Life Skills and Leadership Manual - Peace Corps

Life Skills & Leadership: Unit 4, Session 5: Our Project | Page 68 of 91

A. Planning a Project
Participants use the Identifying and Planning steps of the Project Cycle in a real situation.

1. Show Flip chart 1: The Project Cycle and give the participants a start on the next step of the Project
   Cycle. Say:

“In the Planning step of the Project Cycle, you will want to make a list of all the things that need to

happen for your team to give a good presentation. In a moment I’ll ask you to try to think of all the

steps you’ll have to take to organize and deliver your presentation at our next session. Usually it’s

easiest to write down ideas as quickly as you think of them and, after you have several, figure out what

order to do them.”

2. Distribute several copies of Handout 3 : Planning Steps cut into pieces for each group. Say:

“I am giving your team several slips of paper. Notice that each has space for you to write the action

step number, the action step, who will do it, who or what can help, and by when? For now, focus only

on the action step (we’ll get to the others later).

“Think of all the action steps to prepare for your presentation. Write one action on each slip of paper in

the correct space. Use as many slips of paper as you need; I can give you more.”

3. After about 10 minutes, stop the participants and say:

“I would like to check with you and see how you are progressing. Would each group please read aloud

the action steps they have written so far?”

4. Give all the groups a chance to read their action steps. They can say the steps in any order and they do
   not need to have a complete list of steps yet. Say:

“Now that you have several action steps, you can do two things. First, put them in order. What has to

happen first? What can be done next, and so forth until the steps are in a logical sequence. As you do

this, you might think of other steps. If so, make other slips for them.

“Once you are happy with the order of your action steps, number them. Then you can fill in the other

blank spaces with information about who will do each action step, who or what can help, and when it

can be finished.

“Let me know if you have questions or if I can help in any way.”

5. Give participants about 10 minutes for this part of the activity. One by one, ask each team to briefly
   share its plan and ask the whole group if it has any suggestions for that team.