The first step involves some exploration and brainstorming on your part. You can think big or small, broad or deep. For example, what’s needed in your area? What opportunities present themselves? Gather ideas. Also, YOUR needs are important too: What lights you up? What are your interests + strengths? If you align that with others’ needs, you have a much better chance of sustaining your project work.

Identify Who Needs It

How will your project improve the lives of people, the condition of the environment, or the lives of wildlife? Or any combination of those? For example, ask people in your area what they need. In this step, identify exactly who needs what. Does your project match that? Ask people who work with the environment and wildlife what they think about your project idea—its strengths and weaknesses.

Choose the Key Project Area

Which of the key project areas mentioned on the home page of this website does your project fit into? Multiple areas? Do you have knowledge and/or skills in those areas? Do you know people who do? Have you discussed your ideas with them? If you don’t have the expertise needed, will you hire a consultant?

Specify the Results/Impact

During this step, you get more specific about the impact of your project. For example, 1000 people in King County will have access to a new type of natural healing center. Or your wildlife protection project will help salmon to thrive 90% better in Washington State. Or cleaning the water in the Satsop River (WA) will have immeasurable health benefits for the people, environment, and wildlife in the area, as well as all connected waterways.

Is your project a small one that you alone or a few people will lead? Or is it a large project that requires a lot of people or resources? Who’s involved/performing which tasks? How will you involve the people you are impacting, possibly at various review intervals? Remember, if it’s a project you’re leading, it MUST light you up personally too. Otherwise, you might fizzle out mid-project.

Determine a Preliminary Timeline

When does the project need to be finished to achieve the intended results? Is your project time-sensitive for those who need it? Determine the date the project needs to be finished, and then “work back” to further hone a preliminary timeline for and scope of your project so you can accomplish it by the necessary date. You can fill in the details and create a detailed schedule later in the next stage: project planning.

Iterate Until Satisfied

Iterate through these steps until you’re satisfied the Needs Assessment stage of your project is done, and you’re ready to move forward into more detailed project planning. Or will you NOT move forward with the project? If you decide to move forward, at this point, you’ll have a skeleton project plan (the high-level information) for your project. If you haven’t already, it’s also a good idea at this point to have someone with “fresh eyes” review your plan.

Keep Sight of Your Compass

Always ensure that your projects are aligned with our team’s purpose (shown at the top of this page). Think of this are your compass to stay on course. At the end of this stage, you might have documented something that’s similar to the structure in this Project Objectives/Goals Alignment PDF. (The example used in this PDF was a natural healing center.) This type of high-level document can act as a compass specifically for your project, as well as help you to make decisions throughout the entire project and help your team to quickly get an impression of the project.