The bridge between concept and execution

The Project Canvas

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Discover this handy tool that helps you and your team move from developed concept to project preparation.

Chances are you've heard of Osterwalder's “Business Model Canvas” at some point. It is a powerful tool to map out, scrutinize and communicate a (new) business model in a transparent and clear way.

But not every idea results in the creation of a new business. Very often, at the end of an innovation process, we found that the result was rather a project that - usually - would be implemented within an existing organization. And this is precisely why we designed the Project Canvas. As powerful, transparent and clear as the Business Model Canvas, but very specifically aimed at setting up and executing innovation projects.
Increase the success rate of your project

Setting up a project accurately is critical to its ultimate success. A 2012 study by Gartner found that half of the reasons projects fail have to do with things that were inadequately set up at the base:

Inadequate stakeholder management
Inefficient communication
Insufficient project initiation and phase planning
Poor identification of project constraints
No risk management
During the start-up of a project, often the most critical decisions are made, which determine the direction, scope and goals of the project. So often things go wrong in this early phase, which is unfortunate, especially if it involves an important, innovative idea.

That's why getting off to a good start is crucial. It is best to bring the various stakeholders together, make use of their complementary knowledge and create support for the project and its goals.  

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The Project Canvas visualizes, simplifies, integrates and actively involves people in the project

How can you better engage your team in the innovation project? 

By working visually and co-creatively. The BEDENK Project Canvas can help with that. Here are its main characteristics:

  • a simple and visual way to plan and communicate projects

  • a simplification and integration of the best of known Project Management methods like Prince2, PMI, Scrum

  • a method to involve people from the beginning of the project and make clear agreements

  • a new way to kick off and implement projects together

  • visual, co-creative, iterative and holistic approach, which makes it ideal to shape an unclear and uncertain project
What are the main reasons for using the Project Canvas?

Creating support and engagement.
The visual nature of the canvas makes it engaging for a group, serves as a guide for discussion and facilitates shared decision making. As a result, it promotes overall communication around the project.

Tapping into collective intelligence
Involving people from different functional areas and perspectives provides broader insights and knowledge, allowing more risks and opportunities to be detected and increasing the success rate.

Light and flexible approach
It allows shaping key elements of a project and organizing collective information in a simple and fast way. This is in contrast to many project management tools that have become complex by adding too many functionalities. Moreover, the relationships between the different elements of a project are much clearer than in the linear approach of classic, lengthy project documents.

Increasing the success rate of the project
The foregoing reasons contribute to project success. It allows you to generate clear insights and record agreements from the beginning of the project. Moreover, you can easily adjust where necessary because you use visual management.

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The Project Canvas allows you to easily and quickly shape the main elements of a project and organize collective information

The BEDENK Project Canvas consists of ten elements 

1. Scope
What is a must have and what is nice to have? What is possible if possible and what is out of scope?

2. Users
Identify key user groups. Who will the project be designed for?

3. Benefit
What problem of the users will be solved?

4. Stakeholders
Who are the stakeholder groups and how do they view the project?

5. Risks
What events could have a negative impact on the project in the near future? How can you reverse the main ones?

6. Team
Who is the sponsor, steering committee, project leader, project team and focus group?

7. Resources
Who and/or what do we need to make our project successful?

8. Budget
What are the main income and expenses?

9. Actions
What do we need to do to develop and launch the project?

10. Planning
What are the milestones and actions/timings to achieve those milestones.

We use the Project Canvas primarily in preparation for the realization phase of an idea or concept, within the creative -or innovation process. It is the bridge between concept and realization. The canvas is printed on A0 size and hung on a wall, where it is used to facilitate discussion during an innovation workshop. 

The Project Canvas is a dynamic document

It can be used to:

  1. Map the project: both in the initiation phase and in a phase where things threaten to go wrong and an overview is needed
  2. Dialogue: start a constructive discussion about the project and gather all insights

  3. Communicate: simple and clear way to inform people about the project

  4. Improve: gradually adjust and adapt where necessary, keeping an eye on the key elements

What are you waiting for? Get started!

Download the project canvas

Interested? Contact us!

Is your innovative muscle stimulated? Then don't hesitate to contact us!

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