Building the vision
Writing a Vision statement helps:
- Provide clarity for the team
- Demonstrate a solid understanding of the problem and solution
- Offer a common understanding to new leaders entering during the project lifecycle
Once the strategic objectives have been identified the mission should be established in a clear statement that can be easily understood by everyone.
The team should work together to create a vision based on the following format:
Describe your project mission in 10 -15 words without using the transport mode (e.g. rail). This should reflect:
- The overall outcome
- Everyone’s role in the mission
- Plain English
Key principles include:
- Write in the present tense
- Use active language
- Focus on what success looks like
- Make it goal orientated
- No more than one adjective in a vision Statement
- One sentence if possible, never more than two.
Good examples are:
- Kill Kodak – Fujifilm
- Putting a man on the moon – NASA
- A world without poverty – Oxfam
- Build Borders Sustainably – Borders Rail Project, Network Rail
- Make People Happy – Disney
- A computer in every home and on every desk – Microsoft
- Zero industry caused fatalities and major injuries to passengers, the public, and the workforce – ORR health & safety strategy