The Unending Life of a Project
by Sam Brock
For several years, I was led to believe that a project could be finished. But I have learned that the “finish” of a project is merely one stage in a vicious circle in which a project never ends. Understanding the stages of a project, and more importantly the process in which they transition, helps keep the frustrations to a minimum.
A project begins its life in the preparation stage. I am amazed how easily a project can enter the preparation stage. Sometimes it is an offhanded comment during a brainstorming session or a possible solution that you kick around at a meal; wherever the ideas start, the preparation stage is the best spot to kill a project if it is a bad idea. The preparation stage should be divided into two parts that can happen simultaneously: plan and gather. Following are several things should be considered in the planning stage:
Who is the user?
How does he plan on using it (what is its function)?
What is the goal?
How does it fit within our mission?
Will the finished product have multiple uses (be flexible)?
What will be the transition points for the project?
Does the project have phases?
How will the plan be communicated?
The better the plan the smoother the rest of the project’s life will be. Unless you have several meetings that allow for input and adjustment, you will not have everyone on the same page. The end user is one of the most important participants in the planning process and many times the most neglected. Few things are worse than spending several thousand dollars on a project that the end user does not perceive was well planned.
The other aspect of the preparation stage is the gathering. Four things must be gathered or the project will be in jeopardy.
Permission—from your board or boss, from the government,
and even from a vendor (i.e., insurance).
Money (a little-loved part of the process).
Resources.
Labor.
Most of these items to gather are dependent on a team that is outside the team that you pay. If you treat these outside team members as if they are as vital as your inside team, the gathering process will go much faster.
The transition from preparation to starting is important. Many folks feel that once the preparation stage has started that the project has started. In our ministry, we try to keep from putting a hard-and-fast deadline on how the long the preparation stage will take. Sometimes the Lord has lined up all the details, and it goes quickly. Other times, the preparation stage is a speed bump that the Lord uses to keep our plans from getting in front of His plans.
The easiest part of the project is when you start it—you get to spend the money, use the supplies, and do the work. This is also the most exciting part of the project. You should note the following things: Is the plan being followed and is the plan complete? Adjustments are always necessary, but a person who knows the big picture needs to be involved in the yes and no of adjustments.
There is a big difference between functional and finished. A project becomes functional long before it is finished. You must teach your team to keep the pressure on to get it finished not just functional. Functional is when you can actually use what you’re working on. Finishing means that you have nailed all the details, cleaned up, put all your tools away, and worked through the punch list. We use a punch list as a way for the end user (who notices all the little glitches) to report to the project leader what little things need to be done. On occasion, the end user creates a punch list as a way to try to get upgrades done on the project. The communication of what is done when the project is done and what goes on the upgrade list is crucial. The upgrade list and the fact that now we get to maintain this project are why a project never dies. But you knew that before you started reading.
