Project Initiation

Initiation is the first managed step of a project: record why the project exists, what is in it, under which contract, and with which initial risks. In the system, the agent covers this phase with three commands: /initiate, /contract-review, and /scope.

Before initiation, you need a confirmed project profile — see Project setup and first run.

Step 1. Charter: /initiate

Type /initiate. First, the agent asks how to seed the charter — three options:

Option	When it fits	What happens
Interview	No charter yet	The agent asks questions, one section at a time
Existing docs	A charter or scope is already written	Upload the files — the agent extracts the seed data from them and shows what is left to fill in
Contract	The project runs on a delivery contract / SOW	The agent first offers contract analysis (/contract-review), then fills the charter from its findings

In the interview, the agent walks through nine sections, one at a time:

1. Purpose and strategic alignment — what problem the project solves.
2. Objectives and deliverables — what will be produced.
3. Success criteria — how you will know the project succeeded.
4. Scope — roughly what is in and what is out.
5. Organization and roles — who is involved and how work runs.
6. Key stakeholders — sponsors, decision-makers.
7. Budget and resources — may be "unknown".
8. Timeline and milestones — hard deadlines, dependencies; may be "unknown".
9. Initial risks — what concerns you; may be "none known yet".

After each answer, the agent restates what it captured — check it. At the end it shows the package (all sections with statuses), and only after your confirmation creates the charter as a working document with review: sections can be edited as "accept / reject" blocks.

Step 2. Contract analysis: /contract-review (if there is a contract)

Type /contract-review (or choose the "contract" option during the charter). This is not legal advice — the result is prepared for human and counsel review.

Before running, the agent clarifies your perspective: customer or vendor — the findings depend heavily on it.

A full analysis produces three outcomes:

1. Contract summary. Key terms in one table (parties, subject, price, payment terms, duration, SLA, liability, acceptance, termination, data and IP, annexes), a risk checklist with statuses (ok / review / problem), and red flags in plain language: what a clause means for you and what to ask to change.
2. Scope seed. The contract subject, work blocks, In/Out boundaries, and assumptions — ready material for /scope. The agent does not write the scope itself: you confirm.
3. Risk-register candidates. Flags from the analysis, scored by severity and likelihood — a draft for /risks. The register is filled only through your confirmation.

If annexes are referenced but not provided, the agent lists them as "not provided" — it does not guess their content.

Step 3. Scope: /scope

Type /scope — after the charter (the agent enforces this: no scope without a charter).

The agent:

1. Reads the charter and, if present, the contract analysis.
2. Proposes the decomposition shape — how your organization slices work: WBS / work packages, epics / increments, releases / milestones, and so on. Confirm the shape — it is recorded in the document.
3. Collects the high-level blocks of work: one at a time, each with its intent ("what this block delivers"). Unclear points are recorded as assumptions with a status — never guessed.
4. Refines the boundaries: what is definitely in, what is out — deeper than the charter.
5. Shows the final package — blocks, boundaries, assumptions — and after your confirmation creates the scope statement as a working document with review.

Scope changes are not "silent": when blocks change, a change history is appended to the document (date, trigger, what changed).

What is next

After the phase completes, the agent itself suggests the next step (usually — requirements gathering, /requirements), but the decision is yours.

• Gathering and elaborating requirements — the next phase.
• Project documents: creation and upkeep — how to keep the documents you created.
• Scope control and change management — what to do when the scope starts to "drift".

Honest boundaries

The agent does not sign or legally evaluate a contract: it structures the text, finds risky clauses, and prepares material for counsel. The legal assessment and the signing decision are made by a human.