The term initiator refers in the area of project management to the particular person or persons who are responsible for the kicking off, commencement, or starting up of a particular project, a particular work schedule, or any particular ands specific event within. Traditionally, the initiator would refer within this capacity to the person within the financially responsible organization makes contact with the project management organization for the purposes of beginning and kicking off a particular project. The financially responsible person in these cases is in fact the initiator. In other instances, the term initiator can refer to the specific initiators within some select projects to a specific activity. In this case, the initiator may e a member of the project management team, or it may also refer to an outside party such as a contractor or vendor who may have been enlisted to conduct or execute a particular phase of the project of which they may possess a level of knowledge
This term is defined in the 3rd edition of the PMBOK but not in the 4th.