Vision Statement
Contents |
The big idea
A Vision statement is a description of the strategic plan of project given in a single sentence. It is supposed to give a signal of which direction the project is heading. In the following we will look into what a vision statement should contain and how to use it.
Application
A vision statement is usually made when a project wants to promote a certain message to the team and/or their surroundings. An example is the Apollo 11 project where John F. Kennedy said the following: ”.. this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth..” It is precise, catchy and was ambitious but still realistic (the statement is from 1961 and the first landing happened in 1969).
A statement is generally based on the following points:
- Desirable (acceptable to keep stakeholders):
- The message must be desirable: It should connect to your personal values and preferences. We must be able to believe in the projects that we participate in. It is important to ask of the following:
- What value would you like to create?
- Whom do you want to create value for? It is important to remember that value is not a product.
- Realistic yet ambitious. Make ambitious goals but still within reach.
- The vision statement needs time to deposit and should not change in the course of projects.
- Specific yet holds many possible solutions.
- Be specific: A vision must be specific and have a well defined target for the projection.
- Hold many possible solutions. The vision should not enforce one specific solution, but enable multiple paths to be explored.
- The reason why it should not be too specific is that a less specific statement can provide direction under changing circumstances. If it becomes too specific it will have to be changed constantly and if it is too broad it will lack direction.
By implementing these points in the vision statement it is possible to make a powerful statement and by this making a strong profile.
