The purpose in this phase is to achieve concurrence among all stakeholders on the lifecycle objectives for the project.

When trying to understand the project scope and objectives, as well as the feasibility of the intended solution, there are four objectives for the Inception phase [KRO03]:

1. Understand what to build. Determine the Vision, the scope of the system, and its boundaries. Identify who is interested in this system and why (see Stakeholders).

2. Identify key system functionality. Decide which requirements are most critical.

3. Determine at least one possible solution. Identify at least one candidate architecture and its feasibility.

4. Understand the cost, schedule, and risks associated with the project.

The following table summarizes the Inception phase objectives and what activities address each objective:

Inception phase objectives and activities

Key considerations

Projects may have one or more iterations in the Inception phase. Among reasons for multiple iterations in Inception, you find:

• Project is large, and it is hard to define its scope.
• Unprecedented system.
• Too many stakeholders with competing needs and complex relationships.
• Major technical risks demand the creation of a prototype or proof of concept.