The purpose of this stage is to design the project and ensure that there is full alignment of aims and objectives from all the project sponsors, across the organisation and within the project team, and all the resources are in place.
I WANT TO PLAN THE PROJECT…
Establishing and gaining cross-functional agreement on the scope, and ultimately the project plan is vital to the successful execution of an innovation project and is vital to the planning stage. It is particularly important at beginning of the process and to update it as required during the remainder of it. It involves agreeing the key parameters for the project, the systems’ boundaries, what’s to be excluded or included, and to ensure that the human, technical, financial and physical resources are in place to deliver the project. A poorly resourced and supported team cannot execute a project regardless of the clarity of scope, and an expert and well-resourced team will struggle if the scope is unclear, or the goals are constantly shifting. The primary project sponsors or stakeholders from across the organisations involved need to agree the overarching aims, priorities and business objectives for the project and dedicate the resources required and this is embodied in the project plan.
WHEN TO BEGIN THIS STAGE
This stage should ideally happen at the start of a project, but there may be instances where it is necessary to explore topics and understand opportunities with later stage activities before you are able to establish project partnerships and detailed plans. However, even if you have no project partners, it is still wise to plan everything you can first. Return to these tools and your project plan on a regular basis throughout the project.
What are the OUTCOMES
Gain cross functional agreement for the project vision and the overarching aims and objectives.
Understand and diagnose the nature of the problem or opportunity and define the overall project scope.
Agree the governance model and empower the project team.
Commit budget and human resources to the project.
Establish major milestones in terms of key dates and deliverables.
CASE STUDIES
I want to plan my project…
By getting inspired
Introduction
This approach is for those engineers who are in a position where they can shape their project from the outset. It is a privileged position, but not necessarily an easy one. It can often be difficult to know what has the most potential and how a project will unfold as it progresses. In order to make a decision on where to start, consider the following factors:
Impact: Empathetic engineering asks us to understand the world from the perspective of people and the planet. In today’s global context, we are faced with multiple, overwhelming issues. All of these issues are complex and systemic in nature. If we are to solve these crises we desperately need engineers who can think systemically to respond. This resource provides the tools to help you engage with these systemic issues and therefore urges you to consider some of these challenges as the subject for a project. Within each one you can explore a myriad of complex, real-world problems that will be compelling simply because the need for solutions is so desperate.
Partner Requirements: What is your partner or client looking for and how will your choices deliver on those needs?
Research Access: In order for your project to be successful you will have to engage with people and systems outside yourself. This can often be hampered by the capacity you might have to reach certain stakeholders or understand particular systems, so before selecting your project consider how easily you can access information.
Potential Outcomes: What kind of outcomes would you like from your project? Certain projects will inevitably involve working with different people and sectors. They will require or develop different skill sets and experience. You will also have different capacities to tackle issues - Solve one small issue completely or help tackle an element of a bigger problem. Consider what types of outcomes you’d like to see at the end and whether a project could deliver them.
Personal Interest: The best projects are those that are driven from a personal passion for a topic. This leads to deeper curiosity which leads to greater understanding and ultimately impactful solutions. So do not be afraid to work in an environment because it matters to you personally.
I want to plan my project…
By understanding context
Introduction
Upon completing the ‘Scope’ stage you will have an agreed briefing document that will contain many elements relating to the scale and boundaries of the project, what is expected and how it should be managed.
Scan the landscape
In order to define and agree what the scale of the project should be and what areas will be included or excluded, you first need to get a bigger picture of the context you are working in. A great place to start is to begin to map the stakeholders involved so you can know which industries are connected to the problem, what approaches different actors are taking and who may need to be considered as an ally, a partner, a blocker, competition or someone to research with.
Identify broad problem areas
It is important, even at this early stage, to do some thorough research around the topic. Read journals, papers and explore online environments, or interview contacts with experience in the topic. Examine company strategies, investigate policy initiatives in the area, see what channels people are using to communicate and what data is available. This research should help you to get an early understanding of the socio-cultural, political, environmental and economic context of the topic. Use the research canvas to map out what you know and don’t know, what kinds of research your project will need, what the broad problems are and what kinds of objectives you should have.
Design inclusively
As you begin to set up a research plan, it’s critical that you consider deeply whose experience will be researched. To design inclusively means to design products and services so everyone can use them. It’s not just an ethical choice, it makes sense in terms of good business as well as being imperative to our creativity. It’s not easy to do, but it’s too easy to avoid by saying it’s more expensive to include everyone. Our response must be to look into ourselves and draw on our creativity to come up with solutions that meet the needs of not just the imaginary average user, but all those real people on the extremes, the outliers. As designers we need to understand their world, explore how they try to resolve their challenges in order to come up with creative responses that make our services not just accessible to them, but more attractive to everyone.
There are many examples of companies that have done this, from the Ford Motor Company to the office chairs by Herman Miller, to the kitchen equipment from Oxo Good Grips and the design of all UK government websites by Government Digital Services. So when you’re exploring the needs of users, look to the extremes and when you’re creating solutions with users, find out how people with more challenging needs have created workarounds, because these are often invaluable sources of inspiration.
Consider the boundaries of the system
It can also be prudent to jump ahead and use the system map tool, which can help you define the parameters of the project by understanding the boundaries of the system. What this means in practice is to map the dynamics of different actors connected to the problem and decide where it is important or feasible to research and ultimately intervene. The goal of the work at this stage is not to fully define the workings of the problem or opportunity but to understand the nature of it.
I want to plan my project…
By agreeing clear objectives
Introduction
Once you have an understanding of the context and the nature of the issues and opportunities, you should formulate and agree on a coherent strategy. This strategy should ensure that there is full alignment of aims and objectives in the project whether it involves the optimisation of an existing product or service or development of an entirely new offering. If you’re working with an existing company it could examine the business and brand strategy, market segmentation, the offering strategy by segment, channel strategy and business goals and provide a cross functional team with a high level statement of scope – including business goals, the alignment with strategy, the target market, the opportunity landscape and any major challenges. An expert and well-resourced team will struggle to succeed if the scope is unclear, or the goals are constantly shifting. The KPI canvas can help to set those clear measurements for success.
Leave space for innovation
While this is an exercise in creating and agreeing on rules for the project it is still important that there is space for innovation and creativity, so at the end of the stage, ensure that your brief does not ostensibly ask you to design a bridge, when you should instead be asked how to design a crossing – think verbs not nouns, outcomes not objects.
I want to plan my project…
By establishing a roadmap
Introduction
The final stage of planning the project is to ensure that you have all the necessary resources available to deliver on the objectives you have set, to organise any collaborators around a project roadmap and to initiate the project.
Organise resources
In the same way that a well resourced team with no clear scope can struggle, A poorly resourced and supported team cannot execute a project regardless of the clarity of scope. It is imperative that any project sponsors or stakeholders involved in the project can dedicate the resources required whether they be human, technical, financial or physical resources, and that all this is embodied in the project plan.
Organise the team around a plan
In order to get the best out of any project team ensure that there is a clear division of roles based on the individual’s skills and motivations. Build a plan of action with clear time allowances and expectations for deliverables and finally create an open and trusting work environment where everyone can safely be critical, accountable, committed and attentive.
