• Determine work team and project manager

Identify the key staff required during the project definition. A business resource is critical to ensure all business processes described are accurate. A technical resource is necessary to help identify the work effort required. The entire team does not need to be staffed, but recommendations can be made for resource planning.

• Align Sponsors

Begin to identify who would provide executive and/or technical sponsorship to the project. There should be one sponsor to turn to champion the effort and be a resource to the project team. Before a proposal can be launched as a project, an engaged sponsor and funding will be required.

• Set up plan in MS Project to track time

Use this Microsoft Project Small Project Plan template to help set up your project to begin tracking the time you spend on origination.

• Determine Stakeholders

Use this Excel template to help you determine the stakeholders for your project. Identifying all potential stakeholders at this point is critical. It will assist the team talk to the right areas to define the business needs, confirm who should be project sponsor, and assist in determining the funding model.

• Develop Needs Analysis

Use this Excel template to help develop your needs analysis. This template allows you to begin capturing what the specific business needs, and then some of the expected features or functionality needed WITHOUT DEFINING WHAT THE SOLUTION WILL BE. This information will evolve into the detailed Business Requirements Document for the solution.

• Develop initial Risk Assessment

Use this Excel template to help develop your risk assessment. This worksheet helps identify specific, tangible, and actionable risks that will be described in your business case. Not all risks may be relevant, but risk assessment is a brainstorming exercise for the entire core team.

• Create the Business Case and Proposed Solution

The business case is a common presentation tool for describing the proposal. It identifies an existing business need and a proposed solution to meet the defined business need. High level estimates are provided on how much the project will cost. The proposed solution defines the best solution to address the business need, and includes an evaluation of all alternatives considered, and a justification for the solution that is selected. Use this Word template to help develop your business case and proposed solution.

• Enter Project Proposal in EPM

The Project Proposal form is an online form. This form will ask for information you have completed in steps 1 and 2. Click the link to the right to access the form. You will need to login to Project Web Access.

• Attach Business Case to Project Proposal

Don't forget to attach your completed business case to your project proposal.

• Attach Risk Assessment to Project Proposal

Don't forget to attach your completed risk assessment from step 2 to your project proposal.