DEFINING THE GOAL

   

Visualizing the goal “ stating it, writing it down “ immediately starts two related processes. It begins to tighten the definition of the goal, and it starts the planning process that is the subject of the next chapter.

Tighten the definition of the goal

Amundsen's goal “ to be the first man to stand at the South Pole “ immediately throws up an important point: to bring the team back safely. Ernest Shackleton journeyed to the South Pole in 1909 (Huntford, 1985) but 97 miles short, with the prize within his reach, he turned back and passed out of the history books. His objective was the same as Amundsen's “ to be the first man to stand at the South Pole. Ninety-seven miles short he realized that a shortage of provisions would stop him from bringing his team back safely. He turned back. Thus, for both him and Amundsen, an integral part of the goal was to bring the team back alive .

Visualizing the goal tightens the definition of the basic goal identified in the previous section. Note that for something like the British offensive on the Somme in 1916 “ an example I will use later “ the definition of the goal may run to many pages.

The definition of the goal is crucially important. What constitutes completion? For some projects the answer may be as obvious as the nose on your face, but you must consider this issue carefully . If it's so obvious, make a checklist of all the deliverables. To put it another way, write down all the state changes that must occur for the project to be considered complete.

Start the planning process

In visualizing the goal you start to imagine life as it will be when the project is completed. Mentally you have already made the journey from where you are to this new place. Inevitably, some of the issues that will confront you during this journey start to make themselves apparent.

   


How To Run Successful Projects III. The Silver Bullet
How to Run Successful Projects III: The Silver Bullet (3rd Edition)
ISBN: 0201748061
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2001
Pages: 176

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