Less Successful - Central MD Team Leader Dinner

The project planning resources will help me align expectations on the project to make sure the outcome is meaningful for the organization. The work breakdown will be useful to stay on track, manage multiple projects, and organize time efficiently. My first project involves building out an organizing model for the organization’s future advocacy efforts. Going through these steps with my supervisor will ensure the end product meets the needs of the organization, allowing them to seamlessly transition from a single-issue campaign to a state-level education equity advocacy organization. 

Less Successful:

I found the “One-Page Project Plan” in particular to be a helpful resource. A lot of the time, the progress of my projects at the Public Charter School Board lives in a variety of documents and spreadsheets; having a singular snapshot of the project’s critical goals and key objectives would be really helpful in aligning colleagues if they are called upon to support the project while it is in progress.

Defining Project Characteristics: 
SUCCESSFUL PROJECTS:
1) Clear plan of action that included short-term goals and a clear mapping of inputs and outputs through backward planning. 
2) Thorough engagement and participation from stakeholders involved in the project and a clear understanding of the goal/purpose across groups. 
3) Results of the intervention, actions implemented as a part of the project were documented that effectively communicated the progress. 

Unsuccessful Projects:

1) No specified timeline created for short-term goals.
2) Expectations and deliverables not communicated clearly to the different groups involved in the implementation of the project
3) Erratic behavior of stakeholders and administration not accounted for.

 

1.- There was a clear deliverable for the project from the start.

2.- The project added value to the organization´s operation and the team knew how the final deliverable would be used.

3.- There was a strict timeline for the project, which forced everyone involved in the project to organize ourselves and maximize our resources.

1.- Communication about what was expected from the project was faulty at the beginning. This caused a waste of efforts by doing tasks that were not required.

2.- The evaluation of the project was subjective.

3.- Nothing would really change from the project. The impact of the project was never clear to those who participated in it. 

The work breakdown structure – I am already used to putting all my tasks into a calendar to have them all ordered according to different due dates. However, this practice is mostly done on a weekly basis. A WBS would allow me to do a similar plan but for all the tasks that need to be completed to finish the project.

One-Page Project Plan – My supervisor and I have agreed to do at least a weekly check-in to report back on my progress with the project for the Resource Hub. This type of resource would be a useful way to summarize all the steps that have been completed, any roadblocks, and any additional steps that are still pending.   

Of the three resources, Project Charter, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) , and One-Page Project Plan, I find that the first, the Project Charter, is sufficient for the project type and plan for Promise Academy. The charter is sufficient, in my opinion, because the deliverable is well defined, although somewhat complex to assemble. Having said that, I will add quite a bit more detail to the Charter so that it includes some of the text/plan that would go into the other two documents. To accomplish this, I will use the WBS and the One-Page Project Plan as resources and references for the details in the Project Charter. 

Another reason I wish to limit my planning to the single document is that I have been having difficulties meeting with the project sponsor and main subject matter expert, so I wish to ensure he is not overwhelmed with my own planning documents, and have him focus all his energy on the charter.