Planning the next big thing, Pt. 2

If you read this post where I discussed how I ‘officially’ plan an idea from the concept stage to the “ok, I think I’ll do it stage.” After that beginning stage, you transition to the “So What Now?” stage. It’s comprised of three fundamental questions:

1. On the way there, I thought of this…I reserve this one for trying to delve into things that come to me after I’ve begun the development process. Sometimes, it’s a helpful tool when I’ve fleshed out a project far better than I anticipated or took it in a direction that I didn’t initially believe it would go. This gives me the chance to go further into where it’s headed and to redirect the deal if it needs to be done at that point.
2. But this is a problem to keep in mind…Obviously problems will crop up at all times, but here is the opportunity to lay out a few of the things that you might not have envisioned and how you’ll deal with them maybe. 
3. So what now? If you’ve redirected the project, a chance to lay out what’s next. Or to solidify plans and list action steps.

The three questions should help you along as you’re developing your idea to start to prod yourself into thinking of the things that you can come up with on your own. It’s obviously not the same as the collaborative process, which will yield other things, but it’s helpful for yourself as the project lead to be able to flesh out what’s going on moving forward.

The best thing about this is to be methodical and to keep yourself focused on the goal, because sometimes as you go through a project it barely resembles it original self as you get towards the end if you’re not careful. This is a chance to frame the idea from the start and then to constantly develop from the basic premise of what it is you’re trying to accomplish. It also forces you to constantly attack the idea.

If you’re an idea maven, coming with ideas is very easy to do. Executing them can be the difficult part and this process is focused on the execution and completion, rather than the dreamstorming (which is a whole ‘nother post completely) which can go on forever if you let it.

Listen..you might learn something

That was a common refrain from my parents growing up. But I think it could serve well in another context. It can be really easy to go into a particular situation: whether it’s a meeting, a consult, a project meeting or something else and have your own ideas about how it ought to go. You can have ideas drawn up in your head and a pretty good plan about the way you want it to unfold.

But the hitch is, none of it matters if that’s not what your client wants. You have to assess the needs and hear what people are saying, before you can truly go any further. It’s a lesson I constantly have to remind myself of. While you don’t want to get too caught up in letting people derail you with flashy ideas or zanyness once you’ve developed a road map, there isn’t any harm in listening to the folks who are setting out on the expedition before you embark on it.