• The first 10% to 20% of a projects life is the period when it is easiest to influence its overall outcome in a positive way and derive the maximum cost benefits.
  
  
• This is the conundrum – at the time when the project team can exert the greatest influence on a projects overall success (for the lowest cost), the team itself is at its least effective!!!

Strategies to mitigate the conundrum

• Provide support to the project team to minimise the time required for it to grow into an effective unit
  
  
• Expand the role of the Project Office to include specific project "Start Up" responsibilities
  
  
• Train (or develop, or contract) a specialist project "Start Up" taskforce to assist in the critical initial phases of a project and progressively hand over to the permanent team

Authors: Lynda Bourne and Patrick Weaver