How to move from idea to execution and not screw it up--a workshop for new grantees of the Knight Foundation Community Information Challenge

1. Project execution
For paranoids
Creating your 100 day plan.
KCIC Bootcamp, Fall 2013 , Susan Mernit, presenter
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2. •
You got the funding ! Now what?
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3. You make a plan
Q: How do you move from concept
to execution ?
Answer: Very thoughtfully.
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4. • Budget
• Hiring
• Obstacles &
Dependencies
• Partnerships
• Platforms
• Requirements
• Timeline
All things to think about as you plan
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5. CR, talking to new
grantee: “Who do you
want your project to
reach?”
Grantee: EVERYONE!
CR: Uh, who does that
mean, exactly?

6. Define
your
audience
Who
are
the
audiences
for
your
project?—break
it
down
into
3
or
4
segments
Are
these
new
audiences
you
want
to
reach?—Or
audiences
you
have?
And
what
do
you
know
about
their
online
behaviors?
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7. Remember that
?
everyone is Who’s your audience?
a Age
Gender
group of someones
Race
Values
Behaviors
Income
Jobs
Life stages
Technology consumption
Interests
All play a role in determining level of
interest
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8. Strategic question 1
• Ask: Who are the core audiences my
project needs to connect with/?
• Understand: Core characteristics and
behaviors of those groups
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9. Next, plan your team
Basic questions:
• What are the roles we need to make this happen?
• What are the skills we need?
• Who is the project lead?
• Who do we have?
• Whom do we need to hire?
• What are the roles and responsibilities?
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10. Keep
it
CLEAR
Know who the lead is
Make sure roles are defined—and everyone
knows them.
Set goals and milestones where all can see
them.
Select project management tools—Google
Docs, Basecamp, Asana are some choices
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11. If you can’t measure it, you haven’t
thought it through.
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12. It’s all about the roadmap
Iterative design
Launching—and then refining
Define product requirements
AND project outcomes—
HOW will you get there?
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13. 13

14. Example:
GrowWNY
game
as
content
for
young
adults
focused
on
green
issues
What’s my footprint?
Global footprint game was a direct result of wanting
to reach younger adults via gamification
See: http://growwny.org/learn-a-live-green-home/whats-my-footprint
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15. Invest
in
process
in
your
plan
Think about:
Who’s in charge?
What are the results you need?
Are you measuring the right
things?
Who decides in a conflict?
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16. Check
in
with
your
community
AKA
your
audience
Are you solving a problem
others would like to solve?
Are you working in
partnership?
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17. Measure
your
work—
learn
from
the
data
The best friends you can
have:
• Google analytics
• Facebook insights
• Twitter analytics
• Survey Monkey
Check stats daily, weekly,
monthly
• Compile & discuss
• Use to fine tune
Use to refine approach, focus
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18. Work
your
plan
Work on your plan through the
whole boot camp
Show it to advisors and colleagues
Modify, adjust, tweak
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19. QUESTIONS
&
DISCUSSIONS
What’s the biggest risk?
What do you know you don’t know?
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20. It’s not a unicorn, okay?
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21. Resources
Boot-­‐camp:
This
week
is
hands-­‐on
Circuit-­‐Riders:
You
have
one
—take
advantage
Further
reading:
GeJng
Things
Done:
The
Art
of
Stress-­‐Free
ProducOvity
by
David
Allen
The
One-­‐Page
Project
Manager:
Communicate
and
Manage
Any
Project
With
a
Single
Sheet
of
Paper
by
Clark
A.
Campbell
The
DefiniOve
Guide
to
Project
Management:
The
fast
track
to
geJng
the
job
done
on
Ome
and
on
budget
(2nd
EdiOon)
by
SebasOan
Nokes
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22. SUSAN
MERNIT
mernit@gmail.com
TwiWer:
susanmernit
Susanmernit.com
Susanmernit.tumblr.com
QuesLons
welcomed—hit
me
up
via
email.
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