Project planning
In order to give a project the best chance of success it is essential to plan. Planning for a project is the same as planning for anything else except that you will want to bring about change within a defined, and sometimes limited timescale.
A simple process to follow is to:
Brainstorm ideas – get lots of people involved (and make sure you understand your audience!)
Define tasks – break the project into stages and then individual tasks
Put tasks in order– a route map to take you from start to finish
Schedule tasks– establish a time line and make sure it is realistic (you could use your search engine to find a Gantt Chart or other planning tool)
Put your plan in writing – record a description of your project, objectives, roles and responsibilities, and key stages of the project.
Your planning document will be useful in communicating your project to staff and stakeholders and ensuring everyone is working to the same plan. It will also demonstrate to funders that you have thought the project through clearly, and will provide objectives against which to evaluate the project outcomes.
Project planning is also essential when applying for funding. Applications to Museums Galleries Scotland grants programmes require evidence of planning to be successful. For more information on our grant schemes and making an effective application go to grants pages.
As part of the planning for your project, you should also consider evaluation. This will help you to identify what elements have been successful and will help with the planning of future projects. For more information follow the link to our pages on evaluation.