COMPOST: Part 2 - Proposal
- Celine Pham
- Oct 13, 2017
- 2 min read
Process :
This is the second part of EcoSSIStem's six-part Compost Series, based on our project design and process.
the proposal
After educating ourselves about the different types of composting, we decided on the rotating tumbler bin model. From there, we began constructing our comprehensive plan for the implementation of our plan:
Content:
introduction to the issue + local/global significance
project overview
concept of the proposed solution
choice of model + advantages, disadvantages
location
collection / maintenance procedures
harvesting
awareness aspect
stakeholder* roles
finances
expenditures
funding
timeline of action
risk management (possible issues and how you will address them)
The more questions you answer in the proposal, the more confidence your stakeholders will have in your knowledge and ability to carry it out!
While nine pages does sound impressive, we did try to be concise, clear, and detailed, avoiding unnecessary repetition. Using images, tables, italics, and bolding all helped to make the proposal easy to read and understand.
*what is a stakeholder?
"...those with any interest in your project’s outcome... people who are invested in the project and who will be affected by your project at any point along the way, and their input can directly impact the outcome." (Wrike.com)
--> Likely to include: club members, administrators, school staff, cafeteria staff, gardening staff
Structure:
For ease of understanding and navigation for your administrators, we included:
Table of contents (links to each section)
Main points of the proposal at the beginning (what's being asked)
Logical numbering of sections
which we sent to our school administrators. The next step was to meet directly with them for approval.
We set a time and date to meet with the administrators. The meeting included: our head of school, associate head of school, high school principal, GIN club president (myself), our two club supervisors, and Giang, a senior member of our club.
To prepare, we did the following, which helped to focus our meeting and create a clear course of action.
TIPS FOR A PRODUCTIVE STAKEHOLDER MEETING:
Make sure your team thoroughly understands the proposal.
Anticipate concerns that your stakeholders might have. Prepare your answers.
ex. Our head of school replied to our proposal with a list of his concerns. Perhaps ask your stakeholder beforehand what they would like to discuss in the meeting.
Create a meeting planner, sent to everyone attending. Include:
time and date of meeting
topics of discussion
space for participants to add topics
space for meeting notes and outcomes
Reflection/next step: Because of our thorough preparation, we were able to proceed through the meeting smoothly. Our administrators had a lot of valid concerns, but because we prepared, we were able to give researched answers and realistically weigh the advantages and risks of this project. Thus, we received approval, our next step is to construct out design.
Comments