The purpose of these guidelines is to assist individuals or groups in assessing, planning and completing new programs and one-time projects. The business case described below must be evaluated and approved by the Board before any significant resources (money and staff time) will be committed. Then the plan will be monitored, according to the guidelines established in the plan. At some point, the project is complete, and is either turned into an on-going program or shut down.

Volunteers managing projects should apply knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques so that project activities meet or exceed the stated needs and expectations. This invariably involves balancing competing demands among

scope, time, cost and quality
stakeholders with differing needs, expectations and communication desires
identified requirements (needs) and unidentified requirements (expectations)

In some cases staff may be available to assist with specific tasks. Such activities are in addition to regularly assigned duties, and must be previously coordinated with the Executive Director and the staff member.

All projects and new programs must be incorporated into the annual budget process in the fall and duly reviewed by the Executive Director and the Budget Committee and approved by the Board of Directors at the annual AGM meeting in October.

Large projects can be managed in three phases:

I. Initiate the Project and Document the Plan
II. Execute the Plan and Control the Project
III. Close the project

Phase I, Initiate the Project and Document the Plan

Developing the Business Case

The business case will be presented to the Executive Director and Budget Committee for evaluation and recommendation to the Board of Directors for approval. The volunteer's job is to prove that the project should be done. In most cases it is good to go to the pertinent committee early to get a sense of their interest. Even if you have approval to create a task force or to write a business case, don't expect funds to be spent until the business case is completed and approved.

The case should be well documented and made available for discussion. Graphics can help to clarify the case, but may not be needed. Generally, brand new projects and programs with large costs should have more detail in the case. The following items should be included:

1. Mission - how does the proposal support US SAILING’s mission of “encouraging participation and promoting excellence in sailing and racing in the United States.”

2. Need or Opportunity
State the current need clearly and plainly. Is there a problem today? What does it cause? Is there a gap in our services? What should we be doing? How can we tell? This is the section to include market research, goals and objective, trends, etc.

3. Expected Result
What is expected to happen at the end of the project? Will there be a new product? A change of behavior? How will the results be measured? Be sure to match the financial plan presented in section 7.

4. Project Activities and Timeline
Describe the primary tasks and indicate how much effort (dollars, time) each will take and who will do the work. Estimate when some results will be evident. State who is responsible for

Project Coordination
Scope Management
Time Management
Cost Management
Quality Management
Project Communications
Managing Risk

One person may be responsible for all of the above, but it is useful to spell it out so that the person knows what is expected.

5. Monitoring

What reports will be made, to whom, when? What will be measured? Expenses, revenues, numbers of participants, or other impacts are good measures, but should have stated expectations. Set milestones for formal reports, usually the spring and fall meetings.

6. Definitions of Triggers to Expand or Stop
This can be difficult, but must be done up front so that everyone will know what to do. When a trigger point is reached, the action taken may be to keep on going as planned, but the plan should be re-evaluated when it gets off track in any direction. No one can anticipate everything, but be as specific as possible.

Define when we will expand beyond the stated plan. For example, "if the first 6 months show revenue at 5 times the level we expect, we will adjust the plan to dedicate additional resources and speed up implementation."

At what point will we walk away from the project? Just being behind schedule is not always a good reason to give up, but resources should be withheld when the plan needs to be rewritten. For example, "we will stop writing the manual and reassess the need if participation in the program declines by 50% or more.

Keep in mind that we need to measure the trigger items as we go.

7. Financial Plan
This may be the most difficult part because it is always difficult to predict the future. State when each line item (revenues and expenses) will occur. The Board must approve the business case before funds are used, but many tasks can begin without funding. The Board may choose to approve the business case but to limit funds or to spread the funding out.

The project budget must also be integrated with the financial plan of the entire organization. Revenue and expenses should be assigned within the operating budget or with the general fund. Usually the general fund is used for making investments for the long term. Revenues usually go into the operating budget for each year of the program. The project may be required to repay the general fund and such payments should be specified in the plan. Ask for help - the budget chairman, treasurer, executive director and other staff are good places to start

Be sure to file a copy of the final plan for future reference, even if it is not approved. It may be a valuable starting point for something else. If it is approved, it will be referred to often.

Phase II, Execute the Plan and Control the Project
Once the case has been approved, it's time to do the work. More detailed planning may be necessary, especially if the team is large. Be sure to stay within the approved business case. If there is good reason to alter the plan be sure to get approval on the revisions prior to executing.

The approved business case should be the step by step guide. If the actions vary from what was expected, track the differences, especially in terms of work time, elapsed time and finances. Well documented reports comparing actual to expected effort can help others improve their planning, as well as indicate when your plan should be adjusted.

Regular reporting to the Executive Director can keep everyone on track and avoid surprises. The Executive Director and EXCOM meet monthly by conference call. E-Mail updates are probably sufficient. If the plan calls for reports, be sure to deliver something at that time. In the worst case, present the reasons why you can't report and state when you expect to be able to.

If the project has significant budget or cash flow impacts, you'll need to work closely with the Financial Manager in Portsmouth. Have a staff person monitor all the bills and submit for payment. This provides at least one person in the office who can monitor, answer questions, and straighten out any confusion in the project costs. Avoid paying for things and submitting the receipts, as reimbursed expenses are difficult to track.

Be aware of "scope creep" - the tendency to include more than the original plan called for. Adding an extra chapter or another constituent group may seem like a good idea, but can put the project behind schedule and behind budget. Either revise the plan or keep to the original scope. Don't let it "creep".

The Risk Management and Insurance committee should be aware of your project. They can help to assess and deal with many kinds of risk - from not delivering as planned or unknowingly impacting other programs to the risks associated with a new program. They can guide you in minimizing the risk or acquiring insurance.

Phase III, Close the Project
It may seem trivial, but every project should have an end. This can occur in several ways:

· Just like the plan - on a certain date with expected results
· Before the expected date when results are achieved
· On a stated cut-off date
· By "pulling the plug" - usually with the approval of the Board

The project may be completely finished, or followed up by another project. The development work may be implemented into an on-going program, becoming part of regular operations with it's own budget. It is important to be clear about the end point. Any funds approved but not spent will be returned to the general fund.