Suggestions for improving initiation of pipeline projects

Effective and successful project management of today's pipeline projects is a challenging and complex task. For the most part, these complexities are not due to technical issues, but pertain to "soft management issues" (communication, team building/alignment, stakeholder management, trust building, negotiation, human resource management, etc.) that must be immediately and aggressively addressed during project initiation. That is, a key success factor for these projects is setting up for success, upfront at the very beginning, and ensuring the right resources and processes are in place to manage the "soft side" as the project progresses. This includes initiating continuing processes to check the status of the project team climate, interaction health, and development of a "risk sharing/monitoring" culture.