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Index section
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1. Welcome to Elements!
2. Project Goal Setting
3. Project Prioritization and Goal Setting
4. Goal Setting Checklist
5. Links: Local Artist and Nature
6. Coaching Notes: Discovery
7. Newsletter Notes
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Welcome to Elements! |
After reading
last month's Elements, many of you had something to add, to share
about your project related stories, or to comment in agreement or
disagreement. The project theme will continue in future editions of
Elements. It is something I enjoy, teach about, have lots of
experience with, and have strong opinions on. This edition focuses
on Stage One, setting goals and priorities for projects.
A note of caution: These are generic project rules and principles.
To be effective, they must be adapted to each person and project.
Projects vary so much. They vary in content and in the time they
take (a few hours to many years). Projects vary by the number of
people and resources involved and the level of complexity. For your
next project, I challenge you to try at least one of the activities
listed in topic number 2, Project Goal Setting. Let me know how it
works.
I'm running a pilot course called, "Project Management and Coaching
for Real life Projects." It is fully booked. The public course will
run for three nights at Acton Adult Ed, starting March 6th. If
you're interested, contact me and I'll send you the form to sign up.
This course is also available for workplace settings.
If you didn't get the November Elements, please let me know. There
was a glitch with a few of the Internet Providers.
Happy Holidays,
Star Dargin |
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2. Project Goal Setting |
The first stage
of a project is called Goal Setting. This stage is complete when
specific and measurable end results for the project have been
determined. Here are some activities and questions that may be used
to articulate the project's end results:
1. Visioning the result
2. Defining project success
3. Conducting research on similar projects
4. Brainstorming possibilities
5. Being clear on what problems are being solved
6. Defining and communicating what will be different when the
project is done
7. Doing a competitive analysis
8. Performing a market segment analysis
9. Undergoing feasibility research
The goal setting stage is most effective if it is completed before
any work has begun, before any resources or actions are taken on the
project. However, there are frequent overlaps with the second
stage, project planning. There are many reasons for this such as the
belief that the project will get done faster, or it's the natural
next step to move forward. For some people, planning is more
concrete and easier to work with than the visioning activity of goal
setting. It is strongly recommended that the stages be kept
separate whenever possible. Keeping the stages separate can be
achieved by completing goal setting before starting the plan or by
creating separate documentation for each. Keeping goals and plans
separate prevents time from being wasted on creating plans that
don't match the project goals. It allows the project goals to be
viewed in one place. That makes it easier to ensure their
completeness. If the project goals are changed later on in the
project, it is clearer which related plans must also change.
Most projects have multiple goals. There may be larger goals,
sub-goals, success goals, and indirect goals. Not all goals are
equal. Near the end of the goal setting stage assign a priority and
a to each goal. When the goals are listed in priority order, the
next step is to draw a line. Everything above the line represents
what must be in place for the project to be considered complete.
Everything below the line would be nice to have but is not needed
to consider the project complete. Assigning priorities ensures
better clarity and focus throughout the rest of the project. These
priorities will help specifically for communication, for planning,
and if changes and tradeoffs have to be made later. |
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3.
Project Prioritization, Goal Setting |
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The
Project Manager is typically the person who is responsible for
ensuring that the project stages (Goals, Planning, Action,
Completion) are completed and satisfy the project criteria.
The project manager has Delivery Criteria to ensure that the project
is:
- On schedule
- Within Budget
- With Quality Results
- While maintaining good customer and team relationships
Congratulations to the project that meets all the above criteria.
In the Project Management profession it is well known that 80% of
all projects are considered failures because they don't met the
above criteria. Lack of priority and focus is a major reason for
failure.
In addition to setting the project goals and priorities, the
priorities for project processes, tasks, and the delivery criteria
should be set during this stage. The larger and more important the
project, the harder it will be to establish and get agreement on the
priority of the four delivery criteria. The difficulty arises from
everybody wanting everything and the layers of goals and delivery
criteria that conflict with one another.
Here are some examples of projects and their Delivery Criteria
priority:
On Schedule - Project tied to a Milestone (e.g. Party, Funding,
Launch of Website, Presentation)
Within Budget - Project with Specific and Limited Resources and
Money
Quality - Critical, First Releases (Heart Monitor project, Space
Ship, Artwork)
Relationships - High Risk projects, Undefined and unspecified end
results, repeat projects
My garden fence project was subject to goal setting. I established
these priority goals; to grow vegetables not eaten by the wildlife,
to ensure it could be easily extended, that it was invisible, and
that it lasts 30 years, is easy to mow around and to maintain. I
did a little research at Home Depot and with gardening professionals
and neighbors. For feasibility, I relied on the installer. I did a
little market analysis and some comparison-shopping. My priorities
for the delivery criteria goals were:
1.Quality/Function as defined by keeping the Wildlife out
(otherwise, what's the point)
2. Maintaining good relationships with the installer and mower
(husband and son)
3. Cost (under $100 - nonrevenue generating project)
4. Time (this year, next year, didn't matter)
This priority list made it easier to make the tradeoff of not
pushing to have it completed by the start of this growing season
(priority number 4) in order to keep good family relationships
(priority number 2).
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4. Goal Setting Checklist
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This checklist will
help you determine if you have completed Goal Setting:
___The Project Goals are clear and measurable.
Test it by asking someone or a group that's not involved in setting
them to read the goals and describe the project. Do they match? Are
there big questions unanswered?
___The Project Goals are realistic.
What does your intuition and experience say? Is this more than one
project?
___Project Goals have the right amount of detail, not too much detail
or too little?
Too little - Is more understanding, research, feasibility, studying
needed.
Too little - May need to proceed to planning to flush out details.
Too much - Everything is defined, Are the goals and success criteria
lost in the detail?
___Project Goals including Delivery Criteria don't conflict with each
other.
Resolve them now, or declare them unresolved and resolve it the first
instance of conflict getting in the way of delivery.
___These are Goals Only, not planning steps or activity to complete
the project.
Remove any thing that describes HOW and create or put into a Planning
section
___The Priorities are in order and a line drawn at must haves for the
project complete to be considered complete.
Include project delivery criteria priorities, project management tasks
and processes
___Goals and their priorities are understood, communicated and visible
Congratulations, you are ready to move to the planning stage!
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5. Links: Local Artist and Nature
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Before the
Internet became widespread, I participated in a cross-functional
corporate team where we created a vision. We all passionately believed
the vision that community-based information would become available and
useable to the appropriate worldwide audience. That vision has become
real. I see it with my sons, in having sports schedules and results
online, accessing the local library, schools, services and a town
websites. Among the following sites are wonderful examples of local
information that is being presented globally--an artist,
wildlife preservation and nature
trails.
www.louisebourne.com - Beautiful Artwork for Sale and Viewing
Louise specializes in paintings and ceramic murals of Maine.
Check it out, you may find that perfect holiday gift for that hard to
shop for person!
www.wtep.org - Local Wildlife Photos and Information
There is a hidden motion-sensitive camera at three local conversation
areas, Oxbow in Harvard, MA, Assabet River and Great Meadows in
Concord. The photos are amazing, especially the bobcat. In my
backyard I've seen coyotes, foxes, skunks, raccoons and hundreds of
rabbits. Click on the link called Animal Diversity Web to find
well-written and concise information on the related photo. The mystery
of the jumping bunnies in my backyard has now been solved.
www.littletonconservationtrust.org - Nature Trails and Maps of
Littleton, MA
www.google.com - Search Engine
This has replaced AltaVista and Yahoo as my most frequented search
engine. My litmus test is to type in my name and see how many hits.
AltaVista and Yahoo each found 3 different hits, Google found a total
of twelve, it did miss a few. |
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6. Coaching Notes: Discovery
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As the leaves and
underbrush have all fallen to the ground, a new view can now be seen
and discovered. I've been jogging on the same paths for over fifteen
years and for the first time I noticed an old stone cellar foundation,
a series of stonewalls, and an antique car rotting into the ground.
Winter is a natural time for discovery. The growth and activity has
lessened, hibernation occurs and the view is more open. To discover,
you have to be willing to observe and notice. Discovery can take place
locally, inside you, or on a large and complex organizational level.
As a coach I will challenge you to discovery. I will gently guide you
to notice and observe, and to detect patterns and complete exercises
that will interest and benefit you in pursuit of your goals and your
being.
I am a firm believer that there is always more to discover, no matter
how subtle or how large. Discovery can lead to new perspectives,
benefits, adventures and paths. It is a skill that can be learned and
fine-tuned.
Call me if you are interested in using a coach to accelerate
discoveries that can help you're your achieving desired results.
I now accept
www.paypal.com, a credit card payment service, for coaching and
consulting services.
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Elements December 2001
Written by: Star Dargin
Edited by: Ruth Gleba,
gleba@aol.com
Advertising will be accepted.
Contact Star for rates at:
stars@stars@stardar.com
Personal submissions will only be published with permission from the
submitter, who is responsible for ensuring rights to the material.
Based on your preference, submissions can be published anonymously.
Elements will be published 12 times a year.
The deadline for the next issue is January
11, 2002
To subscribe or unsubscribe send email to
stars@stardar.com
The opinions expressed in Elements are the author's viewpoint.
While every effort has been taken to verify the accuracy of the
content, such information is subject to change without notice.
Elements is not responsible for inadvertent errors.
Star Dargin
34 Robinson
Road, Littleton, MA
01460
978486-4603
Star Dargin is an independent coach, consultant and trainer and is a
partner of Shared Learning International:
www.sharedlearningint.com
As a professional coach she collaborates with individuals and teams to
provide focus and balance in achieving personalized results. As a
consultant, she specialized in bringing software methodologies and
project management to life for business, teams and individuals.
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