Phase 0: Initiate
Establish the project foundation with charter, stakeholders, team setup, and working agreements.
Purpose
The Initiate phase establishes the project foundation. Before any planning or execution, you need a clear charter, identified stakeholders, a team structure, a definition of done, and agreed ways of working.
Skills
Project Charter
/pm:project-charter <project>Defines the project scope, objectives, success criteria, constraints, and assumptions. Creates the foundational document that guides all subsequent phases.
Output: Project charter with scope, objectives, success criteria → .project/<project>/00-initiate.md
Stakeholder Map
/pm:stakeholder-map <project>Identifies all project stakeholders, maps their influence and interest levels, and defines communication strategies for each group.
Output: Stakeholder register, influence-interest matrix, communication plan → .project/<project>/00-initiate.md
Team Setup
/pm:team-setup <project>Defines the team structure, roles, and responsibilities. Establishes the Scrum roles (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Development Team) and any extended team members.
Output: Team roster, role definitions, RACI matrix → .project/<project>/00-initiate.md
Definition of Done
/pm:definition-of-done <project>Establishes the shared criteria for when work is considered complete. Covers code quality, testing, documentation, and review requirements.
Output: Definition of Done checklist, acceptance criteria standards → .project/<project>/00-initiate.md
Ways of Working
/pm:ways-of-working <project>Documents team agreements on ceremonies, communication channels, tools, branching strategies, and collaboration norms.
Output: Working agreements, ceremony schedule, tool stack, communication norms → .project/<project>/00-initiate.md
Next Phase
After Initiate, proceed to Plan to define the product vision, build the backlog, and plan the first sprint.