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Project Management \ Project Prioritization
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Establish Process for Collecting Valid Project Requests

Establish Process for Collecting Valid Project Requests

Establishing a process for collecting valid project requests is achieved through the completion of two main steps:

Establish Rules of Engagement
Collect Project Proposals

When you have completed this program you will have:

A common definition of a project and how it differs from other organizational activities, such as routine maintenance.
A solid process for documenting and collecting project requests.
Clear expectations of the information required to propose a project.
A defined and documented process for establishing the prioritization process, team, expectations, and rules of engagement.

Advanced

Steps		Tools	Related Research
Step 1: Establish Rules of Engagement This first step of this program sets the guidelines for how projects are selected by the organization. Processes and policies need to be put in place to define, from the outset, how projects are handled. Info-Tech Tip: To be useful and successful, a clear process must be designed for the group reviewing project proposals and making prioritization recommendations. If the recommendations of the prioritization process steering committee are not heeded, its credibility, and the entire prioritization process itself, are damaged.
	1.1 Definition of a Project To make the prioritization exercise valuable, it is important to define a project and to distinguish it from other non-project activities.	Guide to Defining a Project	Reviewing Project Management Basics
	1.2 Establish Prioritization Process with Senior Management This advanced step establishes the charter and rules of engagement of the prioritization process. More specifically, it establishes a prioritization steering committee, process for ranking projects, and identifies important milestones and goals.	Project Prioritization Process Template	Boost Project Communication: Establish Knowledge Transition Points Take the Fast Lane to Success with a Project Charter Project Charter Creation Template Project Prioritization: IT Shouldn't Shoulder the Load
Step 2: Collect Project Proposals This important step outlines how new project proposals are to be requested and gathered from across the organization, ensuring that all necessary information required for preliminary review is accurate and complete. Info-Tech Tip: Ensure that all projects received at the project request phase are, in fact, projects. Referring back to the project definitions set in Step 1.1, make sure that only those submissions that meet the project criteria are passed through this stage, and therefore graduate to the next stage of project prioritization. Ensure all project proposals are accurate and complete and have all necessary approvals and signatures before continuing.
	2.1 Assemble Project Proposals from the Organization All new project requests need to be gathered from across the organization. Department heads will be informed that a review process is taking place and an internal e-mail will outline submission deadlines for all new project requests. The e-mail template will outline the details of the request for project proposals and also includes a formal "Project Request Form" to be filled out by users and submitted for review.	Project Request E-Mail Template Project Request Form