Fail Better Checklist #2:
Marshal Your Resources

List the person-hours, skills, capabilities, and other personnel-related assets available to your project. List other relevant inputs: budget, time, equipment, space, materials, stakeholder and team relationships, reputation, etc.

Identify areas of your project you have license to shape and influence, and what areas are not up for discussion or change. These define the boundaries of your project scope and activities.

Pinpoint how your project resonates within your organization: How do project efforts and goals connect to themes and trends that are meaningful to others?

List key stakeholders and their project-related interests. Include potential allies who could support your work and those more likely to be roadblocks. To find interests, consider how project activities and outcomes overlap line up with others' interests; in short, answer the question of what's in it for them?

Assess your work plan, deliverables list, and inventory of resources. Identify whether you have everything you need to complete your project. If not, pinpoint the gaps.

Consider whether you will be able to obtain more resources or personnel. If your givens are already set, devise a strategy for addressing unmet needs.