Unsure and uncertain about what needs to be done on a unique, NEW, different type of project?
What about when you are unsure and uncertain about what needs to be done on a unique, NEW, different type of project? What am I talking about? Well, sometimes, something is new, it hasn’t been done before. Perhaps YOU haven’t done it before and /or google has the worst type of results (this happens). Maybe the knowledge management repository’s answer from the company you work for is irrelevant to the environment you now find yourself in. Entirely possible. So what then?
What needs to be done on a unique, NEW, different type of project?
Steps:
- Draw a plan timeline.
- Define your outcome, your end goal.
- Learn, brainstorm, dream up, create and conjure the steps to get you to your goal.
- Deploy: Complete the step you believe has the best chance of success.
- Review: See if the steps done, work towards the goal. If not, make the appropriate changes to the steps.
Am I not being all that clear with “Brainstorm, dream up, create and conjure”? Sometimes you need to come up with an idea you’ve never seen used before, and put it in motion. By seeing the results you get, you can make further decisions, to repeat what you just did, or to change it slightly, or to do something else completely new. Don’t be afraid of new. It is fun.
This is where agile methodology seems to have a few more answers than a step-by-step planning method. For a sample of a more simple project plan, where the steps can be easily determined, click here.
The Agile Approach
The Agile approach focuses on the outcomes of the project. Perhaps you need something done by a certain date, so your timeline is fixed. You can do 100 different things to get to the outcome you want. You can try something, and if it fails, change it or try something new towards the outcome you want.
Likewise, you make a decision to change things being done based on the information you have at your disposal at that point in time. Furthermore, you have better information NOW than what you had at the start. Using that information you change, you pivot, you respond to the new set of information to steer closer to your target…making the adjustments towards your end goal.
