No matter how concrete our project briefs seemed at the beginning of this project- change is inevitable. Whether change comes in response to external factors, internal alignment, resources, or simply as a response to research findings, this is the point in the project when most of us are retooling our charters and final deliverable expectations. With about 7 working weeks left for capstone, the end is near- and definitive expectations should be set.
Understanding why a project did not sync perfectly with the original charter is not about placing blame- it's more important for understanding how to write a more realistic charter and avoid certain pitfalls in the future. My project brief in particular was one of the most detailed and established in comparison to the majority of briefs which were much more open ended and flexible. This is why I was surprised at the numerous changes to my project throughout the quarter.
As I retool and edit my charter, I am thinking of 2 of the largest sources of problems in regards to maintaining desired deliverables as well as staying on schedule:
1. Internal alignment. Just as Drew warned us in the second capstone class, this is a huge necessity for success. I found many stressful issues working with multiple company employees who were all on a different pages and have different understanding and expectations of my project. So every time I thought a direction or idea was solidified, internal misalignment would inform me that a new direction was being taken. Not only does this obviously change expectations and deliverables, but also wreaks havoc on a schedule that was built on the idea of previously established internal alignment.
2. Scheduling meetings. The number one recommendation I could give to future MS students regarding staying on track with a charter is to establish a weekly meeting time and not break it unless you absolutely have to. There is always the opportunity to cancel a weekly meeting if you are working on a phase that does not require input or review- but having a permanent time slot will be greatly helpful for many reasons:
- The student feels like a priority, instead of the "whenever I can get to it" mindset
- Weekly expectations are straightforward and expected- no stressful surprises
- The student can maintain a organized weekly work schedule when they know exactly when their meeting will take place
- Days of possible work are not lost due to schedule irregularity. Example: If a friday meeting gets pushed to monday or Tuesday, the student now has only 4 working days the next week to squeeze in 20 hours, if they are waiting for instruction or feedback. Inversely, If the student is expecting to meet on Friday, and the client asks to meet earlier, on Wednesday instead- the student is now stressfully scrambling to complete 20 hours of work with 2 fewer work days and often little time to adjust their school and personal schedule.
- The client will have a better feel for how the student works, as well as what to expect from them in future weeks.
- The overall client/consultant relationship will improve through consistency
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