From the course: Project Management Foundations

How to obtain approval to proceed

From the course: Project Management Foundations

How to obtain approval to proceed

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- Now that you have a plan for the project, you need to get the stakeholders to approve the plan so you can start work. Getting approval is important because you need the stakeholders' commitment to make the project a success. You might think about getting approval by mailing or emailing a packet to stakeholders and asking them to sign on the dotted line. I don't recommend that approach. Here's the problem. People probably won't read through the plan. Sure, they might sign their names, but later if they find something they disagree with, their commitment disappears and you end up back to planning. A face-to-face sign off meeting is more effective. Schedule a meeting specifically for getting approval. The agenda is straightforward. First, present the project plan to make sure that the stakeholders agree with it. If issues arise, deal with them right then and there. Or if the issues are big enough, you might have to reschedule the sign off so you can rework the plan. Once everyone agrees, ask them all to sign a signature page to indicate their approval. If you can't get everyone in the same room, a video conference or conference call works too. Ask the people in other locations to transmit their signatures to you by fax, email, or even snail mail. Signing a project plan isn't like signing a legal document. You're never going to go back to your stakeholders and say, "But you signed this." What's important is that the stakeholders understand what the project is about and buy into it.

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