Set Your Project Up For Success

About the ‘Set Your Project Up For Success’ template

Turning a vague directive into a funded, well-supported project is one of the hardest challenges product and project leaders face. This template provides a proven framework to transform fuzzy requests like "we need to improve the customer experience" or "let's explore AI opportunities" into clear, fundable proposals that earn stakeholder buy-in and team alignment.

Used in the Project Definition Masterclass, this template guides you through the essential steps of project setup, helping you define the real problem, validate customer value, and articulate a compelling case for investment before a single dollar is spent or resource is committed.

Who can use this ‘Set Your Project Up For Success’ template

This template is designed for:

• Product managers launching new initiatives or responding to executive requests

• Project leaders who need to build a business case and secure funding

• Innovation leads translating strategic vision into actionable projects

• Program managers aligning cross-functional teams around shared goals

• Entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs seeking internal buy-in for new ventures

Whether you're working at a startup or a large enterprise, this framework helps you move from ambiguity to clarity before you commit resources to execution.

What this template helps you accomplish

This template enables you to:

✅ Transform vague requests into clear project definitions that everyone understands and supports

✅ Validate real customer value before investing time and budget in building solutions

✅ Build stakeholder alignment by surfacing assumptions, constraints, and success criteria early

✅ Create fundable proposals with clear outcomes, scope, and resource requirements

✅ Reduce project risk by answering critical questions during setup rather than mid-execution

✅ Accelerate decision-making by getting the right people aligned on what matters most

How to use this ‘Set Your Project Up For Success’ template

This template is designed for collaborative workshops with your team and key stakeholders, though it can also be completed individually. The template includes prompts to work alongside A.I. to accelerate your thinking and challenge your assumptions.

Step 1: Review the purpose

Ground everyone in why you're here. Share the initial request or idea that sparked this project. What was asked for? Who asked for it? What's the context? This creates shared understanding before you dive into definition.

Step 2: Size up the challenge

This is where you move from "what was requested" to "why this matters." Work with your team to uncover:

• Benefits and outcomes – What key benefits would this initiative deliver? What would success look like for customers and the organization?

• Goals – What specific goals does this initiative support? How does it connect to broader organizational priorities?

• How we might deliver – What are the possible approaches to delivering these benefits? Generate multiple options before committing to a path.

The template includes structured prompts to guide this conversation. Use A.I. to help generate ideas and surface possibilities you might not have considered.

Step 3: Prioritize what's important

Determine the critical elements that will shape your project:

• Who will we serve? – Identify the specific people who experience the problem and would benefit from the solution. Include the key people who will be part of the solution.

• What challenges do they face? – Articulate the specific problems, pain points, or unmet needs these people experience. What's broken or missing today?

• What would the future look like? – Envision the desired future state once these challenges are solved. What would be different? How would people's lives or work improve?

• How would we measure impact? – Define tangible indicators that would show you're making progress and ultimately succeeding.

This section helps you focus on the right problems for the right people, with clear criteria for success.

Step 4: Envision the future

Create a compelling "cover story" – a vision from the future that describes the initiative's success as if it's already happened. This isn't a dry business case; it's a narrative that brings the vision to life and makes it tangible for stakeholders.

This story becomes a powerful tool for gathering feedback and building buy-in. It allows people to react to a concrete vision rather than abstract concepts.

Step 5: Gather constructive feedback

Use your cover story and the work you've done to collect structured feedback from stakeholders. The template includes prompts to guide productive feedback conversations that strengthen your proposal rather than derail it.

Step 6: Discuss next steps

Synthesize what you've learned and agree on concrete next steps. What needs to happen before this can be funded? Who needs to be involved? What validation or additional work is required? Turn your session into actionable commitments.

Tips and best practices

💡 Involve stakeholders early – Use this template in a collaborative workshop rather than filling it out alone. Co-creation builds buy-in.

💡 Challenge your assumptions – The questions are designed to surface what you don't know. Resist the urge to skip sections that feel uncomfortable.

💡 Iterate based on feedback – Treat this as a living document. As you learn more through stakeholder conversations and customer validation, update the template.

💡 Focus on customer value first – The most fundable projects deliver measurable customer value. Lead with that, not with features or technology.

💡 Be honest about constraints – Acknowledging limitations and dependencies upfront builds trust and prevents unrealistic expectations.

💡 Use A.I. as a thinking partner – The template includes prompts to work with A.I. Use it to generate options and accelerate your progress.

Why project definition matters

Most project failures happen during setup. When teams skip rigorous project definition, they build solutions to the wrong problems, misalign stakeholders, and waste resources on initiatives that never should have been funded. This template helps you avoid those costly mistakes by investing time upfront to get the foundation right.