Speculate: Initiation and Planning
There are five general steps in "speculating," although the word "steps" is somewhat of a
misnomer, as each step may be revised several times during the initiation and planning phase.
First, project initiation involves setting the project's mission and objectives, understanding
constraints, establishing the project organization, identifying and outlining requirements, making
initial size and scope estimates, and identifying key project risks. Because speed is usually a major
consideration in using ASD, much of the project initiation data should be gathered in a
preliminary JAD session. Initiation can be completed in a concentrated two- to five-day effort for
a small- to medium-sized project or take two or three weeks for larger projects. During the JAD
sessions, requirements are gathered in enough detail to identify features and establish a skeletal
object, data, or other architectural model.