Scoping futuresThis is a featured page

Scoping FuturesProject/program origins
A program or project usually begins for one of two reasons:
  • The organization wants to re-examine its strategic plan and determine the need for possible change.
  • The executive want to encourage continuous futures thinking by all their key stakeholders, particularly their people.
Often the trigger comes in the form of questions which usually are expressed in simple form at the outset, e.g., "what's the future of tourism?"

But this tells us very little. For instance, in "which countries?", "in what tourist fields?", "over what time period?"

Quick assessment
Programs or projects usually begin with a "Quick assessment." The assessment states "what is changing?" and "why this is important?" It sets the scene for determining more of the specifics of the key question(s) which must be answered and captures your early background thoughts.

Create your "Quick assessment"

Ask yourself what is the purpose of the project and what are the objectives of the question(s).
  • Is the intent clear?
  • Is it too broad or narrowly defined?
  • How will the stakeholders view the project or question?
  • Are the boundaries and time horizon clear?
  • What opportunities and risks may be won or lost by the thrust of the question?
  • What answers would one expect from the question?
  • Will these give expected and unexpected answers (both are important)
Scoping

Test your questions on a cold, sample audience and among the key sponsors to iron out any issues before embarking on a full roll-out.

Often a quick scan using the search methods described in Horizon Scanning will further help to improve the Quick assessment and your key question(s). The key is to get this right very early on and then be precise about the desired outcome.

Understand for whom you are scanning. This is important so that your reporting meets their needs. What kind of reports do they "like" – in-depth, bullet points, two pages maximum? What would a successful report look like (content, format, length)? Consider this before you start scanning.

Desired outcome
The desired outcome(s) must be determined by resolving the key question(s), setting the context and boundaries for the program or project, and creating a project plan. Ensure too, that the project or program properly considers other efforts already ongoing in the organization and design an outcome that avoids unnecessary duplication.

Defining the desired outcome should lead to consensus among the key decision makers that the groundwork should start in earnest and resources are committed.

Determining the key question(s) to be answered is as important as the outcome. A poorly defined question will lead to an equally poorly defined outcome and vice versa.

Ensuring value for money by solid upfront planning will further help to ensure program or project success.

Further references
Next: Stakeholder Management Back: Futures Outcomes To: Shaping Tomorrow

Copyright: Some rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.


sunfirejewels
sunfirejewels 		Latest page update: made by sunfirejewels , Apr 19 2009, 7:48 PM EDT (about this update About This Update sunfirejewels Edited by sunfirejewels

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Foresight management