what's the next step?

your team needs to prepare an answer to this big question (what's the next step?) for the first of the three meetings.
You do not have to come to the meeting with every one of the questions below answered, but you must be prepared to discuss how you are addressing project completion, including implementation, handoff, and reconnecting with stakeholders. And I also want to your team to commit to getting next step done in the time that remains. For some groups, the most valuable next step will fall under the "completion" heading, but others will map out different goals. See the suggestions below, and click "edit" to add your ideas to this list!!

First, is the project complete?

Make sure you really are done.

• Did we do what we said we would? If not, is that OK? Are we sure? How do we know?
• Is there some really important assumption or question that we should revisit or raise? Why?
• Is the project done if there is no move to implementation? What do we do about that?

Handoff

• Did we provide all the data, information, documentation, tools they need?
• Did we train them, build their capacity, help them develop?
• Have we flagged for them the open issues, key questions, data requirements, etc?
• Have we framed an appropriate starting point for the next team?

Reconnect with stakeholders—the entire list!

• Thank yous
• Updates (thanks for talking with us earlier; here's what we ended up recommending)
• Check with client: did you understand what we said?
• Ask for feedback
• Offer feedback
• Consider the MIT Sloan perspective (Are we building, maintaining our reputation, brand via this project? What else could/should we do in this area?)

Second, what to do next to make the most of this experience, in the time that remains?

For some groups, you will have your hands full addressing the first three sets of questions. Other groups may choose an area below, or something else, to focus on for the remainder of our course. What does your team want to accomplish? You need to be specific and concrete.

List lessons learned

• For self
• For team
• Explore the emotional dimension of your reflection—recall that bad/unpleasant feelings can block learning and inquiry

Use your project experience to build your connections, your network, your domain knowledge

• Network with Sloan faculty, peers, alumns, or others it might otherwise be difficult to talk to in the future--reconnect to past conversations, class content, etc in light of your recent experience, offering your observations and thoughts as a starting point for such conversations
• Figure out what you want to learn next--what do you want to know, now?

Other things? What do YOU want to make of the remaining time?

• Your ideas here! please edit and add