How to make a project? Practical guide by points

You want to realise a project, but there are millions of unanswered questions in your head about how to draw it up correctly? No problem, we are here to help you!

There are basic principles for successful drafting. In this article, we will look in detail at the ideal procedure for creating your personal draft and the possible variations you can make to make it unique.

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What is a project?

Nowadays, 'project' has become a buzzword in the corporate landscape, so much so that there are various figures responsible for its planning, realisation and optimisation. But, ultimately, how do we define this concept? What is a project?

A project can be defined as a set of coordinated actions towards the pursuit of a goal, which is to be achieved within a certain time frame.

In other words, a project is an autonomous process aimed at achieving a specific goal . It is delimited by milestones and has a well-defined beginning and end.

How to make a project?

To draw up a good project, one must first be aware of how its life cycle is structured.

In general, a project normally consists of 7 phases:

1. The planning
2. The drafting of the draft
3. The drafting of the project
4. The revision (and correction)
5. The presentation
6. Action
7. The evaluation

Let us look at these stages in detail.

First stage: planning a project

The first stage of the project lifecycle is crucial, as it forms its foundation. It is quite a long phase and consists of many steps. Let us look at them together.

Gathering useful information

In the initial phase of a project, it is first necessary to gather the information that will enable it to be written. At this point, team members work synergistically with customers and all interested parties to understand:

• What is the scope of project realisation?

Project realisation is a widespread practice in many different contexts: from science to industry, from marketing to education. Although the basic criteria for drafting remain the same, each field requires different parameters for realisation. As a result, there will be different types of projects.

In this sense, it is advisable to carry out an analysis of the reference context , of the possible competition, in order to be able to develop a winning strategy.

• Who is the project aimed at?

Knowing your target audience is fundamental in order to be able to create a functional project. In fact, even an excellent project in terms of form and content can fail if it is not congenial to the target group.

It is necessary to inform oneself carefully about the needs , desires, and inclinations of those concerned. In this way it will be possible to realise a project that is satisfactory according to their standards.

• What timeframe must be respected?

It is necessary to define a time frame within which the project must be planned, sketched out, implemented and presented.

• What are the expected costs?

Every project is an investment and implies a certain expense: it is good to estimate this at an early stage. Having a point of reference regarding the budget is decisive for optimal planning of the subsequent project phases.

• Which roles should be defined within the project organisation?

Every member of the project team must know exactly what he or she has to do. He must be made aware of his role within the project, its objective and how he must proceed towards its achievement.

• What modus operandi to adopt?

The team must be instructed by setting guidelines to be followed that allow a high degree of productivity.

It is important to set monitoring and evaluation points during the process. Check-points are crucial to understand whether the project is progressing in the right direction.

• What are the objectives to be achieved?

Defining project objectives is a key point in the planning process. Indeed, the project develops according to certain objectives. Without these, a project draft would lack consistency and, ultimately, meaning.

This preliminary phase in the realisation of a project is usually the task of the project manager.

Identifying the problem

Fundamental to drawing up a good project is to define the problem to be tackled. The correct question to ask is:

To solve which problem/answer which need am I developing my project?

Once the focus has been defined around which to develop the project, it will be necessary to contextualise it properly. The following questions must be asked at this point:

• To what process/situation is the problem referable?
• What are the causes that generated it?
• What solutions have been proposed so far to solve it?
• Where have these worked or failed and/or where could they be improved?

  Finding a creative solution

Any self-respecting project must match the problem it addresses with a functional and effective creative solution.

☝ Many solutions may seem, at first glance, ingenious and sensational. However, they must first and foremost be feasible. In fact, many ideas that are very good in theory are hardly translatable into practice. Take care, therefore, to develop a solution that is feasible.

4. Mission and sustainability

It should be remembered that the project is always developed for a specific target group. It must, therefore, be attractive to the potential customer or client or target audience. The aim is the persuasion of its effectiveness.

The project, therefore, must contain a mission that the outlined target audience cares about and must propose an agile, inviting and convincing solution. It must also prove its validity and sustainability in terms of resource and budget utilisation.

Second step: the project draft

The preliminary project draft helps the team to get an idea of the effectiveness or possible weakness of its programme. Points to be improved, missing parameters, choices to be modified become evident. By means of a draft, it will be possible to have an overview of the project.

☝ The draft should include all the points set out above: problem, solution and how to get there.

Step three: the project proposal

Once the draft project proposal has been produced, it must be examined and, if necessary, modified or validated. Once this process has been completed, one can move on to the actual drafting of the project.

It is important that a project is also relevant on a formal level: since it is a persuasive text, it must contain a very precise outline for implementation. It must present, in fact:

• An introduction. Clear and decisive, it must offer basic information, such as: what is the problem and why is it important to solve it?
• A corpus outlining how the problem is to be addressed and what solutions are proposed. In this part, it is necessary to offer precise references on the budget needed, the equipment used and the timeframe.
• A conclusion. Similar in character to the introduction, it must be brief but meaningful. This is the moment to summarise the project's cornerstones and to present possible consequences. It is important, at this concluding moment, to highlight the benefits that the realisation of the project will bring.
• Possible appendices (data sheets, copies of articles, etc.).

Writing tips

Whatever the nature and purpose of a project, it is essential that it communicates the message in a clear and engaging way. Long-winded formulations and turns of phrase are not favoured in project writing: you have to get straight to the point and express yourself concisely.

Here are some practical writing tips:

• Avoid slang expressions: they could be taken as an indication of poor education and, therefore, lack of preparation;
• Avoid passive forms, as they are more difficult to understand;
• Use short, but meaningful sentences;
• Use comprehensible language.

Stage four: revision and correction

As in any quality work, a revision process is necessary. To err is human and happens often: oversights, writing or typing errors, gaps, calculation errors can be very frequent. It is therefore worth spending some time to revise the entire project.

☝ It is essential to ensure that the purpose set during the initial phase has been achieved. It is also good to make sure that the content is backed up by facts and not personal opinions. Indeed, the persuasive force of a project is also based on its reliability and trustworthiness: reference sources are important for the reader.

Fifth step: presentation of the project

At this point the project is ready! All that remains is to make it available to the target group for which it was intended.

Whether it has been realised on commission, in order to persuade a client or to convince a specific target group, the project must be presented, i.e. it must be shared with the interested party. At this time it is important to prepare a suitable presentation, if necessary also supported by a visualisation via Beamer.

☝ Whoever presents the project must possess strong communication and interpersonal skills: persuasion is also based on the ability to engage the audience and capture their fleeting attention.

Sixth step: taking action

After defining the project and presenting it, it is time to take action. This is the point, in fact, where theory must be translated into practice.

Depending on the type of project implemented, it will be necessary to get in touch with the agencies or companies responsible for carrying out the operations described in the project. This is the time, therefore, to rely on professionals to put into practice the ideas expressed in the project draft.

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Seventh stage: monitoring and final evaluation

Once the project has been realised and completed, it is a good idea to operate an overall evaluation system on the basis of the results obtained. The following questions should be asked at this final stage:

• Was the project successful?
• Was it easily implemented?
• Did obstacles and/or problems arise during implementation? If so, which ones?
• What worked particularly well in the project and what can be improved?
• Was the customer satisfied?

The final monitoring phase is extremely important in order to improve one's own performance in the realisation of a project and must not, therefore, be neglected.

Well, you now have all the information you need to devote to project drafting... are you ready? Good luck!