5 Steps to Do Any Project
Doing projects in key to improving businesses. Here are the key steps to doing any project
Step 0: Determine Your Why
Step 1: Visualize your desired result
Step 2: Frame Your Project
Step 3: Collect the Facts and Data
Step 4: Determine your Available Options
Step 5: Select a Solution and Implement
Let's go into a bit more detail!
Step 0: Determine your Why
On small projects this step really isn't that important. However, the larger the project, the more important the motivation. The reason for this is simple. The more time, effort and frequently frustration that comes with doing a project, the more important the motivation to help get you though the areas that are really tough.
Motivation for doing large business projects comes in many forms. Some of the most common ones are:
- To make more money.
- To expand your business.
- To get new clients.
- To get more organized and FREE up your time.
- To help you reach personal goals of your business.
Step 1: Visualize Your Desired Results
Visualizing the desired results helps you focus on what is needed to address your mission. By determining the desired results you can work backwards and determine the steps needed to get the desired results.
Ask the following questions:
- What outcome do you want?
- Is this outcome realistic?
- What steps (working backwards) can you take to get this result?
Others can frequently spark ideas and ways of looking at things that you may not have thought of yourself.
Step 2: Frame Your Project
Sometimes the most difficult part of doing any task is deciding where to begin. This part of the process can be simplified by framing. Framing means defining what you need to do.
To frame your mission you will need to consider the following:
- Investigation
- How much research will you have to do?
- Where will you find the information you need?
- Will you use the Internet, books, expert help etc.?
- Financial
- How much will it cost?
- Time
- How much time will it take?
- Resources
- How much help from others will you need?
- Will you need other materials or equipment?
- How much will the material/equipment cost?
- When will you need it?
- Consequences
- What are the consequences?
- Are the consequences large or small?
Step 3: Collect the Facts and Data
The third step used to do almost any project is to gather the facts and data. These include but aren't limited to:
- What do you need to know to make an informed decision?
- Where can you learn the most pertinent facts and data quickly and effectively?
Step 4: Determine Your Available Options
Projects usually have options. By Visualizing your Desired Results (Step 1), Framing Your Project (Step 2). Collecting the Facts and Data (Step 3) you will be able to determine the most viable options.
Step 5: Select a Project And Implement
After collecting and reviewing the facts and data and defining available options, select a solution and implement it.
Sometimes the solution is obvious. Other times you have to do a comparison study.
Feelings, emotions, intuition, past history and the magnitude of your solution may hold you back from deciding.
Note:
As an engineer and business person I have used this method countless times to do simple to complex projects.
I hope you find it useful as well!
If you would like to learn more on how to apply this to your business please CLICK HERE!