7 Components: the Function Pages - Developers

18 Conceptual Phase:
Collecting Ideas and
Outlining the Project
18.1
Establishing a Base
Readers
Authors
WikiAdmins
WebAdmins
A project begins with your idea or an external assignment. If you
receive an external project assignment, clarify as precisely as possible
what the goal of the project is, what expectations the client has
of you, and why the project was assigned. Discuss at an early stage
the resources at your disposal, and don't be afraid to reject the project
if you have the impression that financial or conceptual support
will be lacking.
We wish to illustrate the existing possibilities using the example
of a conference preparation process. Let us pick up the ball and continue
rolling it. We will assume that our Stone Age people want to
call a conference on the future, in order to discuss life in the Neolithic
Age. Using this example, we will think through the procedure
of such a project and introduce several features to you that you may
be able to use for your own project. To organize a conference, we
will conform to the general phases of project management (see Tab.
17.1). Thus, our example has a simple structure: The Stone Age
people are their own clients.
Because the use of a wiki for the character of the conference is a
fundamental decision, the group should decide as early as the conceptual
phase if and to what extent they wish to work with a wiki.
Excluding factors would be if the majority of participants or superiors
– for instance, the old shamans – do not agree to the procedure
and will not support the results because they fear having to surrender
control, although they are crucial to the implementation of the project
results. It is vital that ideas that are developed “from below” ul-
18.1 Establishing a Base
Define the
assignment
Example:
Conference on
the Neolithic
Age
To wiki or
not to wiki?
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