Context Matters

A list is not just a list; it’s a map to your goals. – Anonymous

We were married young. Despite having been together for years, it felt fast, like the universe propelling us forward. A series of major life events all condensed into a six-month window. On the other side, once the party calmed and the guests left, we found ourselves unceremoniously identified as real-life adults. Graduation, apartments, jobs, getting married, traveling, and moving. Then boom, you aren’t a kid any longer.

This new state of being didn’t rattle us. We were well suited for adulthood; both having been raised to be independent and self-reliant. The game of life is terribly fun when you are with your best friend. Even the most mundane aspects of dishes and laundry and bills bring joy. “Look! We’re doing just fine,” we’d say to each other. And we absolutely were.

As more of our friends tied the knot we started to notice the variety in weddings. Some couples choose elegant, elaborate events while others choose quieter, more intimate arrangements. Sometimes there were flowers and favors, or live music. Sometimes there were ushers and flower girls. Sometimes there was simply a bride and a groom standing alone together, reciting their vows in whispers to each other.

I can see how brides become bridezillas. There are thousands of decisions about thousands of details, each contributing to your, hopefully, one and only wedding day. Stressed out couples try to reconcile the wedding of their dreams with generations of traditions, family expectations and friends’ opinions, all within presumably a fixed budget.

The first step when planning a project (or an event such as a wedding, for example) is always to Orient. Where am I today? And where do I want to go? Today we are engaged, at the end of this project we will be married. That is the goal. No matter the rest, if at the conclusion we are wed then we will have succeeded. For me, focusing on this goal is helpful, it allows my brain to filter out the noise. There may be obstacles or unexpected events. It could rain, the food cold, the cake drooping, the preacher could be late, I could break out into uncontrollable giggles during a prayer. It’s an endless list of outcomes I can neither predict nor control.

Orienting myself, asking “Where am I?” and “Where do I want to go?” provides a starting point and identifies the goal. But what about all of the steps in between? In a world of endless possibilities, a multitude of different paths, I must decide how to move from here to there. I must define all of the steps necessary to make my goal a reality. I must define the path. This step in the framework of conceptual project management and the CGPS process is called Scope.

Often project managers become overwhelmed at Scope. We jump ahead, trying to combine Scope with the following steps of Sequence, Constrain and Reconcile. Don’t do that. We must be disciplined to give each step its full measure. If you work ahead, without the full Scope defined, you will be making inferences based on incomplete information, decisions based deficient data. Just as you would not drive to a new city without your GPS providing step by step directions, do not embark on your project without your Scope mapped out. That’s how you wind up in Chicago, when you meant to go to Cincinnati.

To Scope your project, first grab your pen and paper. Write down a list of everything that needs to be done. Don’t worry about the order of events, don’t consider how long each step requires. These details come later. Just write everything down. The list may be long, or it may be short, and either one is okay. Try to make your Scope list as complete as you can imagine. If there are steps you aren’t sure about, list them anyway, we’ll cross them out later if you decide they aren’t required.

Now pen down and take a walk. Set your list aside, stand up and stretch and head outside. Your brain is working hard, it needs fresh air and movement to recharge. Five minutes, ten, more if you need it. The point is just to look up from the list and let your subconscious mind run in the background. If you have time, sleep on it, take a shower and go meet a friend for coffee. When you are ready, come back to your Scope list and review. You’ll be surprised what pops out to you. Make your edits, add all the new ideas that come to mind.

Once your Scope list is complete, it’s time to add some details. We are going to transfer your list into an outline. In project management parlance, we’re creating a work breakdown structure (WBS). Consider each line (or action) on your list, if that particular action requires more than one sub-action to complete list those out underneath. For example, in my wedding project list I wrote “Venue.” As I convert my list to an outline, my sub-actions under “Venue” include confirm availability, tour space, and sign contract. Once I do those three things, this overarching item will be complete.

Again, don’t allow your mind to get distracted. Focus on creating the Scope outline; this is your only job at this moment. You don’t have to do the thing yet, just understand how you are going to do it. If you are worried about the “doing” that is to come, remind yourself that by the time you get to that stage, you will be ready. You aren’t ready today, but you will be after you make your plan.

Context matters when Scoping a project, it should inform how you create your list and outline. For my wedding, I had secondary goals and family dynamics to consider. Aside from tying the knot, I also really wanted our guests to be relaxed and have fun. As I defined my Scope outline, because these secondary goals provided my context, I listed actions like dance music, buffet food and disposable cameras. In our case, both of our fathers had passed away, so my list included, “Find a way to honor Dads.” If you have a different context, your Scope outline likely looks very different from mine.

Now with Scope Outline in hand, you are ready to tackle the next step in the CGPS process: Sequencing. Next week, we’ll look closely at how to continue building your plan by organizing your Scope into a logical Sequence. We’ll use process-minded thinking to define each action’s relationship to what comes before and what comes after, creating a project roadmap from your original Orientation point to the goal.

#Scope