What is Project Initiation Document (PID)? Using Why-What-How-When-Who Template

The Project Initiation Documentation (PID) — one of the most significant artifacts in project management, which provides the foundation for the business project.

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An Example Project Initiation Document

Project Initiation Document — Customer Service Modernization Project

BUSINESS NEED (WHY)

Currently, the customer service division performs a lot of manual work. Each person in the CS team spends more than a day a week dealing with paperwork, when the primary focus should be customer interaction. Tracking orders, queries, and complaints is difficult, and a lot of time is spent manually pulling together information so that reporting can be completed. When answering a call, the customer service agent isn’t able to see all of the recent orders, queries, and complaints for the given customer, so customers often have to repeat information depending on who they speak to.

In addition, there’s no linkage between the CS and inventory systems, so each day a number of calls have to be fielded by the product supply team just so that those taking orders can check that there are sufficient stocks to fulfill the order before placing it. Customers have also fed back via the sales teams and their customer service contacts that they would like to be able to place orders and log queries and complaints online or via email, rather than having to call the organization each time.

PROJECT OBJECTIVE (WHAT)

TO: modernize the customer service processes and systems

IN A WAY THAT:

• removes manual rework from the processes and procedures
• effectively connects ordering, inventory, and customer query systems
• provides appropriate reporting and tracking of customer orders, queries, and complaints
• allows customers to interact via telephone, email, or web phone, both to make initial contact and to check for updates

SO THAT: Customer satisfaction is increased to a score of 60% and running costs are decreased by $20 000 per annum.

PROJECT DELIVERABLES (HOW)

• evaluation and recommendation as to whether to implement a generic CRM solution or whether to build one internally
• analysis of existing customer service processes and procedures and recommendation for improvements
• implementation of CRM solution in line with new processes and requirements
• interfaces to new CRM system from inventory and other existing systems
• customer-facing web site and email address for logging orders, queries, and complaints, as well as for status updates

ESTIMATED TIMELINE (WHEN)

Since significant investigatory and analysis work needs to be done, there’s a great deal of uncertainty in terms of how long this project will take. The recommendation is to set a deadline for the first two deliverables (identifying whether to buy or build a CRM solution and analyzing and recommending changes to the processes and procedures of the customer service department) of March 1st (two months from now). At this point, a plan for further work will be presented for Project Board review.

PROJECT ORGANIZATION (WHO)

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Automate Your Project Management Process

Thomas Carlyle, a famous historian and author, stated,

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As the world continues to become more complex, it is even more important for people to develop and use tools, especially for managing important projects. Automated project management tools and techniques assist project managers and their teams in carrying out work faster, better and easier.