How to start a project?

The course for project success is already set at project start. The project’s one pager and the project charter do not only define the project objectives, they also clarify the relationship with the project owner and how the project interacts with the organization.
To pave the way the project manager shall consider the different project management disciplines (e.g. as provided by the PMI):

• Scope: collect requirements, align with stakeholders, define scope, create WBS, …
• Schedule: define activities, estimate durations, …
• Cost: estimate costs, define budget, control costs, …
• Quality management: define test cases, testing, …
• Resource management: estimate resources, determine skills, build-up team, align capacities, …
• Communication: reporting, newsletters, …
• Risk management: plan for the “unknown”, be proactive!
• Procurement: select, negotiate, contract, control 3rd parties, …
• Stakeholders: identify, manage, inform, …
• Change management (applies to all above)

Think about each if it for a moment and determine what matters for your project success.