5 Essential Steps to Write a Project Description for Success

Writing an effective project description is crucial for the success of any project. This comprehensive article provides key steps and tips to craft a compelling project description that clearly communicates goals, details, and vision to stakeholders throughout the project. Read on to learn how to write a description that sets your project up for great success. 

Why Is An Effective Project Description Important?

A well-written project description serves multiple vital purposes:

• Clearly communicates goals, vision, details to key stakeholders  

• Aligns understanding between the project manager and team members

• Provides a reference for decision-making throughout the project lifecycle

• Allows for accurate tracking of progress and accountability at project milestones

• Helps secure buy-in and support from sponsors and leadership

In other words, the project description is a critical project management document that enables shared understanding and coordination amongst the project team and stakeholders. Taking the time to write an accurate, stakeholder-focused description pays dividends in more efficient and successful project execution. It is an important overview of the key aspects of the project.

Step 1: Articulate The Project Background and Goals

Start by clearly defining the problem you are trying to solve or the goals you hope to achieve with this particular project. Concisely explain:

• What specific issues, needs or opportunities does this project aim to address? Provide relevant background. 

• How will desired outcomes improve the status quo? What is the current state?

• What are the key objectives and success metrics for the project?

This orientation sets the context so readers understand the purpose and importance of the initiative. Aim for a crisp problem statement and list of 2-4 focused, measurable goals. 

Keep this section high-level and focused on the "why" before drilling into the details. Articulating project aims clearly builds the foundation for alignment and shared expectations of success. 

What Type of Project Is This?

Provide details on the nature and type of project to further frame understanding of scope and approach:

• Is this an infrastructure upgrade project? A new product development project? Process improvement? Other?

• Is it a "greenfield" standalone project or tied to other initiatives? 

• What external dependencies exist? Related systems, regulatory factors, links to other projects?

• Who are the known key stakeholders? Primary team members?

• Are there pre-defined requirements in place? Budget guidelines?

Outline the key characteristics and context of the project type to educate readers. This enables more accurate planning and coordination.

Describe The Project Scope, Plan and Team In Detail

Now provide expanded specifics on the “what, who, when and how” details of your project:

What Are The Key Project Deliverables?

• What are the specific features to be built, outcomes achieved, or other deliverables produced by this project?  

• Provide enough clarity and details for accurate scheduling, resourcing and status tracking during execution. Break down into clear subtasks.  

Who Are The Project Stakeholders and Team Members?

• Identify all key project stakeholders, both internal and external. Document their level of involvement.

• List out the project manager and team members. Define their roles and responsibilities related to this project in more detail. This may evolve over time.  

What Is The Project Timeline?

• Provide estimated start and end dates for the project itself.

• Break down into major phases with target timeframes as relevant. Common phases include initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure. Outline at milestone level.  

How Will The Project Work Be Executed?

• What is the overall methodology or framework to be followed to complete work? Agile, waterfall, hybrid model? 

• Describe intended processes and systems for completing tasks, communicating, storing documents, tracking issues and actions, managing changes, etc. Provide specifics.

• Will there be special coordination processes with stakeholders during certain phases?

Documenting these areas provides a way for both the project manager and team members to clearly understand boundaries, plans, guidelines and procedures prior to kicking off work. It enables smoother collaboration.  

Step 4: Identify Major Project Assumptions, Constraints and Risks

To enable realistic planning, clearly identify key assumptions, constraints and risks that can impact the project: 

Assumptions:

• External realities taken as true for planning purposes but which are uncertain 

• ex. Funding will be received by April 1 to start procurement 

Constraints: 

• Limits such as budgets, deadlines, resource availability that the project must operate within

• ex. Project must be completed by December 1st milestone 

Risks: 

• Potential events that would negatively impact achieving project goals

• ex. Key vendor bankruptcy delays component delivery 

Ideally provide contingency plans already in place to address these, such as:

• Secondary vendor source options 

• Adding time buffers into timeline 

Shedding light on these project uncertainties sets realistic expectations and allows the project manager to proactively inform leadership on areas where they may need to provide support related to assumptions proving false, hitting constraints, or for swift action to mitigate risks if they are triggered. It drives proactive communication. 

Outline High-Level Project Budget & Resourcing

While detailed project plans will come later, provide a rough outline of budget and resourcing requirements: 

Budget:

• Total budget needed with approximate breakdown by resource types or expenditure categories 

• Labor - internal, external  

• Equipment 

• Software/tools 

• Travel and other variable costs

• Budget for handling risks if they materialize 

Resourcing:

• Number and type of roles required at different phases, with level of effort estimates

• Ex. 2 Business Analysts full-time during 2 month requirements phase  

This information signals to sponsors the scope of investment and support required for success, enabling confirmation of adequate budget/resource commitment. 

Step 5: Define Project Success Criteria and Future Plans Post-Completion

It's vital to outline what success looks like from the outset of your project description. Clearly define: 

• Quantitative and qualitative success metrics aligned to goals

• Methods and timing of measuring outcomes 

• Governance procedures - who decides if success criteria have been met? 

Also outline any considerations for after formal project completion:

• Will there be ongoing costs or staffing to maintain deliverables post-deployment? 

• What will happen to resources - team members, tools, documentation? Archived? Redeployed?

• Is additional work required? Will success position the organization for follow-on projects to expand capabilities built?  

Considering the end at the start focuses all efforts toward delivering true success that sticks within organizations, vs. just temporary gains from unsustainable workarounds or incomplete solutions. 

It also ensures leadership is prepared to properly support outcomes achieved through allocation of adequate ongoing budgets and resources. And future projects can leverage what was built vs. costly and ineffective “one-off” initiatives failing to drive lasting progress. 

5 Essential Requirements for An Effective Project Description

To summarize, a high-quality and effective project description designed to set up your initiative for success should include:

1. Problem Statement and Goals - “Why are we doing this and what is success?”

2. Project Nature/Type - Framing context like project methodology chosen, degree of certainty, and links to other efforts 

3. Scope Details - Deliverables, Timeline, Roles - How will the work be executed?

4. Assumptions, Constraints, Risks - What could get in the way of achieving goals as envisioned?

5. Measures of Success - Outputs, metrics and governance for evaluating outcomes and next steps

Following these project description best practices will enable robust understanding of planned undertakings amongst all stakeholders - from leadership to project teams.

This drives effective coordination in both planning work, communicating accurate status during execution, and determining appropriate support models when facing down project uncertainties.

The result is shared trust in desired outcomes fully realized - true project success.