Lessons Learned
Group Lessons Learned
Planning is Key
Working on 18 different computers with four other people with four different schedules could have gotten very hairy. However, we created a checklist which we taped to each computer which documented where each computer was in terms of the preparation process. That way, no matter who stepped in at any given point in the process they were aware of what had already been done to the computer and where to take it from there.
Communication is Necessary
We learned that for sites such as Eagle’s Nest with uncertain funding and building construction situations, it would have been beneficial to have been regularly updated on their status, so that we could have adjusted our implementation plans accordingly. Understandably, all parties involved were extremely busy and our successful initial meeting led us to slightly underestimate the need for regular communications.
Play to Your Strengths
Having Patience is Vital
Flexibility in Strategy and Planning:
When we delivered computers to Eagle’s Nest, we learned that we would not be able to set up the computers and create the lab network because the rooms were not wired for electricity. Therefore, we had to take on new tasks for the work weekend and create a revised implementation strategy for the project. The work weekend was all about flexibility, as we shuttled from one site to another in East St. Louis, and did various construction and computer set-up tasks for Opal’s House.
We then had to adapt our implementation plan: We decided to expand the training manual with more instruction documents, and made tentative plans to install the computers on the weekend of December 5th. But when we found out that the electricity would not be wired in the Eagle’s Nest lab room in time to install computers this semester, we put a temporary hold on the project until volunteers next semester install the computers in Eagle’s Nest.
Work Early and Regularly On All Aspects of the Project
One key to our project was successfully completing several different aspects of the project simultaneously: Instead of following a simple progression (i.e., first do the computers, then the training handouts, etc.), we created a plan in which we worked on the different parts of the project simultaneously. This allowed us to invest significant time in every aspect of the project and have everything ready by mid-November.