Driving Forces
Driving forces are identified and maximized to address the need and support project implementation.
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Driving forces are identified and maximized to address the need and support project implementation.
Charting the Course:
Navigating from Current State to Ideal State
Various external forces can drive a project. For instance, new legislation with an approaching implementation deadline might lead organizational leadership to prioritize a project. Similarly, a significant news event could increase scrutiny of a program or location. Maximizing the effect of these driving forces is crucial for the project's benefit.
- Is there a way to create one if there are no driving forces?
- If there are driving forces, is your project taking full advantage of related opportunities, resources, and/or collaborator focus to propel the project forward?
- This condition is closely tied to Collaborator Buy-in.
Building Your Case:
Gathering Evidence for Your Current Position
Driving forces are frequently linked to policy changes and leadership directives. Funding opportunities, like grants or contracts, can create a valuable sense of urgency that boosts collaborator commitment. Document these driving forces by conducting a policy scan, examining legislation text, tracking legislative committee updates, and reviewing organizational leaders' testimony to legislative bodies. Additionally, pay attention to organizational leaders' public comments and relevant strategic plans and funding opportunities.
Documentation examples:
- Policy scan
- Legislation text
- Legislative committee updates
- State education agency (SEA) testimony to legislation
- SEA leader public comments
- State strategic plan
- Funding opportunity
- Current context
- New data analysis
Once you've gathered and assessed the evidence, use the following scale to identify your current position. Remember that this rating is a benchmark, not a fixed position. If you find yourself at the Emerging stage, don't worry. You now have a clearer understanding of the steps needed to progress toward the advanced stage.
State of the Project
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Emerging
No driving forces exist to address the need
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Developing
Driving forces to address the need are in development
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Advancing
Driving forces to address the need are in the initial implementation stages
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Mastery
Driving forces to address the need are fully implemented and support the project
Looking for tools to help?
- Try this self-assessment worksheet for this element, or look at the complete PSF self-assessment.
- Still struggling? Check out our resource library for additional tools.
Ready to dive in?
Tap into the full potential of the PSF self-assessment to evaluate your project's standing in each element. Gain valuable insights on the necessary steps to propel your project even closer to achieving successful outcomes.