12 Steps.
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Do we have a project?
Project or not?
Check if your idea, change or goal should be managed as a project
↓ Why This Matters
👉 Missing when something is a project risks confusion, a lot of unnecessary stress and goals otherwise missed.
On the flip side, treating Business as Usual (BAU): like a project creates unnecessary overhead.
Would you say your idea, change or goal is novel, unique or complex?
If so, you may have a project, if not, managing it as part of your day job may be the ticket.
The Project or Not Tool
We’ve built a simple project tool to help you determine if you should call your big idea, goal or change a project.
The tool is based on guidelines from good practice sources: the Praxis Framework, PMI, and WHOW framework.
Is It a Project? Selection Criteria
Score each criterion from 0 to 5. Your total will indicate whether the work is business as usual or a project that requires formal management.
Your Initiative Details
Assessment Criteria
Project Report & Export Tool
This report is populated from your saved data. Click “Refresh” to load your latest changes from the assessment tool above.
Get This Right
Project management has some of the highest burn-out and stress rates of any profession according to a LinkedIn study of 16,000 people.
The main reason cited?
Those managing projects don’t get the support they need.
Call out your initiative for what it is, a project. Get the support you need.
Do we have a Sponsor?
A sponsor owns the “why”, unlocks resources, and backs decisions.
For a project to succeed, it needs someone who can provide $ funding or resources/time and get decisions from senior managers.
↓ Why This Matters
👉 43% of PM’s believe they are under resourced, only 20% of senior leaders agree.
A Sponsor champions the cause and unlocks the resources the project needs to succeed.
Do you have a Sponsor?
Still unsure, or would you like to know more about the role of the Sponsor.
Are You The Sponsor?
Sponsors hold authority and success criteria. If it isn’t you, can you identify who it is.
↓ Why This Matters
👉 If you haven’t already found a Sponsor, Step 1 is critical to engage with those who can unlock doors to success.
Are you the Sponsor?
Do you have the authority, ability and desire to secure the time from people and allocate money from a budget for this project?
Yes – Congratulations
↓ Why This Matters
This means you are likely the Sponsor i.e. able to authorise £ money & resources to deliver this project.
No – You should find a Sponsor
Complete the next questions in this sequence.
Then, find a Sponsor.
Do this by proceeding to Step 1, Ask Why and Find your Champion & Sponsor i.e. someone able to authorise £ money & resources to deliver this project.
Do we have a Project Manager?
A Project Manager has the capacity to pull everything together. They coordinate planning, delivery, people, risks, and more.
↓ Why This Matters
They don’t normally need to be full time, they don’t need to have someone that’s done it a lot before.
Even part-time support helps. In Step 2 of the Framework, you’ll be prompted to access experience.
But for now, it’s a simple Y/N
Do we have a Project Manager?
Does the Sponsor have someone with sufficient time to support the delivery of the project, and ideally experience.
Do You have the right experience to succeed?
A quick self-check to reveal whether you should borrow experience, experiment, or both.
Do you have the experience to make this project succeed?
50% of project leaders report burnout, often because they’re leading work they’ve never done before. This quick check helps you decide whether to borrow experience, experiment small, or go big with confidence. It takes under 2 minutes.
Put Aside Your Pride & Work with a Guide
Verify Their Experience
Talk to people they have delivered for. Did the project land well and achieve its outcomes?
Keep Learning
Run a pilot (think in small, modular “Lego” pieces). Keep generating experience and learning before you go big.
Institutionalise
Share your learning, be a mentor, enable apprenticeship pathways, and coach those who are receptive.
No PM? Consider assigning a PM
To deliver a big idea, change or goal means firstly calling it a project.
Secondly, it means applying the things that are shown to make projects successful.
That starts with having someone that has the capacity and experience to deliver.
Next: Complete Question 5, then proceed to use Step 1 to unlock support and Step 2 to access this experience.
Have we started?
Do a situation assessment, get your bearings to figure out where you are in the delivery journey.
You want to be highly successful and the 12 Steps gives you the big pieces of the puzzle.
Has the Project Already Started?
If the project is still in your head(s), a basic idea, or aspiration or goal, it’s a no. If you’ve been working it actively, you may be a yes.
Yes – You’ve Already Started
Use the Job Picker below to work out which Job you are on.
Work Out Which Job You’re On
Answer these quick questions to see where you are in the APEX-4 Flow. Your result will appear instantly, with tailored guidance on what to do next.
Jump to the Job
Press any one of these buttons to jump to your Job.
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12 Steps to Predictable Project Success.
Not Started? Welcome to Step 1.
You may now exit this tool proceed to Job 1, and Step 1.
Recommended
• If you are a Sponsor, write down the objective for the project now. Some organisations call this a Mandate.
• If you have access to a Project Manager now, send them the Mandate, and instruct them to use the 12 Steps. Starting with Job 1.
We Don’t Have A Project
Business as Usual (BAU): keeping the lights on, steady operations, no major change.
Based on your assessment, this initiative appears to be Business as Usual (BAU).
That means it’s not that complex, novel or new. It means you can probably manage this without putting in the extra management overhead as a project, i.e. following the steps that are proven true for successful projects.
Keep this as BAU for now.
Managing this as day to day work still contributes towards your organisation’s mission.