Creating a clear, written agreement with the project stakeholders that details the project's direction and goals greatly increases your chances of providing a solid product that meets those goals. This agreement should describe the project's deliverables, when they are expected, the project's costs, and what documents describe the effort in detail. Equally important is an agreement regarding the project's risks, constraints, and open items (undecided issues).
A simple approach is to define all of this information in a one-page project plan. Figure 13-1 illustrates a sample project plan template that can result in a one- to two-page plan.
A short project plan might seem like an unnecessary formality in a small company. However, the plan can serve as a useful communication device, because it frames the project for all the stakeholders, helping them understand your vision of the project and the problems it will face. The exercise of creating the project plan will also help you in understanding the scope of the project.
Building the plan will require that you collect information on the project risks and priorities. Getting agreement on the project plan will require some negotiation about different project variables. Take care of this at the start of a project to eliminate some of the dissatisfaction that can result later from differing expectations for the project.
A one-page graphic, such as a Gantt chart or other device, representing the development effort can also be helpful at this phase of the project. A clear, single-page illustration can help project stakeholders easily grasp the efforts about to begin.
With the plan defined, you are ready to kick off the project.