{"id":26594,"date":"2023-03-07T11:26:03","date_gmt":"2023-03-07T11:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/?post_type=resources&p=26594"},"modified":"2024-09-04T11:02:44","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T09:02:44","slug":"5-fundamental-questions-to-answer-before-starting-any-project","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/benelux.vps.buzztestserver.co.uk\/en\/resources\/5-fundamental-questions-to-answer-before-starting-any-project\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Fundamental Questions to Answer Before Starting Any Project"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This article originally appeared on\u00a0Microlearning<\/a><\/em><\/em>, our bite-sized online solution for leaders and individual contributors.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Invest some time answering these questions before<\/em> you start a project, and you\u2019ll stand a much better chance of getting the right things done on time and on budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the questions, inspired by the bestselling FranklinCovey book Project Management for the Unofficial Project Manager<\/em>, are roughly sequential, you may need to consider more than one at a time. Or, you may find that an answer to one requires you to revisit others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. What\u2019s the main objective \u2014 and will the project we have in mind meet that objective?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This question can save you from:<\/strong> Executing a project that only partly meets your goal or gets the wrong thing done; people disagreeing on what you\u2019re trying to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may dive into a project with a lot of urgency \u2014 and without a lot of forethought \u2014 because you feel time pressure, your team\u2019s excited, it\u2019s something you\u2019ve done before, or your boss tells you to do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slow down. Without a clearly defined objective, you could end up doing a project that only sorta meets your goal \u2014 or doing the wrong project altogether. For example, let\u2019s say your boss wants a marketing presence at an industry conference and asks you to create 1,000 brochures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before leaping to start the project, ask questions like:
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • \u201cWhat\u2019s our main objective for the conference?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • \u201cHow will we know if we\u2019ve succeeded?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • \u201cHow will this project help us meet our overall marketing goals?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • \u201cWhat problem are we trying to solve with this project?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    In discussing the answers, you may learn vital information to help you design better brochures. Or you may learn that your boss\u2019s main goal is improving brand recognition and then decide that a splashy booth \u2014 not a stack of brochures \u2014 is the best way to do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Once you have a clear objective, use a project planner to define your project. Then, share the planner with everyone involved \u2014 or even get them to sign off on it \u2014 so you\u2019re sure they understand what\u2019s happening and why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Who should be involved, or at least informed of our progress?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    This question can save you from:<\/strong> Harming other teams because you didn\u2019t check in with them; late surprises from higher-ups needing to review and approve the project; having a project with no \u201csponsors\u201d and therefore no momentum; dealing with delays because people aren\u2019t available to do critical tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While projects can bog down with too many stakeholders, generally the opposite is true: Projects flounder because leaders fail to identify and involve everyone their project relies on or impacts. It may help to list them by the role they\u2019ll play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For example:
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Doers<\/strong>: Write down not only the overall project owner and those responsible for subtasks but also anyone who will contribute small pieces along the way (e.g., an administrator who will do a data pull, quality assurance reviewers, etc.).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Those impacted<\/strong>: Consider not only the people and teams who will benefit from your project but also those who may be hindered or challenged by it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Approvers<\/strong>: Think your boss and other higher-ups, finance, legal, and anyone else with the power to say no or change the course of your project.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Whether in written exchanges or meetings, ask each stakeholder:
      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • \u201cWhat do you want from this project?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • \u201cTo what extent do you want to or are you willing to be involved?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Not surprisingly, you may find that if you\u2019re able to adjust your plans to better address what people care about, they\u2019ll be more willing to support and promote your project \u2014 or let you charge ahead on your own with their blessing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        3. What are the time, scope, and resource constraints?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

        This question can save you from<\/strong>: Committing to an overly ambitious or even impossible project; allowing a project to sprawl beyond its original purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Just as important as determining what your project will do is determining what it won\u2019t<\/em> or can\u2019t<\/em> do because you\u2019re constrained by factors like time, money, and staffing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Map out:
        <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • Deadline<\/strong>: Is it fixed or movable?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Scope<\/strong>: How many elements are there to this project? How complex are they? How polished does the work need to be?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Resources<\/strong>: How many people can we devote to the project? How much time do they have to work on it? What\u2019s our budget?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          Then you can determine what your project can realistically accomplish. Typically, each variable impacts the others (e.g., a larger or more involved scope takes more resources and\/or time). So, if you have unrealistic constraints, you\u2019ll need to prioritize the variables and make tradeoffs to succeed. For example, if you must launch a new product on a tight deadline, could you add contract help or pare back features offered at launch? Or, if you must launch with the full set of features, could you extend the timeline?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          4. What\u2019s the realistic project schedule?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

          This question can save you from<\/strong>: Underestimating how long things will take; the chaos of people not knowing what to do by when; failing because something went off track and you didn\u2019t plan for it or course-correct<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          It\u2019s easy to set an unrealistic schedule for many reasons: decision-making bias, excessive optimism, underestimating how much work is involved. Don\u2019t let poor planning be one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          When mapping out your project schedule, be sure to include:
          <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          • What needs to be done and by whom<\/strong>: List all the components you and your project team can think of, keeping in mind that more may surface along the way.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • The sequence of tasks<\/strong>: Identify foundational tasks that need to be started or completed before other work can proceed. Prioritize these with early start dates to reduce the time people spend waiting for dependent tasks to be done.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Task duration<\/strong>: Task duration is how long you need to schedule for each task, not how long each task actually takes \u2014 an important distinction. For example, although it might take you only 20 minutes to complete an audit report, if you first need to ask an administrator to pull the background data, wait for that data to arrive, and attend five meetings for other high-priority work, then the duration of your audit report task could really be two days, not 20 minutes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Task start and end dates<\/strong>: Plan dates based on your estimates of the task order and duration with enough time so people can get things done, but not so much padding that they linger on it longer than they should.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Project milestones<\/strong>: Keep in mind that no project ever happens exactly as planned. Identify a few milestones \u2014 key deadlines or events \u2014 to check your progress, gather feedback, and make adjustments, as necessary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            Pro tip: Spend an extra few minutes considering risks to your plan. What could go wrong, and what impact would each unexpected event have? Anticipating and planning for setbacks now means fewer potential surprises later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            5. How will we communicate during the project?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

            This question can save you from<\/strong>: Blindsiding people with late news that the project is finished or off track; losing productivity because people are confused or don\u2019t know what do to next; being a bottleneck because you\u2019re the only one with relevant information<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            While it\u2019s generally better to overcommunicate than undercommunicate, you also don\u2019t want to blast people with information that\u2019s not relevant to them. For each person or group involved in your project, decide what, when, and how you plan to communicate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            For example:
            <\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            • Doers<\/strong>: Daily standup meetings; a shared task tracker so people can see where work is and anticipate when it will come their way; and team and 1-on-1 meetings as needed for troubleshooting<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Those impacted<\/strong>: Email updates at major milestones to share progress and any important changes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
            • Approvers<\/strong>: A weekly status email that includes progress, challenges, and what\u2019s happening next<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              Pro tip: Involve your project team in creating the communication plan and have them proactively help share updates so you\u2019re not the only conduit for information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

              Finally, once you have a communication process in place, stick to it! Otherwise, you risk losing people\u2019s energy, enthusiasm, and effort along the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

              This article originally appeared on\u00a0Microlearning, our bite-sized online solution for leaders and individual contributors. Invest some time answering these questions before you start a project, and you\u2019ll stand a much better chance of getting the right things done on time and on budget. While the questions, inspired by the bestselling FranklinCovey book Project Management for the Unofficial Project […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-26594","resources","type-resources","status-publish","hentry","type-newsletters"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n5 Fundamental Questions to Answer Before Starting Any Project - FranklinCovey<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This article originally appeared on\u00a0Microlearning, our bite-sized online solution for leaders and individual contributors. 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