Using a manifesto is a fun way to engage a project team in creating a sense of urgency for the project and committing to the project goals.

1. Superpowers for Project Managers
Creating a Project Manifesto

2. Create a team manifesto
Why do you need a manifesto?
Many people find it useful to compose a manifesto, believing that such a
document will help guide them and keep them focused on their goals.
Source: https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=manifesto&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
This same idea can help a project team to define goals and maintain focus
on the things that really matter.

3. The Expert Enough
Manifesto
My favorite example
Source: expertenough.com/themanifesto

4. 1. Think
Review the scope and think about what is important
On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced the ambitious goal of
sending an American safely to the Moon before the end of the decade.

5. 2. Brainstorm
Create statements to support the goal
Provide everyone with paper
and a pen.
Ask team members to think
about and create statements
that express their goals or ideas
for the project.
Write down as many ideas as
come to mind. No specific
format is necessary.
Source: http://history.nasa.gov/Apollomon/apollo5.pdf

6. 3. Arrange the List
Aim for Simplicity and Clarity
Idea 2
Idea 3
Idea 1
Idea 4
Accelerate development of the
ROVER nuclear rocket
Commit to landing on the moon and
returning safely to earth
Make the most our our present
leadership by accelerating the use of
space satellites for world-wide
communication
Give us at the earliest possible time a
satellite system for world-wide weather
observation.

7. 4. Post
Make the manifesto visible so all stakeholders
can refer to it
I believe that the nation should
commit itself to achieve the goal,
before the decade is out, of
landing a man on the moon and
returning him safely to earth

8. 5. Don’t Waste
Avoid efforts that don’t contribute to the manifesto
“We can not afford undue work stoppages, inflated cost of
materials or talent, wasteful interagency rivalries or a higher
turnover of key personnel”
– John F. Kennedy

9. Information:
For more on John F. Kennedy’s Urgent National
Needs speech to Congress and the Apollo mission
Go to: history.nasa.gov/Apollomon