 Explain in your own words what this quote means to you.  “The shepherd drives the wolf from the sheep, for which the sheep thanks the shepherd as his liberator, while the wolf denounces him for the same act as the destroyer of liberty. Plainly, the sheep and the wolf are not agreed upon a definition of liberty.”  Abraham Lincoln

Defining Stage (Initiate the Project)

The Defining Stage is the first part of every project cycle. Getting a project underway can be very simple or very complex, depending on factors such as who is involved, what the end product will be, what the end user will expect and other important considerations. Defining a project is the opportunity to define those elements and boundaries, so that the size and shape of the project and its outcomes are all understood and agreed upon before beginning work.

  Is the first part of project management. It is used to think through and clarify the fundamental elements of your project such as what the project includes (and doesn’t include), what limitations you have as you begin, and what your goals are for the project.  Using a project definition to list key project considerations will help you identify possible stumbling blocks, assess progress and to measure your success later. The Defining Stage…

 Project Definitions are made up of:  Goals  Resources, Constraints, and Assumptions  Scope Statement  Deliverables and Dependencies  Stakeholders  Assigning Managers  Monitor and Control

  Goals explain what will be achieved by the end of the project. Goals

  Are measureable or observable outcomes.  Can be as simple as one to two sentences.  Are valuable to write down what you want the outcome of the project is to look like.  The more specific you can be the easier the rest of the project will be so try to assign qualitative or quantitative measures to goals. Goals

 Ex. Class Garden Project Goals Ex. Class Garden Project Not Very Descriptive  Plant vegetables and flowers. Clearly Written Goal  Grow at least 5 varieties of vegetables in enough quantity that we can have a class harvest festival.

  Can be related to  time,  money,  people,  information,  your audience or end users,  your competition or partners,  or other factors that will affect the scope and impact of your project. Resources, Constraints, and Assumptions

 Resources Are all of the things that are available to be used to achieve your goals, which may include money, people’s time, or goods and services already on hand.

 Constraints Things that limit what can be done.

 Assumptions Things that are known to be true about the project

  When developing classroom projects, you probably already think about where you will get the material (resources), what standards you need to meet (constraints), and whether a certain activity works better in small or large group (assumptions), so defining a project can be used to help crystalize your usually planning process. Resources, Constraints, and Assumptions

  Its important to consider all the resources, constraints, and assumptions when first defining a project.  If you can’t get the right resources, revising the project (by changing one of those factors) at the outset will be much easier than trying to revise it later. Resources, Constraints, and Assumptions

  In the class garden example, your class may decide that you will only be able to meet your goals if you begin from the seeds rather than “starts,” and you will not be able to acquire as much donated mulch as you had hoped, which will mean more weeding and watering than you planned.  If these factors are recognized from the beginning, your class could decide to do only one bed rather than three, or your could decide not to grow the high-maintenance vegetables.  In this example, the donations are the resources, the timing of the growing season is a constraint, and knowing you will have only certain vegetables to eat is an assumption. Resources, Constraints, and Assumptions

  Involves establishing boundaries, both for what the project will do and just as importantly what it will not do.  One of the biggest challenges in managing a project is avoiding the “scope creep,” where small changes begin happening and suddenly the expectations have become infeasible within the resources and constraints.  Defining the scope of work will establish criteria for monitoring and controlling the project throughout the process and can help you develop assessment rubrics. Scope Statement

 A scope statement for the class garden project might look like this: Things that are within the scope of the project:  We will have at least 5 kinds of vegetables  We will have some of each of these kinds: leafy greens, root vegetables, and climbing vines.  We will water everyday unless it rains and check for weeds at least once a week.  We will grow enough of each variety so that everyone has the opportunity to take some home.  We will have a harvest feast to celebrate once we pick all the vegetables.

 A scope statement for the class garden project might look like this: Things that are not within the scope of the project:  We won’t select vegetables based on how many people do or don’t like them.  We won’t have an irrigation system.  We won’t work on this outside of class time.

  Deliverables are the products or outcomes that are created through the course of the project, leading to the goal. If a project has one very specific goal, it may only have one deliverable.  Each deliverable is a discrete part of the project that will often have specific resources, schedule, team members, success measures, and a risk management plan. Deliverables and Dependencies

  Where you draw the lines define your deliverables can be somewhat arbitrary, but it is still an important step. Deliverables

  Bed One  Bed Two  Bed Three Deliverables Class Garden Example.  A fully planted garden  Vegetables ready to pick  Vegetables harvested  Leafy Greens  Vine Vegetables  Root Vegetables  Flowers

  There is no one “right” answer, but in each case the teams, schedule, and resources will be developed differently.  It is also important to identify the dependencies that accompany each one. Deliverables Class Garden Example.

  Are the relationships between deliverables and how they depend upon each other.  Deliverables can depend on each other in two different ways. Dependencies  Sequential:  Each deliverable must be complete before the next one begins, but there is a planned set of deliverables through the end of the project.  Concurrent:  Two or more deliverables may run concurrently: (e.g., you may be harvesting lettuces while still maintaining squash)

  Are the people that have an interest in your project and its goals.  Identifying the internal and external stakeholders for your classroom projects is usually fairly easy, but there have certainly been examples of parents or administrators being unnecessarily surprised, leading to possibly unpleasant outcomes. Stakeholders

  This is a good time to think about how you will bet stakeholders’ input or approval on your project.  For example, when you are planning a class garden, do you need permission from the principal, the district education office or others? Stakeholders

  In the business world, the project managers are usually assigned before the project is underway so they can lead the defining and planning. Assigning Managers

  Each part of the defining state informs the others.  As you identify boundaries, you may need to revise your goals, or, as you consider constraints, you may need to add someone else to your stakeholder list.  Defining a project from the outset will help you keep track of all the details and identify which decisions may have an impact on other parts of your plan. Monitor and Control

  Using this iterative process is the beginning of your monitoring and controlling for the project.  Monitoring and controlling are ongoing check-ins on both the process itself as well as the progress towards your end goal, and will be used at every step of each project.  Monitoring and controlling is about reflection and revision. Monitor and Control