smackfoo.com | I find your lack of faith disturbing.

I’d like to present a small list of 9 rules that I have slowly begun to adopt, after sitting down one day and asking myself what do I need to do, to successfully plan, initiate and complete a project.

These rules have become a bit of a bible in some respects and after much brainstorming, including talking to some very successful folks, I came up with 9 rules. I wanted 10, but I prefer odd numbers and 7 rules seemed to be a cop-out. :)

So, counting down from 9 to 1.

• rule 9 - planning: - make sure you have a plan from start, to finish, by drawing clear and well documented expectations and outcomes, combined with a series of target goals.
• rule 8 - document: - endeavour to ensure you communicate goals, project needs and target result or required outcomes from day one, particularly if others are involved.
• rule 7 - strength: - ensure you have the right ‘iron’ for the job, involve the right number and mix of people to get the job done. Don’t be afraid to call on others to meet a deadline, or to help brainstorm solutions to unexpected issues.
• rule 6 - sell: -never over-hype an outcome when you cannot deliver on that hype, instead focus that energy in exceeding expectations or delivering the final result under budget or earlier than planned.
• rule 5 - focus: - make sure you have the space, time and resources needed to both begin and complete. There is no single faster way to miss a deadline or goal than to become ‘busy’ with side projects or time wasters.
• rule 4 - honesty: - never lie, obfuscate or procrastinate about progress, be open and honest at all times. Rule 4 is difficult, flies in the face of assumed logic¹ but builds both respect and openness with others.
• rule 3 - drive: - be excited and driven to complete the project. Being excited by, or enjoying the challenges a project can bring, speeds the process and helps keep the fires burning, despite the hours that may be involved. It will also energise any other project members.
• rule 2 - communicate: - keep everyone, including those who may be receiving the result, in the loop - make time to keep everyone apprised of progress.
• rule 1 - complete: - never leave any project involving others unfinished. Always aim to at least reach at least one primary goal, never leave others in the lurch and remember rule 2.

Now, you may be asking why I’m sharing this, and why today? Well, it’s a combination of factors including a realisation that I needed some clear rules to follow for my own projects, as well as being not the least bit frustrated by the somewhat haphazard (rule 5) finish to the now not-so-recent 9rules round 5.

As a reminder, 9 rules round 5 opened during October of 2006 and hasn’t, so far, actually fully closed (rule 1).. some 3 months later.

There have been an increasing number of comments by folks who have had little in the way of progress reports (rule 2) or have decided not to email or query progress for fear of slowing the progress down.

Mean while, there have been no posted updates (rule 2, again) since December whilst various 9ruler’s move on, leaving thyme to pretty much single-handed sort out the mess (rule 7) on her own, perhaps with occasional assistance from other 9rulers, as well as the usual (rule 4) “I’ve got too much shit to do and there are (now) other things happening” (rule 5) responses that tend to occur² when it all gets too much.

So what can I, a mere peasant when it comes to projects, offer as advice to the world-and-net-savy 9rules crew?

There are four things I can suggest - clear the desk, decide on a final close-out date, involve others as need and communicate the progress. If that means instead of contacting 500+ folks, the list gets pruned to 50, then the final entrants notified, so be it.

The demand will be much higher next round, if the current one is brought back on track and people are updated on progress. Having the whole round 5 stall and get bogged down whilst other projects come to the fore won’t sit right with many entrants — who to this day still have no clue if they’ve made the grade, or not. Keeping people hanging is neither positive, nor does it generate that vibe of wanting to belong when there is no sense of ‘importance’ given.

Indeed comments such as the following echo a sense of missing the importance of continuing to communicate:

“And our apologies for it being so quiet around here lately. Sometimes we forget there is a world outside the 9rules basement.”

Joining 9rules has been a quest of mine for some time now, however the current situation leads me to wonder if scrivvs and the gang are sitting on their proverbial pimped-out-laurels, basking in the glow of an adoring crowed, not entirely aware it may have lost some of that “special something” that drives others to better their designs or content in order to join the community.

I would love to be proved wrong. It would make my day if my rambling, inelegant post, lights a fire and triggers some kind of renewed activity or vigour.. but then, what would an infrequently visited, slightly neurotic and woefully linguistically challenged blogger such as myself, know?!

1. .. you want to tell the customer what?! (↩)
2. .. and hey, it’s happen to me, too! (↩)