Photo: psiaki
Have you ever tried to put together a Lego set using only text directions? It’s nearly impossible. ”Find the red 6 dot rectangle and connect two units length-wise to the green edge of the 8 unit cylinder.” Without pictures, our Lego creations would turn out very different than what is on the front of the box.
Humans are visual creatures. We’d rather put something together using only pictures than only words if we had to. It’s simply easier…and science has proven this. In one study, MIT neuroscientists found that they could command the attention spans of monkeys longer using visual (rather than audio) stimulae. Because the prefontal cortex – the brain’s planning center – is engaged in unison with the visual cortex – the brain’s camera – humans are able use two parts of our brain to pay better attention and learn faster than if they were just to hear something and engage one part.
Using Eagle Project Models
How does this apply to your Eagle Project you ask? Easy. As any Zelazny book would suggest, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” If we include more visual cues during our Eagle Project planning process, we might be more effective.
Here’s an example how:
What does this picture tell you? Other than I’m terrible with graphic design, you can distinguish a few things here.
1) Who? This Eagle Project Model shows us who our project is benefitting in just a few seconds. The “actors” in the model are the groups that this project helps. In this case, it’s a) horseback riders, b) the local youth group, c) fishermen, and d) surrounding wildlife.
2) What? Our model shows us that we’re going to be working on the Springfield Stream and its surrounding areas. We’re going to be painting a fence, building a bridge and digging up and mulching a trail.
3) Where? The locations of where the fence, trail and bridge are in relation to the stream can be discerned from the NESW compass rose in the upper right hand corner. Of course we could’ve gotten more detailed here using GPS coordinates, but you get the point.
4) Why? This also goes hand-in-hand with what we’re doing here. In this case, we’re improving a trail that needs work, building a bridge so that folks can cross the stream and painting a fence so that wild buffalo don’t run into it.
5) How? Notice the little stick figures scattered all around the model. These are the number of workers tasked with each sub-component of our project. We can get as detailed here as we’d like, for instance showing what tools, blueprints, vehicles etc. will be used.
Tips and Methods
- Know what you’re doing first, i.e. do your homework on how your project is coming together
- Experiment with Microsoft PowerPoint and clip art to help you draw
- Don’t get hung up on artistic details, you don’t need to hire someone on Elance to draw this for you
- Draw the figures big enough to be seen
- Use descriptive text
- Include a compass rose and any identifiable landmarks (bodies of water, roads, buildings, etc.)
- Use this to communicate to your project approval authority and building teams
- This model should easily map to your project requirements and planning book
Closing
Although not required for your project, using a model can drastically improve communications between you and your project sponsor. It will also give you a better idea of how everything comes together in the end instead of the future state (what it will actually look like when complete). Get creative and your team members might even appreciate your stick figure humour 
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About the Author: Eric Chrabot is a business strategy consultant to the federal sector and a member of the Project Management Institute in Washington, D.C. In 2004, he received the rank of Eagle Scout from Troop 401 (Tidewater Council) after leading a team to create five park benches for a local retirement organization. Eric holds a lifetime membership status in the National Eagle Scout Association and a Business Economics degree from Virginia Tech.
For more information on how you can manage your project more effectively and efficiently, please see our Eagle Project Solutions Products.
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