A project statement can be for multiple purposes, but it’s a central element in grant applications, proposals, and scopes of work in project management.
In a detailed and well-structured write-up, project managers or applicants address their clients, stakeholders, or peer reviewers with an individualized, unique project statement. Everything that fits within the goals, tasks, deadlines, deliverables, and costs of a project are included in a project statement.
The project manager is responsible for systematically guiding the project from its inception to its completion. Project statements also serve to update team members and keep the project on course.
This is the first step that the competent grant applicant or project manager must undertake to achieve the project’s goals successfully.
What is a project statement, and how do you create an impactful one?
There is no template for the perfect project statement, but there are ways to avoid using carry-on sentences that don’t effectively communicate interests or philosophies.
It’s essential that your statement doesn’t contain scope creep, filled with sentences that have repetitive on no vital points. It would be best if you coherently phrased your research on the project background, relevant experiences, planned activities, or anticipated outcomes.
Also called a project scope, this is a description of what you engender to deliver from an anticipated work or research. It’s a breakdown of what limitations and constraints you expect to encounter during your project’s commission.
The project statement must therefore describe precisely what a client or stakeholder is paying money for. A successful statement should clarify the boundaries, processes, or participants of a project alongside a work breakdown structure or WBS.
This translates into the deliverables or results after the project is completed.
A fundamental job description for project managers or digital content producers, project statements can be written up in several styles.
The statement defines;
- What’s to be delivered within the project’s scope
- What’s challenging to deliver outside the scope of your project
- Assumptions that may clarify the deliverables
- Any other clarification that’s needed for the above
A project statement can be within an (SOW) or Statement of Work or exist independently while providing estimate details. You can also use a project scope statement to describe the SOW’s individual components.
Why will carry-on sentences mar your project statement?
A project statement can be a proposal or a contract, and clarity will empower you to create an accurate plan of action that steers your project in the anticipated direction.
To keep your team motivated and working in uniform cohesiveness, it’s critical to circulate a project statement.
Carry on sentences or statement scope creep can cause revised requirements to be introduced to the project during its progress. This creates more responsibilities for your team and can reduce the quality of your project’s output through demotivation.
When the definition of your project is poorly communicated, mismanagement can arise. As a project manager or research grant applicant, stakeholders or clients must understand their crystal clear objectives.
Once everyone agrees on their requirements, your project will move on efficiently with minimal surprises during its implementation.
Wring a carry on sentence free project statement
When starting on your project’s deification, avoiding carry on sentences in project statement or scope is essential to mitigate confusion.
You can minimize scope creep or a project statement full of carry-on sentences by;
Collecting definitive information for your project’s purpose
Your project statement must be brief and to the point for effective communication with the relevant reviewers or project stakeholders.
Collect all the high-level information that pertains to your SOW for the project before starting to write the statement. This will be essential in defining your project’s overall purpose, giving you, your team, and other stakeholders a sense of drive and context.
Articulate the purpose of the project in one or two sentences, but not more than a paragraph. This is where the project statement starts to creep, and your ideas must not be too spread out.
Listing precise project objectives
Now that your project’s purpose, or its ‘north star’, has been defined, it’s time to consider the objects for which your project aims to fulfill. These objectives must be precise and can include endless possibilities, such as a hike in conversion rates that boost the stakeholder’s bottom lines.
For instance, you and your team have been tasked with creating marketing explainer digital content for your client. The objectives part of your scope statement must list a series of objectives that assist in assessing the project’s final outcome and success.
Exploring tasks to be completed in order for the project’s objectives to be achieved
Your project statement is now starting to communicate the purpose and objectives of your undertaking. For each objective to be accomplished, there must be tasks that should be completed to secure your project’s success.
Defining these tasks ensures that they are accomplished as a key to the completion and success of the project. For a digital marketing content project statement, tasks may include securing voice or video talent according to a written script.
Defining what shall be omitted from the project
To stop snowball effects from driving your project out of control, it’s essential that you define those aspects that are excluded.
From the above example, say the explainer’s digital content needs to include branding for the service provider. Define here whether branding will be a separate project or it’ll be included in the main one.
Since there is a predictable scope for your project, explaining what is exclusive will ensure that all participants are reading from the same page. Answer these questions shortly and aim for clarity alongside brevity.
Strategic outlining of your projects specific
Your project statement now communicates an idea of what the anticipated outcome is. Dive into the specifics at this point, depending on your client’s specifications or towards specified team members.
The strategy here may hinge on your project management style or the client’s requirements.
In addition to setting a rigid timeline for the project’s implementation, some clients may demand a detailed budget proposal. While creating this outline, be mindful of the information you’ll share with stakeholders since they’ll be consulting on these specifics.
Collecting stakeholder input and evaluating criteria for success
It’s time to secure buy-ins for your project statement, either from stakeholders or project team members.
There’s a section on many project statement templates that requires that the parties commissioning the project input their signatures. That’s because everything in your definition needs to have been clear for their understanding.
This evaluation and signing process signifies that your statement was rid of carry-on sentences and clearly understood. Carry on sentences that could lead to scope creep has been avoided, and your project statement drives accountability.
Conclusion
The consultation process with team members or other stakeholders might continue, but at least your project statement is factual and devoid of carry-on sentences.
Your project’s life cycle and progress will be impacted by how effective and robustly communicative your project statement is. This builds a stable foundation for your project, and getting it right means securing the reviewer, team members, and your client’s approval or buy-in.
