project plan

PROJECT PLAN - revised

Due April 21

Project Plan Guideline

Your plan should provide a brief, improved version of your Proposal information (what you want to do and why it's important), followed by an organized, week-by-week plan that communicates what you intend to do and accomplish each week. Five page limit suggested.

Restate your project title and purpose and goals. This should be brief and very clear. For consulting cases it should include a clear and compelling central question that will guide your research and analysis. Traditional leadership-in-action projects should include a clear goal statement that indicates how you and others will measure your results.

When you explain your plans, include ideas about specific leadership practices that may be necessary and that you wish to practice.

How will you communicate an inspiring message about your project goals, for example? To whom? Why?

How will you recruit followers? Guide? Motivate? Lead by example? Experiment and innovate? Direct and support? Reward? Celebrate achievements? Adapt your plan when necessary? Lead yourself and learn?

Your plan will evolve and change as new opportunities and new challenges occur. You will develop and revise your plan continuously and use it to direct your activities. However, this plan should provide a basic schedule and sequence of tasks that you understand now.

For each week you should make clear commitments to accomplish one or more major steps or objectives. Each major objective should include 2-3 specific actions that you believe will be necessary. These actions should build a clear path toward your Capstone Project goal.

A chart format for may be useful, in addition to text, such as the sample below. Yours will be more specific, of course. It does not contain assignments that are not part of your individual project, such as Discussion Boards and essays.

Brief example of a calendar and table to organize your Capstone Project Plan, in addition to the text sections of your Project Plan.

Week/Dates	Goal or Milestone	Key Actions I will be responsible for	Notes/Remarks
Sept 23-29	Clarify goals with team (be specific – who?)	1. prepare goal statement and project title; do necessary background research about the project 2. invite and recruit participants (who, why, how?) 3.propose meeting agenda to group 4. have individual communications with members about common goals and personal motivations	Identify roles and talents needed to succeed with my Leadership In Action project; Identify who I will try to recruit to join me and help me; Make a plan for how I will inspire and motivate them.
OR
Sept 23-29	Discuss issue with sponsor (identify people you plan to interact with) and prepare consulting case proposal (or plan)	1. Schedule meeting with sponsor(s) 2. Study information from sponsor 3. Conduct background research about organization (company website, etc.) and the issue (Northeastern Library’s research resources) 4. Meet with sponsor, understand more about case. 5. Prepare notes from meeting and discuss with professor. 6. Develop research plan.	Learn about the industry that the consulting case sponsor works in; Learn if the issue is common or unique; Begin to identify sources of information about the issue, in order to understand it and help my consulting case sponsor or client.
Week 3	Begin research …
Week 4
Etc.

A research plan is necessary for a consulting case, and often for Leadership In Action and Experiential Network projects as well.

· What research will you do about the organization and the case and the decision-makers and stakeholders?

· Where is this information available?

· What leadership and management theory will you review, to learn how it applies to your case?

· In addition to internet searches, what will you search for and study at Northeastern University’s Library, with research specialists to assist you?

· Do you need permission from an organizational leader to receive company information? How will you request this? What internal information is necessary?

· Will you interview people? Who? Review interview plans with the professor first.

· Will you conduct surveys? Who? Review survey plans with the professor first.

· Will you conduct observations, or participate directly in any organization activities?

Your Project Plan should include your research plan.

For many Capstone projects the semester is part of a longer personal timetable. For example, perhaps a project for your job might require 12 months to implement, and your Capstone relates to one stage of that project. Therefore, you may want to help your reader understand how the next 10-12 weeks fits within that larger timetable, by showing the entire timetable, with a focus on the Capstone Semester work you will do within the semester.

NOTE: Examine the syllabus again to ensure that you understand the purpose of the Capstone Project and the criteria for measuring your performance and your results.