Planning for large projects
I’m sure that many of you who have worked on large projects in the past have found that it is definitely a learning experience. Those who are new to that arena can often find themselves frazzled by all the hiccups that arise, and simply want to get it finished as fast as possible.
Having gained some experience on large projects, I thought I would share some of the lessons that we have learned when it comes to planning. It may not give answers to all of the problems you encounter, but hopefully it will help you hold on to a little more of your sanity when faced with such a task.
The stress of projects can get to the best of us
First of all, we have found that brainstorming definitely helps, as has been proven many times before. Don’t think too much about what you are writing down. If it has any relevance to what you are looking to do, then add it to the brainstorm. Once you’ve written down everything you can think of, you can start shaping the information into something practical.
However, looking back, we probably should have taken it one step further by building a mind map of the project. To make the experience successful, you must clearly define every square inch of the project before undertaking it. For example, who is your target audience? What do they need? What do they want? How will they seek help? A manual? A forum? A phone number?
We have also found that clear definitions of what parts need to be done for each stage of the project are essential. There is no need to build a rollercoaster when you don’t have a theme park to put it in.
Nothing like a good planning session!
Make sure to sit down and really think about it. What is the problem that you are proposing to solve? All of the little frills and conveniences can come in time, but initially what you need most is a simple solution that encompasses the core purpose of the project.
Another step that we could have taken was to assign milestones. Armed with the resulting product of our mindmap, we could have broken the whole process down into a series of steps. “By the 23rd of February we need to have completed blah”, “By the 5th of March we need to have completed so-and-so”. By setting small checkpoints throughout the process, you can tell how well you are doing in relation to the bigger picture. Don’t fret too much about the exact dates; if complications arise you can always shift the checkpoints accordingly.
Finally, take the time to stop and breathe every once in a while. Large projects are rarely, if ever, a perfect process, so don’t feel too pressured if there are a few things going wrong. However, by taking the time to carefully plan a large project you will find that there are far fewer problems encountered along the way, which will lead to a more enjoyable experience.