Projects - Basics of Projects
What is a project?
In the LeadFirst Management System, a project is a temporary endeavor with a start and finish undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.
Why are projects important? They are your change agents. Without projects, nothing changes, nothing improves. You simply maintain the status quo, business as usual. And this is why projects are so hard, you are often building something you have never built before. Uncharted territory.
Here are some critical aspects of projects in Leadfirst system:
Projects set out to develop a unique and innovative deliverable. A project is anything beyond your normal ongoing operational activities. These could be huge multi-year initiatives, like “build new high-efficiency factory” or small like, “update the employee handbook.” Whatever the case, projects deliver someTHING, and when they do, they are DONE. On to the next thing.
Projects are time-boxed, meaning they have clear start and end dates.
Projects must have clearly defined outcomes. The most critical factor for a project to succeed is clearly defining the project’s outcomes. Every project should have a clear, concise description of its purpose and scope.
Learn more:
To learn more about project outcomes, see Project Outcomes
Break large projects down into more manageable chunks. Projects often need to be broken down into smaller supporting projects which are then organized into a logical structure. This structure lays out the total scope of the work and is commonly called a Work Breakdown Structure. Any goal or project in LeadFirst can have a supporting “breakdown.”
- If a project already has a breakdown, the breakdown icon appears beside it. You can click that to open the breakdown.
- If a project does not yet have a breakdown, the breakdown icon appears when you hover over the project. Click that to add a new breakdown.
Learn more:
To get started using work breakdown, see Getting Started with Work Breakdown