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ACCA Strategic Professional · Strategic Business Leader · Leading and managing projects

Harlow Retail plans to replace its stock system. Senior managers agree the project is wanted, but store managers, the finance team and IT each describe different expectations of what the system should deliver, and nobody has defined who has authority over scope changes. Which initiation activity has most clearly been neglected?

The neglected activity is agreeing a project initiation document or terms of reference. This sets agreed objectives, scope, governance and responsibilities, including who controls change. Without it stakeholders hold differing expectations. Lessons-learned logs, benefits audits and acceptance certificates are closure activities that occur later.

  1. AAgreeing a project initiation document or terms of reference that defines objectives, scope, governance and responsibilitiesCorrect
  2. BPreparing a lessons-learned log for the closure phase
  3. CCarrying out a post-completion audit of benefits realised
  4. DIssuing the final acceptance certificate to the supplier

Explanation

Conflicting expectations and unclear change authority show that objectives, scope and governance were not formally agreed at initiation, which is the purpose of a PID or terms of reference. The other options are closure-stage activities and cannot cure an initiation gap.

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