Get ready, get set, go! Getting to the project finish line

Computerworld - Every race to the finish line begins with similar instructions: “Get ready, get set, go!” Every race, that is, except the race to the deadline assigned at work. In business, the starting gun is sometimes shot without any heads up ("get ready" or any project planning ("get set"). People seem to run with it, but not successfully.

But if you take just an hour out of your schedule to "get ready" and "set," you'll get to the finish line faster and without stumbling. Before starting a project, you must first gather all of the information so you can assess what needs to take place.

Outlining deliverables and acceptance criteria

First, you must identify the high-level deliverable for each main subset of the project. A deliverable is something concrete (defined by a noun) that you need in order to progress to the next stage of the project.

You must also deliver the acceptance criteria. These are the measurable characteristics of what makes the final and interim deliverable acceptable. This is often defined by what the client is expecting. If you don't know the answers, then you need to ask more questions and learn more about the goal of your project.

There are two approaches you can take when defining the interim deliverables. These steps are a means of discovery and discussion for the project team. The team learns more from each other by laying out the project this way than if one person creates the whole thing and then shares it with other team members.

If you know the high-level breakout of deliverables to create your final deliverable, then use the Top-Down Deliverables and Acceptance Criteria. This means beginning with the ultimate output of the project and then working down into the details of the project to see how they will create that output.

If you are unsure, then try the Bottom-Up Deliverables and Acceptance Criteria technique. This begins by brainstorming and identifying all the aspects of the project that must be completed in order to create the final deliverable. These aspects are then grouped into logical order to create the final deliverable. This approach can be spearheaded by the team leader through a technique called affinity diagramming.

With your team, group the related items near each other. Try to create no more than five main groups. This should take your team about five to 15 minutes. If you think an item belongs in more than one group, make a note of it. Develop titles for your groups, and then break them out into subgroups (also with titles). Now you can see your high-level deliverables, your interim deliverables and your acceptance criteria. Next, identify who will be responsible for each high-level deliverable.