Here’s a quick little tutorial on how to successfully plan a server or any goal in that matter. I’m going to India in the summer with a program which requires me to set a goal for myself and work towards achieving it throughout 2012. One way they’ve taught me to plan out my goal and how I will achieve it is by the use of Theory of Change.
Theory of Change:
First of all, what is theory of change? Theory of Change is a strategy that helps setup the building blocks to reach a long-term goal that you’ve set for yourself. What this does is plan out your goal from the ending to the beginning. Starting from the end is vital because it keeps your goal in sight. Sometimes building from the bottom up you can lose sight of your goal or hit a snag along the way.
How It Works:
As a creator of servers, I’ve came across many problems while trying to achieve my goal. Firstly starting from scratch with no plan is very obnoxious because you are going in blind and winging everything, hoping that all will go according to “plan”. Theory of Change requires you to map out all of your goals that link up to your long-term goal and all the activities you need to do in order to reach them. So you’ll know what you need to do in order to achieve every goal before you even begin them. Now here are a few basic steps on how to successfully plan your server.
Steps: (remember, we’re starting from the ending and working our way towards the beginning) – At the end I’ll give an example of my Theory of Change.
1. Identify your mission (end-goal)
2. Backwards map your short-term goals which will lead up to your long-term goal
3. Identify the activities you will need to do that will help achieve your goals
Goal by Goal:
For each goal you should create a similar table(table below), mapping out the tasks you must do in order to achieve that goal, when you want to have the goal completed by, who is responsible for achieving the goal and the measure of success (how would you determine if your goal was successful or not). It should look something like this.
Now you have your plan ready, so begin working towards your goal !
Note:
Remember, this strategy can apply to anything. Your mission may not have an ending, but that’s alright; just continue adding goals and updating your mission so that you continue working towards success. If you already have a server created, you can still create a Theory of Change strategy to help build onto your server. Another use tip is to constantly update your strategy, crossing out anything that you’ve completed. Organization is key with this strategy.
I hope this simple tutorial brings success to all future projects !
Remember to ask questions.
Theory of Change:
First of all, what is theory of change? Theory of Change is a strategy that helps setup the building blocks to reach a long-term goal that you’ve set for yourself. What this does is plan out your goal from the ending to the beginning. Starting from the end is vital because it keeps your goal in sight. Sometimes building from the bottom up you can lose sight of your goal or hit a snag along the way.
How It Works:
As a creator of servers, I’ve came across many problems while trying to achieve my goal. Firstly starting from scratch with no plan is very obnoxious because you are going in blind and winging everything, hoping that all will go according to “plan”. Theory of Change requires you to map out all of your goals that link up to your long-term goal and all the activities you need to do in order to reach them. So you’ll know what you need to do in order to achieve every goal before you even begin them. Now here are a few basic steps on how to successfully plan your server.
Steps: (remember, we’re starting from the ending and working our way towards the beginning) – At the end I’ll give an example of my Theory of Change.
1. Identify your mission (end-goal)
2. Backwards map your short-term goals which will lead up to your long-term goal
3. Identify the activities you will need to do that will help achieve your goals
| Mission: Start and average 100 players on my OT |
| Activity 5: Monthly updates and activities |
| Goal 3: Gain a large userbase of supporters |
| Activity 3: Mass advertise server around internet |
| Goal 2: Monthly progress towards building server |
| Goal 1: Determine what your server will be |
| Activity 1: Write mission statement, describing the cause or main idea behind your server |
Goal by Goal:
For each goal you should create a similar table(table below), mapping out the tasks you must do in order to achieve that goal, when you want to have the goal completed by, who is responsible for achieving the goal and the measure of success (how would you determine if your goal was successful or not). It should look something like this.
| This is all for one goal, not the long-term goal ! | ||||
| Activity (Goal 3) | Task | Completion Date | Person Responsible: | Measure of Success |
| Gain a large userbase of supporters | 1. Advertise Server 2.Daily Events 3.Daily Give-aways | April 12th | Staff Member | Amount of active players |
Now you have your plan ready, so begin working towards your goal !
Note:
Remember, this strategy can apply to anything. Your mission may not have an ending, but that’s alright; just continue adding goals and updating your mission so that you continue working towards success. If you already have a server created, you can still create a Theory of Change strategy to help build onto your server. Another use tip is to constantly update your strategy, crossing out anything that you’ve completed. Organization is key with this strategy.
I hope this simple tutorial brings success to all future projects !
Remember to ask questions.
