Starting a project can be a really overwhelming time as a project manager. So many conversations, planning meetings, how do you approach it, how do you understand what's needed? The list goes on.
For some, this can be the hardest part of the project. Often, because you're so busy, you can lose focus on what really matters. And then further down the line, you find you've created more work or you're misaligned.
Another stat from PMI found that 37% of projects fail due to unclear goals and poor upfront planning, that’s before delivery even begins.
Which makes focusing on starting a project so important for project success.
Here are four practical ways to help get started on a project. The titles might seem obvious, but read the details for the tips themselves.
1. Begin with the “why”
Before diving into tasks or timelines, make sure everyone understands why the project matters. The purpose should be clear and repeatable.
Ask questions, and don’t settle for the first answer you hear as most initial responses are surface-level.
Dig deeper to understand the real drivers behind the project. And don’t expect great questions to come to you in the moment, prepare them beforehand so you’re ready to make the most of those early conversations.
Then use this why or this purpose to help guide decisions and your approach going forward.
2. Define what “done” looks like
Clarity beats speed. Align early on the outcome or deliverable that signals success. This reduces rework, avoids assumptions, and gives your team a shared finish line.
Plus, ask those you’re working with to explain what “done” means to them. You’ll often find that different people have different expectations of what completion actually looks like.
This is the time to uncover those differences when you can still do something about it, not after you’ve shared a deliverable.
3. Map the essentials, not everything
If you try to map everything, it’ll quickly become overwhelming and you’ll end up focusing on things that don’t add much value or don’t need your attention right now.
Plan from the outside in: start with your start and end dates, then define the key phases, followed by the milestones within each phase. Make sure each one links back to your why from point 1 as it keeps your plan purposeful rather than bloated.
This might sound like basic project planning, but it's all about preventing you from jumping into the detail too quickly.
4. Confirm how you’ll work together
Agree on communication routines, tools, and decision processes before the chaos begins.
When everyone knows how to collaborate, you remove friction from day one.
Also, ask yourself what you could do not what you should do.
In some cases, you’ll save yourself a lot of time.
A detailed weekly report might have worked great for your last project stakeholder, but for this one, a short summary email could be more than enough.
And remember, if you ask open questions like “What do you want in a project report?”, expect a long answer. Instead, ask focused questions about value and importance to uncover what really matters to them.
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain
Kicking off a project doesn’t have to feel heavy. Focus on clarity over complexity get the purpose right, define success, agree how you’ll work, and move. The first step done well saves dozens later.
And if there's any point you want to put in any extra hours on a project, it's at the start so you don’t have to put in the long hours at the end which have added challenge of being stressful hours.
Have a great week,
Ben
