Phase 1: Initiation & Business Case

Phase 1: Initiation & Business Case

Modernization Overlay: Apply the 2026 Modernization Addendum controls (AI assist + RTG linkage) before phase exit.

Purpose

Officially kick off the project, establish governance, secure resources, and align all stakeholders on objectives.

Duration

1 week

Key Activities

1.1 Project Charter Creation

• Lead: Project Manager (PM)

• Documents Created:

  • File: [ProjectCode]-001-Project-Charter-v1.0.docx

  • Location: Confluence > [ProductName] > Project Setup > Charter

Project Charter Contents:

1. Project Title & Code

Format: [PRODNAME]-[PHASE]-[YEAR]

Example: PAYMENTAPP-MVPL-2025

1. Executive Summary

• Business opportunity

• Expected benefits

• High-level timeline

3. Project Objectives (SMART)

• Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound

• Example: "Launch MVP with core payment features to 1000 users in 12 weeks"

4. Success Criteria

• Launch by [date]

• 99.5% system uptime

• Zero critical security issues

• User satisfaction score >4.0/5.0

5. High-level Requirements

• List 5-10 major features

• Out of scope items

6. Stakeholders

• Name, role, contact, involvement level

• Executive sponsor

• Business owners

• Key stakeholders

1. Budget & Resources

• Total budget

• Key team members

• External resources needed

1. Timeline (High-level Milestones)

• Phase 0: Discovery (Weeks 1-2)

• Phase 1: Planning (Weeks 3-4)

• Phase 2: Design (Weeks 5-7)

• Phase 3: Development (Weeks 8-20)

• Phase 4: Testing (Weeks 21-23)

• Phase 5: Launch (Week 24)

1. Risks (High-level)

• Resource availability

• Technical complexity

• Regulatory/compliance issues

• Market risk

1. Constraints & Assumptions

• Must use existing [Technology Stack]

• Team of 8 developers

• 24-week delivery timeline

• 1.2 Project Team Formation & Kickoff

  • Lead: PM

  • Activities:

    • Assign roles and responsibilities (see RACI matrix below)

    • Conduct kickoff meeting (2 hours)

    • Distribute charter and project documents

    • Set up communication channels

Kickoff Meeting Agenda:

1. Welcome & objectives (5 min)

2. Project overview & timeline (10 min)

3. Success criteria & metrics (10 min)

4. Team roles & responsibilities (10 min)

5. Processes & tools walkthrough (15 min)

• Jira usage (creating issues, sprint planning)

• Confluence (documentation)

• Slack channels (communication)

• GitHub (code repository)

• CI/CD pipeline (builds and deployment)

1. Q&A (10 min)

• 1.3 Communication Plan Setup

  • Lead: PM

  • Document: [ProjectCode]-002-Communications-Plan-v1.0.docx

Contents: - Slack channels created:

• #[productname]-general - project updates

• #[productname]-dev - development discussions

• #[productname]-qa - testing discussions

• #[productname]-devops - infrastructure

• #[productname]-stand-in - escalations

  • Email distribution lists

  • Meeting schedule (standup, sprint planning, reviews)

  • Escalation contacts

• 1.4 Workspace & Repository Setup

  • Lead: DevOps Engineer / Technical Lead

  • Activities:

    • Create Git repository: [organization]/[product-name]-[component]

    • Create Jira project: [PRODUCT-CODE]

    • Create Confluence space: [ProductName]

    • Set up CI/CD pipeline

    • Create folder structure (see Repository Structure section)

    • Run project bootstrap automation (channels, repos, templates, permissions)

Deliverables Checklist

Success Criteria

✅ All team members understand project objectives

✅ Communication channels operational

✅ Repository and tools configured

✅ First sprint planning scheduled