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MM463 – Major Project. Brainstorming, SWOT Analysis, and Good/Better/Best. What we’ll cover. Brainstorming SWOT analysis Good/better/best scenarios. Brainstorming!.
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MM463 – Major Project Brainstorming, SWOT Analysis, and Good/Better/Best
What we’ll cover • Brainstorming • SWOT analysis • Good/better/best scenarios
Brainstorming! “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world! “ – Joel Arther Barker, Scholar and Futurist
What is Brainstorming? • Creates new ideas • Solves problems • Motivates • Develops teams • Brainstorming needs a process to be effective
Brainstorming process • Plan and agree on the brainstorming goal • Manage the brainstorming activity • Implement actions determined from brainstorming
Plan and agree on goal • Everyone participating must agree that they understand the goal of the brainstorming session • Keep the brainstorming objective simple • Allocate a time limit • This will enable you to keep the random brainstorming activity under control and on track
Managing brainstorming • Select a “facilitator” • Must ensure everyone participates • Writes down all ideas and all notes from brainstorming session • Keeps track of time • Group begins throwing out ideas • After time limit, collect and condense ideas • With the group, assess, evaluate and analyze the effects and validity of the ideas (SWOT) • Develop and prioritize the ideas into a more finished list or set of actions or options
Implement actions determined from brainstorming • We will cover how to implement your ideas form brainstorming into a project proposal in a future class
SWOT Analysis “A thought which does not result in an action is nothing much, and an action which does not proceed from a thought is nothing at all.” - Georges Bernanos, French author and WW 1 soldier
What is SWOT analysis • A way to measure our ideas • SWOT stands for: • Strengths • Weaknesses • Opportunities • Threats • We measure these factors because they influence our project • Fill out a chart with the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats listed
Strengths • “What are some of the things that work for this project?” • Ask these following questions: • What are the strengths of your project? • Advantages of project? • Your team capabilities? • Uniqueness of project? • Resources, Assets, People available? • Experience, knowledge, data? • Innovative aspects? • Management cover, succession? • What other strengths do you see?
Weaknesses • “What are some things that work against this project?” • Ask some of these following questions: • Disadvantages of doing project? • Gaps in skills and/or capabilities in team? • Timelines, deadlines, and pressures? • Effects on other school and project work, personal life, distractions? • Morale, commitment, leadership? • Processes and systems, etc? • Management cover, succession? • What other weaknesses do you see?
Opportunities • “What are some benefits that could out of this project?” • Ask some of these following questions: • Creative skills development? • Technical skills development? • Portfolio quality project? • Are there third parties that could benefit from the outcome of this project? • Are there other opportunities you can see?
Threats • “What bad things (risks) could happen?” • Ask some of these following questions: • Loss of technical resources? • Will you be able to sustain your project over the semester? • Obstacles you might face? • Overwhelming weaknesses discovered? • Loss of key team members? • Seasonality, weather effects? • Are there any other weaknesses you can see?
Good/Better/Best “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. 'Til your good is better and your better is best.” - St. Jerome, a Saint
What is Good/Better/Best? • A way to prioritize your project options, features, and ideas • Why prioritize? • Resources are limited • Time is limited • In the real world, budgets are limited • Keeps scope of your project clear and focused
Defining Good/Better/Best • List all of the features, options, and ideas about your project • Group them into three groups: • Good - list items that are only essential to execute the project • Better - includes “Good” items, and additional list items that would make the project more complete • Best - includes “Good” and “Better” items, and lists only the “nice to have, but not essential” items