Scoping for Successful Implementation

This January Rural Resurrection is celebrating the fifth annual National Implementation Month! So let the festivities begin! To map a path ahead it is important to scope for your implementation project.

Projects that succeed have a well-planned path to success. Many well-intentioned projects with a swelling of support have failed due to viable leadership and a map to lead the project forward. It is important to scope your path from idea to fruition to see success in the end.

Project Goals

First, it is important to define the goals of the project. Comprehensive plans, downtown plans, and other well-intention plans stir the dreams of those who work on them. But often the goals set forth in them are not well defined. They are often broad and lack detail. This is not a criticism of these plans, they are supposed to be comprehensive in nature. Otherwise, they’d be thicker than War and Peace (and take five years to complete).

Setting well-defined goals gets everyone on the same page. One person’s idea of adding a community center city hall may be remodeling an under-utilized room. Whereas, another resident’s thoughts may have grander sights with an addition that includes spaces for numerous activities. This is where public input, in one form or another, may be important for many projects. A general consensus is often helpful in a number of ways. So define your goals and make them clear for everyone to get behind.

Constructability

Constructability is important even if you aren’t constructing anything. Yes, that’s a head-scratcher in a way. But even if you are developing a program with no physical attributes to it, you still have to construct it from scratch. Is the project even possible? Why waste time, effort, and worst of all, money, on a project that didn’t have a prayer?

Funding is always a cornerstone aspect of determining constructability. If you don’t have the financial support to complete the project, you need to either find the money or let the project go until the backing is there. Funding number one request when I receive input for post ideas. Oddly, it always reminds me of the quip in Spaceballs that talks about a sequel entitled Spaceballs 2: The Quest for More Money. Mel Brooks is a comic genius!

There’s also a number of constraints that need to be considered. Do you need more land? Are utilities an impossible hurdle (getting them or getting rid of them)? Wetlands that can’t be touched? Building code issues? Each project has a wide variety of potential brick walls that need to be scaled or pushed over.

Then there’s NIMBY’s (Not In My Back Yard). Worse yet, are there CAVE (Citizens Against Virtually Everything) people? Failure to solve at least most of the negative public outcry can lead to a catastrophic end to your project. Once again time, effort, and money are wasted without making sure the potential roadblocks are clearable.

The Scope of the Action

If your project is constructible, then the scoping effort focuses on the process to success. Draw up that map that directs the project down the right path toward completion.

First, provide a detailed project description. This is similar to defining the goals, but in greater detail…literally. Spell out the overall project description with as much detail as possible. At some point, you may hand it off to someone else to complete. Stating “Build a 12,000 sq.ft. Community Center” is nowhere near enough. Provide as much detail as necessary. This not only helps in garnering support for the project and getting everyone on the same page, but it also helps clarify and limit confusion.

Also, define the project limits and location. Make it clear up front what is happening where and to what extent. A ballfield development project may not be planned to overtake a nearby wooded area that is loved by the neighbors, but do they know that? On the flip side, do the contractors know not to touch that wooded area when grading for the project?

It is also important to develop good cost estimates. Engineers and architects need to know on the front end if you are not looking for a Taj Mahal of a community center addition to your city hall. Scope out the extent of what you want to see, extravagant or conservative. Also, get your estimates from professionals in the field. For construction-related projects engineers and architects will provide line-item cost estimates that have better validity than some contractor’s off-the-hip estimates.

Handoff it off to the Experts

Finally, it is important to understand when we can’t do everything on some projects. It is important to realize the right time to bring in an engineer, an architect, or a contractor (etc.) to get a project done right. We often can’t do it all. It is important to realize that and to understand when is the best time to hand over the reins to the project in order to ensure successful implementation.

Scoping for implementation is important to the success of projects. Laying out that map to success is critical. So get out that pen and paper now to draw up that path that makes your project a reality.