How to create a clear and powerful

statement to keep projects on course

Without the invention of the lighthouse, who knows how many more lives would have been lost
with ships veering off course only to be smashed on hidden rocks and sunk. And so its the same
with planning projects (metaphorically speaking).
Without a clear direction its easy for a project to crash into problems. The answer is for each
project to have its very own lighthouse. Or, in other words, a guiding light.

Also known as a project vision statement, it provides a high-level purpose, defines a crystalclear objective, and sets the tone for the execution of the project, [laying] the foundation for the
ultimate success of the project, explained Adil F. Dalal in the book The 12 Pillars of Project
Excellence.
Whether its for big projects (and likely distilled from a project charter), or for small projects, it will
be the yardstick which every stage of the project planning process will be measured against. So,
youd better make it good. In fact, you can find out more about the other stages of project
planning in the guide: Mission Controlled: the 5-Step Guide to Planning Projects.
And if you think creating a vision, or guiding light, is really not that important, then youd better
think again. According to the Project Management Institutes 2015 Pulse of the Profession
report the main reason for 30 per cent of its members projects failing was due to the absence of

an adequate vision or goal for the project.

And its not just enough to create any old guiding light. It needs to be clear and powerful. It needs
to share the same qualities as any effective piece of written communication

How to create a clear and powerful guiding light

Several years ago, two brothers, Chip and Dan Heath, wrote a book about how to make ideas
stick so that ideas are understood, remembered and have a lasting impact.
The book, Made to Stick, outlines six principles for sticky ideas, but we will focus on the two most
appropriate simplicity and concreteness (but feel free to pick up the book to see the rest
its a great read, as you would expect).

Make it simple
Dont be misled by the word simple. Making your statement simple can be a challenge. As
Apple founder Steve Jobs once remarked: "Simple can be harder than complex: You have to
work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end, because once
you get there, you can move mountains."
Simplicity is about not saying too much (so you put people off), but saying enough to be
meaningful, as well as how you say it (to make sense). As the Heath Brothers wrote: To strip an
idea down to its core, we must be masters of exclusion. We must relentlessly prioritise. Saying
something short is not the missionsound bites are not the ideal. Proverbs are the ideal. We
must create ideas that are both simple and profound.
As well as keeping your statement short (one to two sentences would be ideal), youll also want
to keep your words short. Never use a big word when a short one will do. And the same is true of
jargon or business speak. Never use it when a simpler and clearer word will do (and in 99.9 per
cent of the time there will be a better alternative). In fact, despite the above advice about keeping
things short, you are better using a couple more words if that makes what you are saying clearer.
Clarity and brevity go hand in hand, but clarity is the boss in the relationship.

Make it concrete
Few could argue against having clear communications (a guiding light statement included), but
clarity is often elusive.
The trick, according to the Heath Brothers, is to explain our ideas in terms of human actions, in
terms of sensory information. This is where so much business communication goes awry.
Mission statements, synergies, strategies, visions they are often ambiguous to the point of
being meaningless.
Its not a new problem. In 1907, the US War Department awarded the Wright Brothers (thats
right, the aircraft pioneers) the contract to build one working airplane.

One of the specifications noted that the airplane should be sufficiently simple in its construction
and operation to permit an intelligent man to become proficient in its use within a reasonable
length of time.
As Jerry L Wellman in his book Improving Project Performance: Eight Habits of Successful
Project Teams, pointed out: Anyone with project management experience will immediately react
to the vagueness of such phrases as sufficiently simple, intelligent man, become proficient in
its use, and reasonable length of time No doubt the Wright Brothers had lively conversations
between themselves and with the Army customer representative about how to interpret these
phrases during the airplane design phase and later when testing began.
In practice, it can be helpful to think about writing visually. For example, take the opening
sentence of this blog. Did you think the visual metaphor worked? Well, youre still reading, so
thats a good sign.

So, what does a great guiding light look like?

Where vagueness can cause confusion and potential delays, a clear and specific statement can
really do magical things. In fact, it can help rally an entire nation (never mind a project team),
certainly in the case of another gravity-defying milestone.
On 25 May 1961, President John F Kennedy stood in front of a lectern and delivered to the US
Congress what is regarded as one of the greatest speeches in history. In it he said: This nation
should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the
moon and returning him safely to earth.
Okay, so thats a speech and not an actual project statement. But its a good place to start
getting some inspiration after all, great (simple) writing should be as close to the spoken word
as possible. JFKs historic line was simple, concrete, visual and inspiring.

Collaborate on the guiding light

Its not a good idea to sit in a darkened room by yourself to dream up a vision, or guiding light
statement. This is best done with help namely the help of your stakeholders.
In her book, Communicating Projects, Anne Pilkington pointed out: The best visions are
developed collaboratively. People are more likely to buy in to the vision if they have helped
create it, plus the vision is more likely to be a realistic reflection of what the project can achieve.
It can be easy to be too ambitious with vision statements and over-promise what the solution will
deliver. Bringing in some stakeholders to help introduces an outside perspective which can be
helpful.
Set up a brainstorming session and bring along some good examples of successful statements
to help show stakeholders what you should be aiming for. Im sure JFK would approve if you took
along his words mentioned above.
Youll also want to consider elements of the project charter and more. For a list of those, have a
look at the guide Mission Controlled: the 5-Step Guide to Planning Projects. Youll also discover
the next steps after creating your guiding light for big and small projects to plan effectively.