Even though I have been involved with the MAP Toolkit since 2013 (I presented at HLG 2014 dontcha know) and I love it, I have always been a bit apprehensive of synthesising drivers/writing up case studies/using project plans. It’s all to do with the language (and a fair helping of imposter syndrome) and the fact that I feel intimidated by the terminology/language and what I believe are the requirements for synthesising drivers/writing up case studies/using project plans. Am I clever enough to write case study? What would be a useful topic for a case study? And then there is the age old problem of thinking you need something spectacular to write about because everything else is ‘part of the job’ and we are just getting on with it. Could I write a project plan? Am I the type of person to use a project plan? If I was to do a project plan for a work based project do I need to worry when I start to project plan my non work life?

The other day I really needed to get some thoughts down on paper about something that was spinning out of control in my mind. I’ve been part of a fairly meaty discussion lately which has taken on a juggernaut type life of its own and the initial thing I wanted to do has grown massively to incorporate things that didn’t even feature on my radar (but did on other peoples).

So, I took a journey out of my comfort zone, stopped off at the MAP Toolkit, clicked on the ‘Ideas Capture’ tab and downloaded the project plan template. And I filled it in. And I actually enjoyed it. And it focussed my thoughts. And it made me think of the ‘bigger picture’. And it helped me get perspective. And when I shared it with other people it helped generate a great discussion. This discussion has resulted in the project plan being re-written to include a wider catchment of ideas.

And I would definitely use it again. And it turns out that yes, my name is Leanne and I AM the type of person who would use a project plan…..

 

Tagged: Communication, language, Project planning, Templates