Posted by When you are thinking of starting a new project, a good question to ask yourself is: Should I undertake this project? The answer to that question should consider the following points:
- Do you have a clear vision of what you are trying to do?
- Do you have the capacity to undertake this project?
- Do you have enough money to fund the project?
- Do you have the right people to do the work for your project?
Do you have a clear vision?
Can you explain your project to another person? Or even more important, can you clearly explain the project to yourself? Can you articulate a clear a vision and write it down on paper? Does this vision capture what it is you intend to do and what the end result will look like? If you cannot do this, you may have a hard time running the project and producing results because you won’t know what it is that you intend to create with your project.
For example, imagine you want to find new members for your community club. This is a great goal, but how are you going to do this? And what will the end result be? Do you want to find 5 new members, or 20 new members? How soon do you want to bring in guests and what is your plan for converting guests into members?
If you don’t know how you are going to find new members, then you should consider not undertaking this project. Or you could recruit team members from your club to help you create a vision for what your project will look like.
If you don’t create a clear vision for your project, you may end up frustrated. After all, as Yogi Berra said: “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else”.
Do you have the capacity?
Another good question when you are thinking of taking on a new project is to consider if you have the capacity to undertake the project. This means asking if you have the time and the resources needed for the project.
For example, one year I was serving as both Division Governor for my Toastmasters district and as Vice President of Education for my Toastmasters club. At that time, the president of my condo board had stepped down and I considered stepping up to serve as president for my condo board.
When I shared this idea with my friend Laverne, he asked me a simple question: Do you have the capacity? This was a good question. It made me look at the roles I was already serving in and the projects I was overseeing in those roles. This made me realize that I was already committed to enough in my life and that I did not have enough time to serve as condo board president in addition to my existing roles of Division Governor and Vice President of Education.
What about you? What roles are you serving in and what projects do you have underway? Before you start a new project, examine your existing workload and determine if you have room on your schedule to include time for your new project. Remember also that you need to leave time in your schedule for rest, relaxation, and family time. Be honest with yourself, and if you don’t have the capacity to start a new project, then leave the project for a time in the future when you do have the capacity.
Do you have enough money?
You should also consider the cost of a project you are thinking of undertaking it. Will taking on this project break your budget and put you into financial hardship? Or do you have enough extra money in your budget to fund your new project?
Consider the value the project will produce versus the cost of running the project. If your project would produce the right amount of value to justify the cost of running the project, then go ahead and start your new project. Instead, if the project costs more than the value it delivers, it may be a good idea to scrap this project and to move on to a different venture.
For example, I once undertook a project to promote my Toastmasters club to the Windsor Chamber of Commerce. It seemed like a good idea at the time. However, to advertise our club we would have had to join the Chamber of Commerce, which was expensive. As a nonprofit community club, we had a limited budget that did not include enough funds for joining the Chamber of Commerce.
So, what did we do? We scrapped the project of promoting our club to the Chamber of Commerce and organized an open house meeting for our club instead. Running an open house meeting did not cost us anything because we were able to promote it on our social media pages. And we ran a successful open house that attracted some guests.
Do you have the right people?
Depending on the project, you may also need to consider if you will have access to the right people to work with you on your project. Many large projects, such as a project for your community club, may require the support of other people.
For example, if your community club wants to run a speech contest, this is not a one-person show. You need to recruit other people to help you run the contest, such as a contest chair and a chief judge. If no one is willing to step up and take on these roles, you may want to reconsider running a speech contest for your club.
Things to consider when determining if you have the right people to work on your project are:
- Are they available?
- Do they have the necessary experience?
- Do they have the right attitude?
If the people you are considering are already busy and don’t have the capacity to work on your project, then you may not want to undertake your project. You can find out from your colleagues when they will be available and defer the project until then.
Experience and abilities should also be considered. Do the people you want on your project have the knowledge or skills needed to work on your project? If not, you can consider training them to give them the information and skills they need. If this would add too much time to your project and would make it difficult to complete, then consider not taking on the project.
Finally, consider the attitudes of the people you are considering. If they have negative attitudes, this could hinder the project. If instead they are positive and enthusiastic, you could consider including them in your project. You want to be sure that the attitudes of your team members don’t derail your project and that they will enjoy working on the project instead of feeling like it is a burden or inconvenience to them.
Conclusion
Undertaking new projects can be a rewarding investment of your time. But you should always ask yourself the question: Should I undertake this project?
If you don’t have a clear vision of what you want to do with your project, or you don’t currently have the capacity to fit the project into your life, then you should not take on the project. Instead, you can plan to defer the project to a later date when you have the capacity and when you have had time to articulate a clear vision of what you want to accomplish with the project.
Another consideration is people. Do you have the right people to work with you on your project? If it is not a project you can manage on your own and you don’t have the right people to help you do the work of the project, then consider deferring the project until you can find the right people to work with you.
Ultimately, you need to think carefully before starting any new project. Ask yourself the questions I outlined in this article. And if you feel you have a clear vision, capacity in your life, the money required, and the right people, then go ahead and start your project.