Project Planning for small business told in the language of Legos

1. Bricks and Blocks of Project Planning
I recently realized that Legos® are an ideal
visual aid for demonstrating how project
planning for small businesses works. So I
bought a small set and used them in a
slideshow at a recent presentation. (Just
watch – this will be the year I get audited
and have to explain to the IRS that the two
sets of Legos® I bought really were a
business expense.) What follows is the
Legos® portion of the presentation.
The project for this example is a business
relocation. You’ve either decided you want
to move or your landlord has made that
decision for you. There are hundreds of
decisions that need to be made and tasks to
be completed. It can be overwhelming, even
paralyzing. Here’s how you can use project
planning tools to tame the project, develop a
budget and schedule, and figure out upfront
the resources this project is going to take.

2. You’re Relocating
There Are
Hundreds of
Things to Do
It’s Overwhelming

3. Organize the Tasks into Project
Components
Feel Blood Pressure Decrease

4. Each brick represents a task and has:
Due Date
Person Responsible
Cost

5. Add Up Costs for Each Task to Get Budget for Components

6. Budget for
Components =
Total Project
Budget

7. Arrange the Tasks by Component and Due Date to
Create Schedule (Gantt Chart)

8. Arrange Tasks by Responsible Person to Check Work
Distribution

9. Why
businesses
should work
with me
• Competitive Advantage – get high-impact
tools that your competitors aren’t using
• 20 years of business experience + new
perspectives from training and certification
in project management = success
• Conscientious, Clear, Client-focused
• Excellent references = Quality and Value

10. Contact me to explore how we can set up
your next project for success