This is the backbone of your project workflow.
Project Intake → Scoping → Planning
Every project follows this sequence:
1. Intake
- Gather high-level goals
- Identify stakeholders
- Understand constraints
- Get necessary access and materials
2. Scoping
- Define project boundaries
- Identify what is NOT included
- List deliverables
- Draft preliminary timeline
- Identify risks
3. Planning
- Break work into tasks
- Assign owners
- Define acceptance criteria
- Create milestones
- Build full project plan in the PM tool
No project moves forward without a complete scope and plan.
Requirements Clarification
Every deliverable must have:
- Goal (why)
- Requirements (what)
- Constraints (how)
- Acceptance criteria (done when)
- Dependencies (blocked until)
PM + Project Lead must approve all major requirements.
Acceptance Criteria Development
Acceptance criteria must answer:
- What does “good” look like?
- What must be true for this to be complete?
- What are edge cases or exclusions?
Deliverables missing acceptance criteria cannot be worked.
Timeline & Milestone Planning
Every project must include:
- Milestones with specific dates
- Dependencies visible
- Estimated hours
- Buffer for high-risk items
- Client communication schedule
Risk Identification
Risks must be captured before work begins:
- Missing content
- Third-party integrations
- Unclear requirements
- Complex interdependencies
- Limited capacity
- Technical unknowns
- Decision delays
PM maintains a “Risk Log” for every project.
Change Request (CR) Process
Any new request outside approved scope requires a CR.
CR must include:
- Summary
- Reason
- Estimate
- Timeline impact
- Risk
- Required approvals
No CR = no change.
Retainer Work Prioritization
Retainers follow these rules:
- Work is prioritized by impact, not request order
- Client requests added to backlog and reviewed weekly
- Large requests become mini-projects
- Hours tracked transparently
- PM communicates rollover or overages monthly
Post-Launch QA & Handoff
Every launch requires:
- QA checklist
- Stakeholder review
- Documentation updated
- Client training (if needed)
- Post-launch monitoring
- Wrap-up summary
No project closes without a documented handoff.