Make wellbeing project planning a whole lot easier... for free

You know the drill. We want to get an initiative off the ground to benefit our people, but before we can do it, we spend days, even weeks, developing a business case. 

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We’ve all been there.

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Well, today I have a free-to-use solution that'll save you loads of time and effort. It’s called the Project Canvas, and its an adapted version of the Business Model Canvas by Strategyzer that I made a few years ago and have used ever since.

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What I really like about the Project Canvas is that you can flesh out the entire project plan on one page, and constantly iterate on it as each section develops, without the need to go back and forth through multiple pages. It’s also much quicker to develop so you can significantly reduce the turnaround of your project plans. 

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We'll also be using the “Me, We, and Us” model, which I’ve incorporated into the Project Canvas. This model addresses what project success means to individuals (Me), teams and departments (We), and the organisation as a whole (Us). 

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Finally, as a working example, we’ll use Joy Junction's "Conversation Canvas" for our project plan.

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The Conversation Canvas enables authentic wellbeing conversations between colleagues, putting wellbeing at the centre of the employee experience.

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By integrating these tools and models, we will develop a comprehensive strategy for promoting employee wellbeing within your organisation. We'll use our Project Canvas to define the problem, articulate our mission, and outline a strategic approach to cultivate a culture of wellbeing for your people. 

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You can download a Project Canvas and your Conversation Canvas for free here so you can follow along with the rest of this Deep Dive. 

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Now that we have our Project Canvas, let's get started.

Defining the Problem:

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Before we set off on our project planning adventure, we need to clearly identify the issue at hand. In this case, the challenge lies in empowering employees and line managers to have meaningful wellbeing conversations.

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By gathering relevant data, insights, and feedback, we can better understand the root causes and implications of the problem, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of what we’re trying to achieve. 

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Prioritising the problem based on its significance, urgency, and potential impact on achieving organisational goals sets the stage for strategic intervention.

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Mission:

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This is a section that I chose to add. All too often we set our project mission statement at the beginning, and a few pages into our plan we realise that we’ve strayed away from it. It’s very easily done.

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Now, with its prominent position at the head of our Project Canvas, we have sight of it at all times. 

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For our example project's North Star, our mission is:

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“When our employees have 1-2-1s with their line manager, we want to give both colleagues the confidence and competence to explore wellbeing, so we can create a joyful workplace culture.”

We’re now going to go into three different categories. Only when we can confidently answer them will we truly have a project that has the best chance of return. 

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Desirability - Do people want it?

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• User Segments: Utilising the Me, We, and Us model, identify and define different user groups such as employees, line managers, and organisational leaders. Understand their unique needs, preferences, and characteristics to tailor products or services effectively.
• Value Proposition: Clearly articulate the unique benefits of the project, in this case, engaging in wellbeing discussions during 1-2-1 meetings. Highlight how this initiative addresses specific problems, offers key advantages, and aligns with user needs and desires. This isn’t a place for listing features, it’s all about the benefits.
• Channels: Determine effective communication and distribution channels, both traditional and digital, to reach and engage target user segments. Will you use social media, your intranet, posters or flyers? Optimise channel strategy for maximum impact, considering investment requirements and user preferences.
• User Relationships: Develop strategies for acquiring and retaining users, tailoring approaches based on user preferences while ensuring consistency and quality in interactions.

Feasibility - Is it achievable?

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• Key Activities: Outline crucial tasks and operations involved in implementing the initiative, prioritising activities that create value for users and streamline processes for efficiency.
• Key Partners: Identify potential collaborators or suppliers, establish mutually beneficial partnerships, and define roles, responsibilities, and expectations to leverage resources effectively.
• Key Resources: Identify essential assets and resources required for the initiative, allocating them effectively to support the value proposition while seeking efficiencies and leveraging strengths.

Viability - Do the numbers work? 

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• Investment Structure: List and categorise investments associated with the project, monitoring and managing them for success and sustainability while seeking opportunities to maximise returns.
• Key Outcomes: Identify primary outcomes or deliverables, setting short, medium, and long-term objectives aligned with user needs and expectations.

By utilising our Project Canvas, you can strategically approach your employee wellbeing projects with the confidence that you’re covering all bases, at pace, and at scale. 

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This structured yet fluid approach to project planning ensures that your initiatives are guided by strategic investment decisions, meaningful partnerships, and impactful outcomes, paving the way for senior leader support to drive positive change and cultivate a culture of joyfulness within your organisation.

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Doesn’t that sound like an amazing place to be?