Project Management with the IBM Rational Unified Process: Lessons From The Trenches

All projects start with excitement and high expectations. Successful projects harness this excitement and maintain it consistently throughout the project. How is this accomplished? Certainly a large part of this is communication among all members of the project team. Another factor is establishing a sense of mission and using it to instill a sense of urgency in the project team. This chapter covers the following:

• The purpose and goals of the Inception phase

• Artifacts to be produced in the Inception phase

• The "soft" skills needed on a successful project, such as

  • The importance of setting the project vision

  • Best practices for maintaining communication throughout all organizations involved in the project

• Establishing a project Web site with suggestions on content

• What can go wrong in the Inception phase

• Establishing a sense of ownership for the project