diff --git a/src/phylum/ci/ci_base.py b/src/phylum/ci/ci_base.py
index 421ae80..6bf34d3 100644
--- a/src/phylum/ci/ci_base.py
+++ b/src/phylum/ci/ci_base.py
@@ -757,6 +757,8 @@ def _ensure_project_exists(self) -> None:
         LOG.info(cleandoc(project_created_msg))
         if self._project_file_already_existed:
             LOG.warning("Overwrote previous `.phylum_project` file found at: %s", self._phylum_project_file)
+        LOG.warning("Forcing analysis to ensure new project is initially populated ...")
+        self._force_analysis = True
 
     def _created_group(self) -> bool:
         """Ensure a Phylum group is created and in place, when specified.
diff --git a/src/phylum/ci/cli.py b/src/phylum/ci/cli.py
index 0688fd2..85f42b8 100644
--- a/src/phylum/ci/cli.py
+++ b/src/phylum/ci/cli.py
@@ -149,8 +149,8 @@ def get_args(args: Optional[Sequence[str]] = None) -> tuple[argparse.Namespace,
         "-f",
         "--force-analysis",
         action="store_true",
-        help="""Specify this flag to force analysis, even when no dependency file has changed. This flag is implicitly
-            set when *any* manifest is included, to maximize the chance that updated dependencies are accounted.""",
+        help="""Specify this flag to force analysis, even when no dependency file has changed. Implicitly set for newly
+            created projects or when *any* manifest is included, to account for possible dependency updates.""",
     )
     analysis_group.add_argument(
         "-k",