C
CosmoGTD
Guest
Does anyone have, or have links to a textual template of the 5 Phases of Project Planning?
C
CosmoGTD
Guest
I am not sure why DA put Purpose before Outcome in his book for project planning.
It seems to me to be more natural to know your Outcome, and then refine the purpose, but, the Outcome is coming out of some type of purpose, sometimes implicit.
Regardless, I have come up with a little acronym, so far...putting the Outcome before the WHY for now...
WHAT – Outcome
WHY – Purpose-Principles
HOW – Brainstorming, Organizing, Next Actions
WWH
OPP-BONA
It seems to me to be more natural to know your Outcome, and then refine the purpose, but, the Outcome is coming out of some type of purpose, sometimes implicit.
Regardless, I have come up with a little acronym, so far...putting the Outcome before the WHY for now...
WHAT – Outcome
WHY – Purpose-Principles
HOW – Brainstorming, Organizing, Next Actions
WWH
OPP-BONA
TesTeq
Registered
First "why" then "what"!
It is impossible to decide what should be done when you don't know the purpose.
For me it is obvious that first you have to identify or define the purpose (why you're going to do it) and then define the outcome that matches the purpose.CosmoGTD said:
It is impossible to decide what should be done when you don't know the purpose.
Mark Finlay
Registered
first what, then purpose, then ...?
TesTeq, you say " (first)... purpose (why you're going to do it) ..."
What is the "it" in that phrase? It seems to me it is the thing you think you're going to do - in other words, the "what".
To decide the purpose behind something, there has to be some thing.
So I'm with Cosmo on this one. Nice acronym BTW.
Of course, purpose-related thinking could affect the initial "hat" and either validate it, change it, or result in it not making it to the project/outcome/NA lists at all
TesTeq, you say " (first)... purpose (why you're going to do it) ..."
What is the "it" in that phrase? It seems to me it is the thing you think you're going to do - in other words, the "what".
To decide the purpose behind something, there has to be some thing.
So I'm with Cosmo on this one. Nice acronym BTW.
Of course, purpose-related thinking could affect the initial "hat" and either validate it, change it, or result in it not making it to the project/outcome/NA lists at all
I used the WHY/WHAT/HOW memory devices, too...
Your lists are much the same as mine. My 'full' template is:
Purpose - Vision - Brainstorm - Organize - Next Actions - Follow Up
(Why - What - How - Who/When/Where)
Purpose/Guiding Principles
Why is this being done? What would 'on purpose' really mean? Ask 'why' several times to get more clarity.
What are the key standards to hold in making decisions and acting on this project? What are the rules we play by?
The purpose and principles are the guiding criteria for making decisions on the project.
Vision/Successful Outcome
What would it be like if it were totally successful? How would I know?
What would that success look or feel like for each of the parties with an interest?
Past Tense - Wild Success - Note Details
Brainstorming/Trigger List
What are all the things that occur to me about this?
What is the current reality?
What do I know?
What do I not know?
What should I consider?
What haven't I considered?
Be complete, open, non-judgmental and resist critical analysis until brainstorming is complete.
View from all sides. Use additional trigger lists to generate ideas.
Organizing
Identify components (sub-projects), sequences and priorities.
Create outlines, bulleted lists and organizing charts as needed for review and control.
Next Actions
Determine next actions on current independent components. What should be done next and who should do it?
If more planning is required determine the next action to accomplish it.
Adjusting Focus
If your project needs more clarity - raise the level of your focus.
If your project needs more activity - lower the level of your focus.
Additional Planning
If the project is off your mind - planning is sufficient.
If it's still on your mind - then more is needed.
~~~~~~~~~~
A shorter list is:
Purpose - Vision - Brainstorm - Organize - Next Actions - Follow Up
(Why - What - How - Who/When/Where - Clarity>Up/Activity>Down)
Your lists are much the same as mine. My 'full' template is:
Purpose - Vision - Brainstorm - Organize - Next Actions - Follow Up
(Why - What - How - Who/When/Where)
Purpose/Guiding Principles
Why is this being done? What would 'on purpose' really mean? Ask 'why' several times to get more clarity.
What are the key standards to hold in making decisions and acting on this project? What are the rules we play by?
The purpose and principles are the guiding criteria for making decisions on the project.
Vision/Successful Outcome
What would it be like if it were totally successful? How would I know?
What would that success look or feel like for each of the parties with an interest?
Past Tense - Wild Success - Note Details
Brainstorming/Trigger List
What are all the things that occur to me about this?
What is the current reality?
What do I know?
What do I not know?
What should I consider?
What haven't I considered?
Be complete, open, non-judgmental and resist critical analysis until brainstorming is complete.
View from all sides. Use additional trigger lists to generate ideas.
Organizing
Identify components (sub-projects), sequences and priorities.
Create outlines, bulleted lists and organizing charts as needed for review and control.
Next Actions
Determine next actions on current independent components. What should be done next and who should do it?
If more planning is required determine the next action to accomplish it.
Adjusting Focus
If your project needs more clarity - raise the level of your focus.
If your project needs more activity - lower the level of your focus.
Additional Planning
If the project is off your mind - planning is sufficient.
If it's still on your mind - then more is needed.
~~~~~~~~~~
A shorter list is:
Purpose - Vision - Brainstorm - Organize - Next Actions - Follow Up
(Why - What - How - Who/When/Where - Clarity>Up/Activity>Down)
TesTeq
Registered
Why-what debugging.
For me it is obvious that first you have to identify or define the purpose (why you're going to do anything) and then define the outcome that matches the purpose (what this anything is).
It is impossible to decide what should be done when you don't know the purpose.
OK. I agree that there shouldn't be "it" but I do not change my opinion about the why-what versus what-why order of thinking. So I change this to:Mark Finlay said:
For me it is obvious that first you have to identify or define the purpose (why you're going to do anything) and then define the outcome that matches the purpose (what this anything is).
It is impossible to decide what should be done when you don't know the purpose.
C
CosmoGTD
Guest
jhegener said:
Thanks for contributing. That's useful stuff.
For me though, I still am going to put the WHAT before the WHY, as the WHAT is what the name of the project is, and the WHY is what is providing the reasons for doing the project at all. But its really just semantics and is circular.
Often, we don't REALLY know why we are doing a project. We may THINK we know why, but we could be telling ourselves one thing, while really being motivated by something else altogether.
There can also be many reasons WHY we want a WHAT, but only one WHAT.
For example, we might want to lose 20 lbs. WHAT.
The WHY we might tell ourselves is so we can be Healthy. But the REAL why might be less noble.
Or a person might want to buy a new fancy car, and tell themselves the WHY is 'safety', when the real why might be that driving that car makes them feel like a big shot.
There are also a series of WHY's for most projects.
But by definition, there is only one WHAT.
But regardless, it is circular and feeds off itself, and the order is not as important as fleshing the various aspects of it out.
AdamMiller81
Registered
Perhaps Two Whats?
Just thinking about it, but might be something like two whats, based on my understanding of what DA was saying.
In my view, we're all going to have a rough "what" done first, basically, as mentioned, a title for the project. However, I think that differs from the Outcome as defined in GTD. The Outcome What is more visualizing the successful endgame of the project, as DA says, envisioning "Wild Success".
So, I would take it as:
What 1 - What is the project's stated function, goal, etc.
Why (Purpose) - Why are we doing this, how does it fit into our committments with ourselves.
What 2 (Outcome) - With the purpose in mind, and the stated function or goal, what is the final, wildly successful, endgame or end state?
Just my thoughts on the topic.
Cheers!
Just thinking about it, but might be something like two whats, based on my understanding of what DA was saying.
In my view, we're all going to have a rough "what" done first, basically, as mentioned, a title for the project. However, I think that differs from the Outcome as defined in GTD. The Outcome What is more visualizing the successful endgame of the project, as DA says, envisioning "Wild Success".
So, I would take it as:
What 1 - What is the project's stated function, goal, etc.
Why (Purpose) - Why are we doing this, how does it fit into our committments with ourselves.
What 2 (Outcome) - With the purpose in mind, and the stated function or goal, what is the final, wildly successful, endgame or end state?
Just my thoughts on the topic.
Cheers!
Why is the key
Why can be a pretty deep question, and one that doesn't get asked nearly often enough. It can quickly lead you into unfamiliar, uncomfortable territory. To me, why is always the core question and the hardest on both on a personal and professional level.
~~~
There is a pretty good book out there called "The Answer to How is Yes". If you substitute 'how' with 'what', I think this paragraph describing the book provide a little insight into the critical nature of 'why':
Modern culture's worship of "how-to" pragmatism has turned us into instruments of efficiency and commerce -- but we're doing more and more about things that mean less and less. We constantly ask how? but rarely why? We use how as a defense -- instead of acting on what we know to be of importance, we wait until we've attended one more workshop, read one more book, gotten one more degree. Asking how keeps us safe -- instead of being led by our hearts into uncharted territory, we keep our heads down and stick to the map. But we are gaining the world and losing our souls.
~~~
Not sure if any of this is what David had in mind when he placed 'why' as the first stage.
Why can be a pretty deep question, and one that doesn't get asked nearly often enough. It can quickly lead you into unfamiliar, uncomfortable territory. To me, why is always the core question and the hardest on both on a personal and professional level.
~~~
There is a pretty good book out there called "The Answer to How is Yes". If you substitute 'how' with 'what', I think this paragraph describing the book provide a little insight into the critical nature of 'why':
Modern culture's worship of "how-to" pragmatism has turned us into instruments of efficiency and commerce -- but we're doing more and more about things that mean less and less. We constantly ask how? but rarely why? We use how as a defense -- instead of acting on what we know to be of importance, we wait until we've attended one more workshop, read one more book, gotten one more degree. Asking how keeps us safe -- instead of being led by our hearts into uncharted territory, we keep our heads down and stick to the map. But we are gaining the world and losing our souls.
~~~
Not sure if any of this is what David had in mind when he placed 'why' as the first stage.
TesTeq
Registered
At the beginning was WHY. All other questions came from WHY.
For example for the purpose (WHY) "I wanna be healthy" I may define the following project outcomes (WHATs):
- lose 10 kg;
- change you diet to ...;
- start jogging;
- schedule yearly physical examination;
- and so on...
I will not define the project outcome (WHAT) "lose 10 kg" and then start to brainstorm why I want to do this (WHY).
Similarly I will not define the project outcome (WHAT) "dig a hole in a backyard" and then start to brainstorm what it is for (WHY):
- place for a new tree?
- grave (if I want to commit a murder)?
- tunnel to Australia?
- have I got a backyard? (no, I live in a penthouse near Central Park!)
So I repeat once again:
At the beginning was WHY. All other questions came from WHY.
I still do not agree. As you said there is a real WHY. So the challenge is to be brave enough to honestly discover or define your REAL WHYs. If you know this - it is a piece of cake to decide what to do and what not to do. So WHY is the basic filter for WHATs. And for one WHY there may be multiple WHATs.CosmoGTD said:
For example for the purpose (WHY) "I wanna be healthy" I may define the following project outcomes (WHATs):
- lose 10 kg;
- change you diet to ...;
- start jogging;
- schedule yearly physical examination;
- and so on...
I will not define the project outcome (WHAT) "lose 10 kg" and then start to brainstorm why I want to do this (WHY).
Similarly I will not define the project outcome (WHAT) "dig a hole in a backyard" and then start to brainstorm what it is for (WHY):
- place for a new tree?
- grave (if I want to commit a murder)?
- tunnel to Australia?
- have I got a backyard? (no, I live in a penthouse near Central Park!)
So I repeat once again:
At the beginning was WHY. All other questions came from WHY.
Rainer Burmeister
Registered
Europeans ask "Why?" first
Presumably this kind of thinking stems from the times of the great migrations (1500 BC) when people asked their kings "Why did we leave our homelands and why are we here in this strange land?".
Rainer
Yes, I have to second this. We Europeans live in organisations for about 3000 years and we are used to ask first "Why am I a part of this empire?", "Why does this empire exists?" , "Why does my church exists?" , "Why does my nation exists?" , "Why does this company exists?" or "Why am I German and not Pole?" . And only after inventing our identity by answering this kind of Why-questions could we go on and ask "What are we going to, now that we know why we are here?".TesTeq said:
Presumably this kind of thinking stems from the times of the great migrations (1500 BC) when people asked their kings "Why did we leave our homelands and why are we here in this strange land?".
Rainer
Rainer Burmeister
Registered
No first why, no project!
If you don't clear the purpose of your activity before you do it then your activity isn't a project but something else, and hopefully not a waste of time and money.
What is a project?
A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. Temporary means that the project has an end date. Unique means that the project's end result is different than the results of other functions of the organization. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project)
A project is an undertaking typically requiring concerted effort that is focused on developing or maintaining a specific product or products. Typically a project has its own funding, accounting, and delivery schedule. (http://www.sei.cmu.edu/productlines/glossary.html)
The natural planning method makes completely sense in this context.
But of course, we all know, David Allen uses the word "project" also with another meaning: a project is any desired result that requires more than one action step. Well, these "projects" are more like undertakings that don't need a planning method like the natural planning method. In this sense our projects lists are more like "undertakings lists" or "lists of desired results".
Rainer
Yes, I second this.TesTeq said:
If you don't clear the purpose of your activity before you do it then your activity isn't a project but something else, and hopefully not a waste of time and money.
What is a project?
A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. Temporary means that the project has an end date. Unique means that the project's end result is different than the results of other functions of the organization. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project)
A project is an undertaking typically requiring concerted effort that is focused on developing or maintaining a specific product or products. Typically a project has its own funding, accounting, and delivery schedule. (http://www.sei.cmu.edu/productlines/glossary.html)
The natural planning method makes completely sense in this context.
But of course, we all know, David Allen uses the word "project" also with another meaning: a project is any desired result that requires more than one action step. Well, these "projects" are more like undertakings that don't need a planning method like the natural planning method. In this sense our projects lists are more like "undertakings lists" or "lists of desired results".
Rainer
C
CosmoGTD
Guest
Rainer Burmeister said:
This is why I always call them 'GTD Projects'.
The word 'Project' as used in the PMBOK and used in Project Management is different than as described by DA in GTD. So the concept 'GTD Project' works best for me. To me, a GTD Project is different than a 'PM Project'.
But that being said, "a project is any desired result that requires more than one action step", and to me this 'desired result' is a WHAT.
Desired Result: lose 15 lbs.
WHY? (there are a number of WHY's by only one WHAT in this case).
So in my brain, the WHAT jumps out first, but of course it is motivated by WHY's, and often these why's are implicit and even unconscious.
So for most practical and common matters, the WHAT to me jumps out first in awareness, and is the 'stake in the ground'.
mmmm...steak....thinking of that 15 lbs....
Rainer Burmeister
Registered
Rainer's Template
My template looks like:
-------------------------------------------------
Project name: .............
What is the purpose? What is the question? What is the problem: ........
What is the intended successfull outcome? What is the goal: ...........
Thoughts on the project (Brainstorming): ......................
Putting thoughts in order: .......... ........ ...............
List of starting actions: ..............
Action plan necessary? Yes / No
Responsibilities: .............
Involved persons, departments, companies: .........
Obstacles: ..............
Milestones: ....................
Time frame: ...................
Comments / notes: ...................
------------------------------------------------
Rainer
My template looks like:
-------------------------------------------------
Project name: .............
What is the purpose? What is the question? What is the problem: ........
What is the intended successfull outcome? What is the goal: ...........
Thoughts on the project (Brainstorming): ......................
Putting thoughts in order: .......... ........ ...............
List of starting actions: ..............
Action plan necessary? Yes / No
Responsibilities: .............
Involved persons, departments, companies: .........
Obstacles: ..............
Milestones: ....................
Time frame: ...................
Comments / notes: ...................
------------------------------------------------
Rainer
Rainer Burmeister
Registered
LOL! With French fries!CosmoGTD said:
TesTeq
Registered
Define the outcome and then stick to it.
CosmoGTD,
Several posts ago it was:
CosmoGTD,
Several posts ago it was:
Now it is:CosmoGTD said:
I think that the most important thing is to define a really achievable outcome (change it as many times as you wish during the outcome definition phase) and then stick to it (do not change it during the execution phase unless you have a really really really important reason).CosmoGTD said:
TesTeq
Registered
Continuous goal changes hurt.
First carefully decide what the successful outcome is, then just do it. Of course you can refine it but there must be an important reason to do this.
I know too many people who achieved nothing because of continuous goal changes. Ethernal thinkers versus pragmatic doers.
By the way, it is nothing personal. I only wanted to use the example of the succesful outcome that you've changed in the brainstorming phase. In my opinion it is OK to change it at this stage, but then it shouldn't be modified. It should be achieved.
If I changed the definition of the successful outcome during the execution phase without any important reason I wouldn't feel the taste of success.
I mean what I say.CosmoGTD said:
First carefully decide what the successful outcome is, then just do it. Of course you can refine it but there must be an important reason to do this.
I know too many people who achieved nothing because of continuous goal changes. Ethernal thinkers versus pragmatic doers.
By the way, it is nothing personal. I only wanted to use the example of the succesful outcome that you've changed in the brainstorming phase. In my opinion it is OK to change it at this stage, but then it shouldn't be modified. It should be achieved.
If I changed the definition of the successful outcome during the execution phase without any important reason I wouldn't feel the taste of success.
D
dox78
Guest
I think I excel at finding the root...
...of misunderstandings or differences in perspectives.
For those of you who think it's unnatural to consider the WHY before the WHAT (purpose first before outcome/vision), if you've worked in a company with some dysfunction before, I bet you've been tasked to a project before that you're just shaking your head, going, "Yes, okay, fine, they want to do this, but WHY??" Forgetting to consider the why can lead to projects intended to solve non-existent problems.
I like to think of Purpose first before Vision/Outcome as stating the Problem first before defining a Solution.
However, I understand the What before Why mentality because when you only know the Problem and haven't found a Solution yet, you don't have a project yet. Why? Because the Solution is the project!
=)
Once you come up with the solution, the Project is born with the "What" (vision/outcome) already in mind. The why was already there, but came about before the project did, and so is not immediately accessible.
...of misunderstandings or differences in perspectives.
For those of you who think it's unnatural to consider the WHY before the WHAT (purpose first before outcome/vision), if you've worked in a company with some dysfunction before, I bet you've been tasked to a project before that you're just shaking your head, going, "Yes, okay, fine, they want to do this, but WHY??" Forgetting to consider the why can lead to projects intended to solve non-existent problems.
I like to think of Purpose first before Vision/Outcome as stating the Problem first before defining a Solution.
However, I understand the What before Why mentality because when you only know the Problem and haven't found a Solution yet, you don't have a project yet. Why? Because the Solution is the project!
=)
Once you come up with the solution, the Project is born with the "What" (vision/outcome) already in mind. The why was already there, but came about before the project did, and so is not immediately accessible.
Who, Why, What, How, When
If your project only involves yourself, the Who should be easy. However, in bigger projects, defining which people affect the outcome is very important, especially for deciding the Why.
A project is always done for and by people and getting the Who s right is critical.
Tom
If your project only involves yourself, the Who should be easy. However, in bigger projects, defining which people affect the outcome is very important, especially for deciding the Why.
A project is always done for and by people and getting the Who s right is critical.
Tom