. Many customers, friends and people regularly mention how difficult it is for them to deliver what they want to deliver, on time. What I hear is: “I can’t follow my own plan!” or “I have more ideas than time!”. How do we deliver our vision? Our ideas? Our projects?
Do you make the following mistakes when it comes to planning or delivering your vision?
- No documented plan – a vision that can be clear, but mostly in your head:)
- Outline too vague or too high level
- Shot too micro, in task mode
While it is true that not everyone has the same interests or talents for planning and organizing, there are simple methods that offer the benefits of producing satisfaction and relevance.
This article presents a five-step method to deliver your vision, all summarized in an infographic.
(Download the infographic summarizing the 5 steps to deliver your vision.)
This is my method, the one I have been using for several years, inspired by agile management methods. Just this year, this method allows me to deliver 12 online training modules, each requiring between 5 and 8 days of work. This, while continuing my normal coaching activities. Yes, I have productivity tips, and I work a few more hours because it’s a major project, but first and foremost, I have a clear and inspiring plan.
Step 1 – A clear and inspiring desire to deliver your vision
First of all, to deliver your vision, you have to have one. That said, it is not uncommon to be unclear with your vision or desires. Indeed, many people I meet lack clarity and inspiration at this level.
One way to do this is to get to know yourself better. That is to say, to take stock of what engages us in life, because when we feel committed it is easier to be in action given the energy that commitment provides.
Also, knowing oneself better is an inventory of one’s values, interests, motivations, strengths and aspirations. Once you’ve done that work, it becomes easier to create an inspirational phrase representing what I usually call our cause and that has the following form: As (your name), I want (a contribution), in order to (an impact).
For example, my sentence is: As Geneviève Dicaire, I want to open up perspectives for leaders so that they can act differently.
This has to be inspiring to you. Several people can share the same cause, what creates the uniqueness of people is everything else (values, strengths, motivations, aspirations). Finally, if you want to do the exercise, I invite you to follow the process of getting to know yourself better, in the form of video clips.
Step 2 – Deliver your vision of concrete results
Secondly, how will your desire materialize? What shape will your vision take? A company? A product? A service? A career? A foundation? etc. The possibilities are endless here. This step is very important, it is the first step to go from dream to reality.
So, if I take a personal example: I have talents for business, for humans. In addition, my analytical and empathetic strengths allow me to understand others well. Secondly, I am motivated by results and people’s well-being. Finally, I need independence and freedom to express my creativity. This resulted in Unique coaching – leadership, fun, results.
For others, it could be a readjustment of a company’s vision or catalog of services, a career transition or involvement in a charity, it doesn’t matter.
Finally, make sure that you have the right results for you here. To do this, they must be aligned with your cause, values, interests, strengths, motivations and aspirations!
Step 3 – Projects to deliver your vision
Then, let’s go a little more concrete. Where do I start?
First of all, I remember at the beginning of the creation of Unique coaching I wanted to offer everything, to do everything. Wouldn’t you be surprised if I told you that it didn’t work? It was just too much, in a short time. In addition, I didn’t know enough about the market, my new role as an entrepreneur, etc.
This is normal. That’s why I invite you to have a place where you write down all your projects and ideas.
Personally, every year, or twice a year depending on the context and my desires, I look at these ideas and I prioritize them. I keep a time horizon of three years. In addition, I choose between one and four projects per year to deliver. Then, if a project fails during the year, no problem, there is no shortage of ideas in my notebook!
In the end, to ensure the relevance of the projects I select, I make sure that there is a need in the market or a strong enough desire on my part to meet the effort required.
Step 4 – Iteration planning
An iteration is a short delivery cycle. And a delivery is a tangible element that can be seen and that brings value. By short, it is implied that every two to four weeks, there is a delivery. After all, you have to deliver your vision!
For example, one project I prioritized this year is the delivery of a manager academy (the Agile Leader Academy), which contains 12 online training modules. Thus, at the project level, I defined the topics of the modules.
It’s a large-scale project, without iterative planning it’s easy to get lost, to start a lot of things at the same time.
Imagine… 12 modules or 12 training courses to create. How would you have done it? The classical methods would have invited us to define all the content, then to make all the manuals. Then all the shootings. Then, all the uploads. Imagine the colossal effort of a year’s work without tangible results!
The tangible results produced by iterations help keep you motivated.
In addition, the method described above would not have allowed for experience and adjustments to be made on all dimensions. What if I had made a mistake in the content structure that I only realized after a year? I don’t even want to imagine.
So, what I chose to do, following my method, is to select one module per month. All the steps are done, it is delivered. People who follow them, give me feedback, my retrospectives allow me to work better, to adjust what is relevant. And I feel satisfaction in seeing a project that inspires me come to fruition day by day.
Step 5 – A retrospective and adjustments
Finally, the value of working by iteration takes on its full meaning when adjusting. If you don’t do retrospectives and adjustments, you miss out on all the benefits of using this method.
First, use simplicity to do your retrospectives. Here are three questions you could ask users too!
- What went well?
- What went so well?
- And, what was missing?
Every training module I produce has something good and something to improve. Also, the way I produce my content and deliver it in front of the camera has evolved. The tools I use to deliver the project as well. Also, with the videographer, we have an operation that has improved from module to module, and we have more and more pleasure and ease of delivering.
So, the final key is to do something with your retrospectives! Keep doing what you’re doing well, and pick at least one thing to improve that you’re going to implement for the next iteration.
Delivering value in a relevant way doesn’t have to be perfect!
In short
In summary, to deliver his vision, here are the 5 steps I use that work for me.
- A clear and inspiring desire: To know yourself well to be clear with your desires.
- Concrete results: Choose the tangible and concrete form that your desire will take.
- Projects: Write down all the ideas and projects to create concrete results, prioritize between 1 and 4 projects per year.
- Planning by iteration: deliverables per month, which we see, that we publish.
- A retrospective and adjustments: to improve and prioritize the next iteration.
The world belongs to those who learn.