I’ve noticed that the most important and most difficult task in project management is visualizing the project in all it’s details. By project I mean any definable endeavor – for example a product (like an album), a festival, a website or even a new business. All great projects start as an idea. Ideas are easy to come up with. Visualizing what that project will look like as a finished product, how people will interact with it, who uses it and how you build it – that is the hard part. This first hurdle is so significant that many of us never make the jump over it. Fear sets in and we procrastinate or worse yet, completely dismiss it.
Here’s a simple tip to beat that fear and to get the ball rolling on these big, seemingly undefinable projects: Research similar products/projects. Yup, it’s that easy. Even if you think your project is unique you can certainly find examples that relate. It’s easy and enjoyable to research other similar projects and it starts to give you an idea of what you want in your own project. Make notes of what you like, why, and who created those products. Once the ball gets rolling so many other doors start to open that the project seems to take on a life of its own. By engaging yourself fully in the research aspect, soon enough your project vision will start to clarify. As the project starts to define itself momentum sets in and the daunting work suddenly becomes easy. Give it a shot next time you have a big project and let me know how it goes.