As with any project there are a series of emotions and actions that need to occur to get it off the ground, allow it to grow and most importantly sustain the growth for the long term. I’ve broken the process of creating and launching something new into 5 generously vague categories for project managers. But is vague a bad thing? Not in the case of preparing for a project that has the potential to grow and change constantly. These 5 ways are broad enough to allow for change throughout a project, but concentrated enough to keep you focused in the long term.
ONE – Motivate
Before a project can begin there must be a motivation, a problem or an obstacle that presents itself requiring some kind of action or reaction. In the case of the 5 Ways series, I came across communication issues between management, employees, customers, etc. My motivation for the creation of this series was found by observing a disconnection in communication between management and employees. From that observation came the drive to create something that would help both sides of the disconnect figure out how to reconnect and prosper. Sounds a bit like a mission statement, right? For those of you that are looking at something big, this is the time to come up with the mission statement. It’s extremely important to stay focused on what motivated you in the beginning so that you don’t get lost in the “what ifs” that will show themselves throughout any type of project.
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TWO – Create
This phase is often the most confusing and lengthy. Brainstorming the solution to the obstacle can leave you in front of white boards, computers and roundtables for huge chunks of time. You must stay realistic during this phase. It’s great to hope and dream, but stay realistic and focused on the short term objectives and a means of delivering your solution during this phase. In my case, at my hands is this blog in an industry that addresses some of the issues in communication with the online scheduling tools. Rather than attempting to find my way into the NY Times with an unknown name, I decided I would use the means I already have to begin this process. Shooting for the stars is great, but make sure you’ve created a tower to get a bit closer before you take the shot.
THREE – Initiate
This would be the current phase of the 5 Ways series. Taking the first step into the unknown is the more intimidating but quickest step. All of the planning and mapping is in the past, now comes the time to stand behind your solution and drive it home. Intimidated by the possibilities, today is the day that I launch my 5 Ways project in hopes of touching at least some of the workforce with the ideas I’ve discovered and will discover along the way.
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FOUR – Tolerate
Maybe not the best word to describe this phase, but it rhymed so I went with it. Sustaining a project though, does have a lot to do with tolerating overlooked details, mistakes and obstacles as they show their often ugly faces. Fortunately for me, I’ve yet to hit this phase, but soon I’ll have plenty personal stories to share surrounding the 5 Ways series and its challenges. This phase is cyclical and never-ending. It is the phase that most businesses and continuous projects hope to achieve and maintain. Make sure, while you’re in this phase that you don’t lose sight of that motivation that came in the first phase. Don’t lose sight of why you’re here.
FIVE – Update
As the world around you, those affected by the project and the project itself changes and grows you’ll need to make sure your solution changes. In this part of every project the communication between management and clients, users, readers, etc. is essential. Finding out what works, what doesn’t work, what could be added or dropped are all important pieces. That being said, commenting on the blog consistently with questions, answers, counter-opinions, etc. will help me get better information and allow other readers to learn from other readers and see different perspectives.