Are there specific steps to start a successful small project?

Yes there are :

Goal, Vision, Finance , Plans - Marketing, Operational, business plan etc etc....

Specific Plan , reasonable time schedule ,  qualified teamwork , and self motivation . 

Thanks for invitation . 

Ad my understanding and procedure is like this: 

 

1. First understand the customer requirements - objective, scope, KPI's, TAT, SLAs. 

1a. Do a feasibility study on capability and performance of the project. If the capability is onboard do next steps. or else close with placing the RPQ in repository.

2. Prepare Statement of Understanding and get a sign off from the customer 

3. Once customer evaluates and provides SOW , formal kick- off with estimation using PERT analysis. 

3a. Submit formal proposal with estimation and budget requirements. 

3b. If PO is released start working on execution of project . 

4. Plan for the timeline, deployment requirements, resources, softwares/hardwares etc.. 

5. Prepare basic documentation - Planning - MSP/Libra , org structure , communication matrix 

6. If there is a transition plan for KT plan, deployment at customer site, get SOP prepared, train offshore team and start the project metrics evaluated with day-to-day tracking mechanism

6a. Offshore/onsite training must be carried out. 

7. Quality plan has to be defined and define bench mark 

8. Delivery tracking must be strong and accurate. 

9. Weekly reviews with customer on deliverables, 

10. cost/billing has to be performed accordingly as per monthly/quarterly basis. 

 

Main documentation required for small project: 

 

1. Project planning 

2. Resource & deployment planning

2a. Project training plan

3. Quality checklist 

4. Communication plan 

5. Delivery metrics - project trackers, analysis.

6. Customer reviews on project deliverables/ billing. 

7. Project closure 

A4 sheet of paper, a pencil and a rubber, that's where all projects should start. To be on the safe side choose a canonical formulation for your project: (supply chain, scheduling, industrial production etc.) These will help to create the project and manage the aftermath, specially the financial aftermath, beacause one is expected to determine the IRR and the NPV of the project, to decide if it's a go! 

Agree with the answers added by experts

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Lately, I have been part of several project teams. Some of these experiences have caused me to sit back and analyze the project planning process to understand how project management planning and implementation could be improved. Why do projects managed by talented people end up being delayed or not completed? Why do project teams sometimes feel that they are shooting at a moving target? I find that the lack of proper planning or failure to create a systematic approach can be fatal to projects.projectplan Seven steps to successful project planning:1. Every project needs a roadmap with clearly defined goals that should not change after the first phase of the project has been completed. All stakeholders benefiting from the outcome of the project should be named and their needs stated.2. Develop a list of all deliverables, make sure all project team members are familiar with this list.3. A document that clearly outlines all project milestones and activities required to complete the project should be created and maintained. Establish reasonable deadlines, taking into account project team members’ productivity, availability and efficiency.4. Create a budget for your project.5. Ideally, project managers should be able to choose team members who work well together. Identify by name all individuals and/or organizations involved in the project. For each of them, roles and responsibilities on the project should be described in detail. Otherwise, miscommunication may occur leading to delays and situations where team members may have to redo their work.6. Set progress reporting guidelines – monthly, weekly or daily reports. Ideally, a collaborative workspace should be set up for your project online or offline where all parties can monitor the progress.7. Identify the risks involved in your project and discuss alternatives if new requirements will be added to your project or members of your team will not meet the deadlines. These steps should get you started with delivering your project on time, within your budget.

of course and this called management science  

I Think that planning is the key success factor .

 

Hi, These all depends upon management & planning may be -  

Lack of time to think and plan project -

 

Unrealistic deadlines / Communication

 

Mixing operational and project work.

 

Any project, be it large or small, should go through proper due diligence, scope confirmation, risk analysis, financial analysis and then other steps in resource allocation, plan approval and kick off to lead to a successful start

Need to start with having a good enough kind of resources to fund and execute the project. Also need to perform a business analysis to search for the current and future market condition for the proposed kind of business.