What is the typical duration of the inception phase?

The inception phase in a project typically spans 4-12 months, as it is focused on establishing the project's vision, scope, and objectives. This phase involves gathering initial requirements, creating a high-level project plan, and ensuring alignment between stakeholders. The timeframe of 4-12 months allows adequate time for thorough analysis and detailed discussions, ensuring all key aspects are addressed before moving forward into more detailed planning and execution phases. This duration supports sufficient stakeholder engagement and supports comprehensive risk analysis, which are critical to laying a solid foundation for the subsequent stages of the project.