1. Rules of Thumb
1.1. IF YOU NEED MORE CLARITY, MOVE UP THE PROCESS CHAIN!
1.1.1. "If there's a lack of clarity at the planning level..probably need more brainstorming. If brainstorming gets fuzzy...go back to thiking of the vision
1.2. "a project is sfficiently planned when every next-action step has been decided on every front that can actually be moved on without another component being completed first"
1.3. "If the project is still on your mind, there's more planing to do."
2. 5. Identifying next actions
2.1. Think:
2.1.1. What is the next PHYSICAL action that must be done?
2.1.2. "If you had nothing else to do, what next physical action would you take?"
2.1.3. Actions that can be taken RIGHT NOW, without waiting for other actions
2.2. Sometimes PLANNING is the next action.
2.2.1. What ACTIONS need to be taken to get to next planning step?
2.3. Decide on next actions for EACH "moving part" of the project.
2.4. Ask yourself: What are the different moving parts/streams/channels of the project?
3. 1. Purpose & Goals
3.1. Asking "Why?":
3.1.1. Clarifies focus
3.1.1.1. Take 2 min and write out the primary reason you're doing it.
3.1.2. Defines success
3.1.3. Creates decision-making criteria
3.1.4. Aligns resources
3.1.5. Motivates
3.2. "Principles" define the standards, characteristics, or flavor of our goal
3.2.1. Ask yourself: "If I delegated this task, what guidelines would I give them?"
4. 2. Outcome visioning AKA "What?"
4.1. Detailed kind: 3 Steps
4.1.1. 1. View project from beyond completion date
4.1.2. 2. Envision "WILD SUCCESS" [No yeah, but...]
4.1.3. 3. Capture features, aspects, qualities you imagine in place.
4.2. Simple kind: "Wouldn't it be great if..."
5. 3. Brainstorming AKA "How?"
5.1. DON'T JUDGE, just write down ALL of the ideas. (Quantity > Quality)
5.2. Do NOT start organizing yet.
6. 4. Organizing
6.1. Think:
6.1.1. What has to happen to create the FINAL result?
6.1.2. Do any steps need to be in a certain order?
6.1.3. What's the most important element for this project to be a success?
6.2. Steps:
6.2.1. 1. Identify the significant pieces
6.2.2. 2. Sort by (one or more ):
6.2.2.1. components
6.2.2.2. sequences
6.2.2.3. priorities
6.2.3. 3. Detail to the required degree