Project Planning

Req 9 — Project Planning

9.

Prepare a written project plan demonstrating the steps below, including the desired outcome. This is a project on paper, not a real-life project. Examples could include planning a camping trip, developing a community service project or a school or religious event, or creating an annual patrol plan with additional activities not already included in the troop annual plan. Discuss your completed project plan with your counselor.

a. Define the project. What is your goal?

b. Develop a timeline for your project that shows the steps you must take from beginning to completion.

c. Describe your project.

d. Develop a list of resources. Identify how these resources will help you achieve your goal.

e. Develop a budget for your project.

From Idea to Plan

This requirement pulls together many of the skills you have been learning throughout this badge — budgeting, time management, and organized thinking — and applies them to a real-world scenario. You will create a complete project plan on paper. Even though you are not required to carry out the project, your plan should be detailed enough that someone could pick it up and actually do it.

Choosing Your Project

The requirement gives you several examples. Pick something you genuinely care about — passion makes planning easier and your discussion with your counselor more interesting.

Project ideas:

A Scout standing in front of a whiteboard covered with sticky notes, timelines, and a project plan outline, with a marker in hand, looking focused and organized

Step A: Define Your Project and Goal

Every good project starts with a clear goal. Your goal should answer the question: “When this project is complete, what will we have accomplished?”

Write your goal using the SMART framework:

Example: “Organize a one-day community park cleanup on April 15 with at least 10 volunteers, removing litter and planting 20 native plants in the garden bed.”

Step B: Develop a Timeline

A timeline breaks your project into individual steps and assigns each step a deadline. This is the backbone of your plan.

Start from your completion date and work backward:

Sample Timeline (Park Cleanup)

Working backward from event date
  • 6 weeks before: Get permission from the park authority and set the date
  • 5 weeks before: Create a volunteer sign-up sheet and start recruiting
  • 4 weeks before: Order supplies (trash bags, gloves, plants)
  • 3 weeks before: Confirm volunteers, assign roles and responsibilities
  • 2 weeks before: Visit the site to finalize the plan and identify areas to focus on
  • 1 week before: Send reminders to all volunteers, confirm supply delivery
  • Day before: Prepare supply kits and review the schedule
  • Event day: Execute the cleanup, take photos, thank volunteers
  • 1 week after: Send thank-you notes and report results to the park authority

Step C: Describe Your Project

Write a clear description that someone who knows nothing about your project could read and understand. Include:

Step D: List Your Resources

Resources are everything you need to make the project happen. Think broadly:

People:

Materials and equipment:

Facilities:

Information:

For each resource, explain how it contributes to achieving your goal. This shows your counselor that you have thought through not just what you need but why you need it.

Step E: Develop a Budget

Apply the budgeting skills you learned in Requirement 2 to your project. Your project budget should include:

Expected expenses:

Expected income/funding:

Putting Your Plan Together

Your final written project plan should be organized and easy to follow. Consider using section headers that match the five parts of this requirement:

  1. Project Goal (Step A)
  2. Timeline (Step B)
  3. Project Description (Step C)
  4. Resource List (Step D)
  5. Budget (Step E)
Scouting America — Service Project Planning Scouting America's guide to planning and executing service projects, with templates and checklists.