Five Considerations Before Your Next Project

While teaching courses to high school graduates it became apparent that many of them weren't prepared to plan, to strategize, or to think in future tense. At first glance it comes off as an arrogant inconsiderate lack of will, that's what a person without the ability to formulate plans seems like, they are listless, without direction, in bygone terms we'd say, they lacked "spunk." Listening to the students talk, describe where they were at, and what they considered to be important versus unimportant, it began to dawn on me that they had little future sense, a highly active present sense, and somewhat of an active examination of the past.

What happens in the rush to learn rudimentary matters of education is that some of the refining which used to be part of the system has been removed. As we emphasize not leaving any child behind, we rush forward a person who has no concept of what it means to put that information to use in planning a future. This is why my students had no sense of where they wanted to go, they were still trying to figure out where they were. It is, after all, a puzzling world, so full of information that it becomes overwhelming, so overwhelming that it becomes better to not participate. This writing is in response to them, to assist those who will take the moments to take it in, for it provides a synthesis of good project management thought.

Here are some boiled down considerations in projects:

1) Snapshot - Everyone knows what a picture can reveal, the cliché' is that a picture is worth a thousand words, but in this instance, that's true. The snapshot describes where you are at in terms of the project, as it stands right now. This means all the resources, or lack of resources, people or lack of people, place; places or lack of place or places, time to accomplish whatever aspect you are seeking to accomplish. In the snapshot is a description of what exists as it is, it's also good at this point to describe what you can of the "want to" or the why of the project.

2) Measures - One of the easiest and most logical of the planning beforehand is to know what must be measured. If it is a building what are the diameters, if it is liquid what is its container weight. If it is a painting, when will it be ready to purchase or archive or display? What matters here is that the measure is appropriate to the task, you don't want to try and measure water weight in a pong, just like you don't want to measure dry weight in a pond, you want to measure wet measurements in containers that specify what it is, dry measures in feet and inches. Completion of projects at a final point, or non final measures, in the process to specify how the completed project is proceeding, will show you what you want to know, and that is what the measures are for. If they will make it clear to you, there is a good chance they will make it clear to someone else.

3) Milestones - In a course that is a semester in length, weekly tests add up to a mid term grade with the test included. So that you have weekly milestones, that would be the passing of the tests, which lead up to mid term or half way tests, which show where you are at in terms of a half way point. These point to the successful completion of the overall course; they are important points of reflection.

4) Funding - Many times folks run shy of funds not because they don't work hard, but because they haven't seen the necessary aspect of having funds on hand. What will it take in monetary terms for you to complete what it is that you are undertaking. Honestly evaluating this at the outset of the task will provide insight into how hard you have to work at this, and if you should seek alternative paths to the funds needed. It is not that funds might be available, such is certain, but it is that funds are on hand, which is different. What is present to be worked with is all that can be counted, if it is enough, that is adequate, if there is a bit of surplus that is sometimes prudent, as additional expenses can crop up, but it is never wise to begin a task without adequate funding.

5) Documentation - It is the rare person who keeps and maintains a journal. The absolute necessity of documentation isn't emphasized as it ought to be; as a result we have a lack of analysis on what makes for perfect project planning. The community at large; where learners and seekers, of the knowledge of how to plan, have to rely on the strategies of those who claim they will work. Unfortunately this is often without guides in the forms of strategic action plans, or standard operating procedures. Documentation is vital for the collective verification of accuracy when it comes to looking into what project planning is all about.

These five points are just to wet your appetite, and also to act as a skeleton of sorts, one of the wonderful parts about project management is that there are so many resources available today that are modern and up to date. This brief is to introduce you to the very basic concepts, and, should you find those useful and want to contact us, you will now have a resource which you realize does verify through the actions suggested.