Postcards from the Projects

It is summer and while on vacation it is nice to send postcards back to those unfortunate to be stuck at home. The great thing about a postcard is that the space for your message is limited. Those not too interested in communicating great thought are satisfied with a message like "Hello from Hawaii... We are having a great time... Wish you were here!". However, if you are truly interested in telling everything there is about your vacation, a postcard is great in forcing you to be concise and only including the most essential thoughts so that the reader gets a clear understanding of the wonderful time you are having.

The opposite of a postcard is an RFP or requirements document. While such documents are important, I suggest that you create a postcard for every project that visually communicate the most important aspects of a project. Like an elevator story, your project postcard should articulate the strategy behind a project, why it is necessary, and how it will benefit the organization. It should excite as well as educate viewers.

I recognize RFPs and requirements documents are important for projects, though I feel the process of developing the documents offers greater benefit to an organization than do the actual documents. However, the practice of boiling a project down to a single postcard is fantastic for ensuring that everyone knows the essential aspects of the project as well as for communicating these aspects with others.

On your next project, consider taking the time to create a postcard. "Don't leave home without it."