Use the following trigger list to make sure you are taking everything into account in project planning.

Has anything like this been done before?
What mistakes/successes can we learn from?

What resources do we have? might we need?

How does this relate to the strategic plan?

How does it relate to other priorities, directions, goals?

How will this affect our competitive position?

What will this cost? How do we get it?

What might affect the cost?

Might we need additional $?

What are the potential payoffs ($)?

Who signs the checks?

What is the timing? Are the deadlines hard?

What might affect timing?

Who's going to do the work?

How do we ensure complete delivery?

Whose buy-in do you need? How to get it?

Whose input do we need? use?

How will we monitor our progress?

How will we know if we're on course?

What data do we need, when?

What reports, to whom, when?

Board/ Stockholders

Employees

Suppliers/ Customers

Community

Who's accountable for this project's success?

What are the lines of communication?

what are the methods of reporting?

What structures do we need?

What planning is still likely to be required?

What re-grouping will we need? How often?

What people do we need? Current staffing? Hiring? Subcontractors? Consultants?

How do we get involvement?

What skills are required?

What training do we need? How do we get it?

What other communication do we need?

Who needs to be informed as we go along?

What policies/procedures affected? What needed?

What about morale? Fun?

Regulations?

What requires room?

How do you get it?

What tools do we need? When?

Phones?

Computers?

What might you need to know?

Is there value in others knowing about this?

How do we do that?

What could happen?

Could we handle it?

• Who would have concern about the success of this project? What would they say, ask, or input, that you haven't yet?
  
  
• What's the worst idea you can imagine, about doing this project? (Therefore, what is the best idea, which is its opposite?)
  
  
• What is the most outrageous thing you can think of, about this project?}
  
  
• What would make this project? particularly unique?
  
  
• What the worst that could happen? How could we deal with that?
  
  
• What's the best that could happen? Are we ready to deal with that?
  
  
• How do we feel about this project?