Let me give you a hard truth

Most projects don’t fail halfway through.

Most projects are doomed before they begin.

And the reason for this is not that you lack motivation or skills.

It’s because most people don’t define the project clearly enough before they leap into planning (and in some cases execution).

Before you start your next project (or even if you want to reset a current one) just pause, take a deep breath and do your best to answer the 5 questions below:

These 5 questions take just a few minutes to answer, but they’re enough to cut overwhelm, avoid wasted time, and give you a clear starting point.

Let’s walk through them together.

You’ll see two examples for each question:

By the end, you’ll have the bones of your next project—without opening any apps, tools, or planning software.

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Question 1: What’s the purpose of this project?

Don’t start with tasks.

Don’t start with tools.

Start with why this project exists in the first place.

Here’s a simple phrase to help you. Just fill in the blanks

Here are our examples:

This instantly gives you clarity:

• Why am I doing this?
• Who benefits?
• What does “success” look like?
• When will it be finished?

Concise and clear, all within one sentence

Most people skip this.

That’s why they get lost later.

 

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Question 2: What am I including in the project?

In Project Management speak – “What’s In Scope”?

Don’t be vague.

List what is definitely part of this project.

Here are our 2 example projects again

This is the “yes” list.

It tells you what you are doing.

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Question 3: What am I excluding from the project?

This is where the real magic happens.

You define what you’re not doing

In other words “What is Out Of Scope”

Most projects go off the rails, not because we do too little

They actually fail because we add too much.

Defining what is “out of scope” will protect your time, your focus, and your sanity.

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Question 4: How will I know I’ve finished?

This forces you to define “done”

No vague goals. No “I’ll know it when I see it.”

Done means done.

It stops you from endlessly tweaking.

It allows you to move on to your next project

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Question 5: Who needs to agree to this?

Even if it’s only you.

For one-person projects, it may well be

For bigger projects:

• Do clients need to approve?,
• Does a partner need a say?
• Do you need feedback before starting?

Ownership and commitment matter.

That’s it. Five questions.

And now you’ve done something most people never do:

You’ve defined the project before you even start to plan it.

• You don’t have to over-plan.
• You don’t have to predict everything.
• You don’t have to feel ready.

Just answer these five questions and you’ll:

• • Stop scope creep before it starts
  • Stay focused
  • Know what “finished” looks like
  • Move faster than most people ever do

This is your starting point

You can do all of the above with a pen and paper, but if you want help shaping this into a complete project scope, my “Scope Buddy” assistant will walk you through it in minutes.

It’s completely free to use and works within ChatGPT (you’ll just need a free account)

It asks you these five questions and helps you scope your next project in minutes—no brainstorming required.