A practical first project
Fix one useful thing first.
What the first project is for
The first project should make one real piece of work clearer, quicker to prepare, easier to review or less mentally draining. It might be a repeated administrative task, a small workflow, an information journey, a focused website improvement or a practical prototype.
Scope, timing, cost and data handling are agreed before work begins, so the project stays bounded and understandable.
What it normally includes
- 1. Understand the recurring task and where the friction sits.
- 2. Agree the useful outcome, boundaries, sources and human-review points.
- 3. Build one focused improvement, workflow, page, prototype or small system.
- 4. Test it against the agreed task rather than adding unnecessary features.
- 5. Review it together and hand it over clearly.
- 6. Decide whether the work is complete or whether a separate next step is worth exploring.
Human judgement stays with people
The project is designed to assist rather than replace professional judgement. A responsible person keeps approval and accountability where the work is consequential, and automatic high-impact decisions are not introduced as part of a routine first project.
How to begin
Send a broad, non-confidential outline of the task that keeps coming back and what you would rather spend that time or attention on instead.