This document outlines an eight-step process for defining a tech project vision: 1. Identify internal stakeholders and form a working group. 2. Determine organizational goals for the project, such as increased efficiency. 3. Identify key audiences and their goals for the project. 4. Consider constraints like budget, timeframe, and existing technology. 5. Get buy-in on the vision from all stakeholders. Then the project can move forward with a shared understanding and a plan.

1. Defining a Tech Project
Vision in Eight Quick Steps
April 2023

2. www.laurasquinn.com

3. What Will We
Cover?
Why a Project Vision?
Getting Started
1. Stakeholders
2. Working Group
3. Process
Working Towards a Vision
4. Organizational Goals
5. Audiences
6. Audiences' Goals
7. Constraints
8. Get Buy-in
Moving Forward

4. Getting Started

5. Why a Project Vision?
A vision (also called a charter) ensures
that everyone has the same
understanding of the project, and what’s
important.
If your team is on the same page, it’s a
pretty quick process.
Otherwise, it’s much quicker to align up
front than to repair your project down
the road.
Team
Vision
Halima
Maria
Leo
Trevor

6. 1. Who Are Your Internal Stakeholders?
Who will be affected by the project?
● Who can help you understand how
processes are currently done?
● Who would be helpful in
brainstorming?
● Who should be represented?
● Don’t forget front-end and admin
staff…who are often doing hidden
workarounds.

7. 2. Whoʼs In the Vision Working Group?
You may not be able to practically
include all stakeholders, but you
should create a core committee.
These people should commit to
participate in all the conversations it
will take to define the Vision.
R
A
C
I
Responsible
Accountable
Consulted
Informed

8. 3. What is Your Working Process?
You’ll need to decide on goals, audiences,
and constraints for your project. How will
you get there?
● Starting document, hour long meeting,
and be done?
● Workshop for each item on the list?
● Something in between?
Ensure your committee agrees on how they
will work.
Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri
Meeting
Org Goals
Meeting
Audiences
Meeting
Audience
Goals
Meeting
Finalize
Get comments; finalize
Prep
Prep
Prep
Prep
Get comments; finalize
Get comments; finalize
Get comments; finalize

9. Working Towards a Vision

10. 4. What are Your Goals?
What does your organization hope to increase or
decrease by doing this project?
● Ensure they are strategic goals (the end result)
rather than tactics (the features)
● Try to approximately rank order them
● Choose 1-3 to be your “North Goals”-- the
things that would be the difference between
success and failure.
Responsible
Accountable
Consulted
Informed

11. 5. Who are Your Audiences?
What people will be impacted by the
project? This is anyone who you’re trying to
address with a goal, whether internal or
external.
● Be specific. The general public or staff
are not useful audiences.
● Ensure they are people. Not: Local
businesses or policy makers.
● Divide out your primary audiences.

12. 6. What are Your Audiencesʼ Goals?
For your top several audiences, what do
you imagine they would most like to see
from your project?
● This is a very useful question to
brainstorm with your working group.
● Be realistic. Most audiences want
free things, basic information, and to
make their lives easier, for starters.
● If you have research, or have the
time/ budget to do it, this is a great
time to use it.

13. 7. What are Your Constraints?
What are the limitations that you’ll need to
design around?
● Budget and timeframe
● Personnel: do you need to be able to
support the new project with certain
people? In a certainly amount of staff
hours?
● Technology: is it impractical to change
an underlying system, like a content
management or constituent
management system?
Quality
Time
Scope $$$

14. 8. Get Buy-in
Do you have buy-in on all of that?
Terrific!
Make sure you document it in case
there’s questions down the road.
Responsible
Accountable
Consulted
Informed

15. 8. Move Forward!
What are your potential next steps?
● For a basic project, just define a
schedule and budget and start
● Or define a tactical definition of
what will be done (research,
strategy, a sitemap, diagram, etc)
● Or put out a Request for
Information to hire someone to do
the project

16. Questions?
www.laurasquinn.com