues that impacted your
project from the list below. After you submit your response, you will be able to see results
from you and your peers.

 The project went over budget.

 The project went overtime.
 The project went out-of-scope.
 Project documentation was difficult to manage.
 Project communication was lacking, and some questions went unanswered.
Initiation Phase
 Goals
 Scope
 Deliverables
 Success criteria
 Stakeholders
 Resources
Module 1 Challenge (Quiz)
Question 1
Fill in the blank: Project initiation includes determining resources, documenting key
components, and _____.
 solidifying scope

Question 2
What two questions can a project manager ask to determine a project’s costs? Select all
that apply.
 What are the ongoing project costs?
 How much time will people have to spend on the project?

Question 3
Which of the following are key components of project initiation? Select all that apply.
 Success criteria
 Scope
 Goals

Question 4
As a project manager, you define the standards to meet for the project’s success. Which
key component of project initiation does this scenario concern?
 Success criteria

Question 5
Imagine that the main supplier for a construction project runs out of steel girders and
needs to obtain more to complete the order. Which key component of project initiation
does this scenario concern?
 Resources

Question 6
As a project manager, you have completed key components of the initiation phase. What is
the document you will put together and present to stakeholders?
 A project charter

Question 7
When calculating a cost-benefit analysis for a project, what do you call gains that are not
quantifiable?
 Intangible benefits

Question 8
You expect that a project will bring in $18,000 USD in revenue per year. You estimate it
will cost $10,000 up front. You also estimate costs of $100 per month for the first 12
months, which equals $1,200 per year. Using the formula (G-C) ÷ C = ROI, how would you
calculate the project’s return on investment (ROI) after the first 12 months?
 (18,000 - 11,200) ÷ 11,200 = 61%