Implementing the Project

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This is an image of the lesson 8 icon This is Part 2 of Lesson 8 of Project Resilience curriculum.

Students implement an adaptation project from their school resilience plan.

Learning Objectives

  • Students will understand and take on specific roles to implement the project plan.

Materials

  • Poster board or bulletin board paper
  • Sticky notes
  • Markers

Preparation

Directions

Work as a class to implement the project plan.

  1. Review the detailed project plan with the class.
  2. Introduce the implementation groups (or teams) below and the purpose of each group. Have the students divide into their groups, and each group should select a group leader. This leader will guide the group and will provide updates on the group’s progress.
    • Project Manager: Will require one student. Responsible for the overall success of the project. Leads class meetings with the team twice a week or as needed. They should create a system for checking in regularly with the other group leaders and helping to ensure that there is good communication between the various groups.
    • Construction team: Will require three students. Responsible for the coordination of labor needed to complete the project in a timely manner, whether contract workers or school maintenance staff. They should create a system for tracking construction needs, including: contact information, schedule of work to be done, hours estimated, actual hours worked, etc. They will need to communicate regularly with the Budget Team.
    • Budget team: Will require three students. Ensures that the project stays within budget. They will need to communicate with the Construction and Supplies Teams and report out about budget status at class meetings. If needed, they should be ready to suggest where project modifications need to be made to stay within budget.
    • Supplies team: Will require three students. Ensures that materials are ordered, purchased, and will be available when needed. They should create a way to organize and track materials, using a spreadsheet for example. They will need to work closely with the Construction and Budget Teams.
      • Talk to your administration for the school’s policy on purchasing supplies.
    • Volunteer/ student team: Will require two students. Responsible for organizing any volunteer or student activities, including: recruiting volunteers, creating volunteer schedules, training (if needed), and communicating about volunteer activities and needs during class meetings.
    • Historian team: Will require two students. Responsible for documenting the process through photos, videos, and written reporting for use by the marketing team. They should create a plan for cataloging the content they gather, including editing, sharing of files, and crediting where necessary (tagging people in photos, for example).
    • Marketing team: Will require three students. Responsible for keeping the larger community informed about progress during the project. They will generate content that can be shared through avenues such as: the school newspaper, daily announcements, school social media accounts, and local media outlets, including newspapers, radio, etc. They should create a plan for how and when they will share this content.
    • Evaluator team: Will require two students. Responsible for identifying what worked well during the project and where improvements could be made. They should create a plan for how they will conduct their evaluation (survey, interviews, etc).
  3. Show students the class Kanban board. Explain the process of the Kanban board and how students will use the board to track progress.
    • Students will write each task for the project on a sticky note. These sticky notes will be placed in the “To-Do” column. When students begin working on the task, they will move the task to the “In Progress” column. Once the task is completed, the note will be moved to the “Done” column.
  4. Give each group time to brainstorm all of the project tasks their group is responsible for. Have them write each task on a sticky note (one task per note). Circulate throughout the room, checking in with each group to approve the tasks they have decided upon and provide prompting where needed.
  5. Have students place their tasks in the “To-Do” section of the appropriate row on the Kanban board. These tasks will vary depending on the selected project.
    • “Planning” tasks will include meeting with any necessary professionals. (Students have already completed many of the planning steps with the project design).
    • “Execution” tasks will include purchasing necessary supplies and completing any necessary contracts.
    • “Performance & Monitoring” will include any construction tasks.
    • “Closure” will include tasks necessary to determine the project’s completion.
  6. Use the Kanban board to hold a discussion about how to begin the project implementation phase. Groups should leave the discussion knowing which tasks to begin first and who is responsible for them. Add names to the task sticky-notes so it is clear who is responsible for completing them.
  7. From this point forward, students will need flexible class time to work on their project implementation tasks, including time to meet with their team. Some groups may have tasks to work on every day, while others may only have tasks on some days. Consider how to best manage these needs. Successful project implementation will require close oversight by the teacher.
  8. Have a class meeting each day (for about 5 minutes at the start of class) to discuss the Kanban board. Use this time for groups to report on their project work and update the Kanban board. Not all groups will necessarily need to report out each day. Continue these class meetings until the completion of the project.
    • If necessary, students can also add to or revise the Kanban board.
    • You will be able to use the Kanban board to track each group’s progress. If a group is unable to provide updates at the class meetings or their tasks are not progressing on the Kanban board, use class time to meet with the group about the lack of progress.
This is an image of a swamp grasses

Credits

This activity was developed for Project Resilience, funded by the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.