Final answer:
When starting an improvement project, you should capture a baseline to have a benchmark for comparison as you track the success of the project. It's crucial to organize your plans, consider criteria for growth, and understand your audience to communicate effectively about your progress.
Step-by-step explanation:
When an improvement project begins, you should capture a baseline, or starting point, that can be used to demonstrate the success of your improvement efforts. Capturing a baseline involves documenting current conditions and performance levels so that any future changes or improvements can be measured against this initial point. It's essential to have a clear benchmark to track progress and evaluate the effectiveness of the changes implemented.
Your manager will be interested in seeing a list of accomplishments and challenges, as this helps illustrate your contribution's value comprehensively. Therefore, before starting, it's beneficial to organize your thoughts and clearly define the improvements you are aiming for. You can do this by creating a graphic organizer or using a criteria table that you can reflect upon and adjust as necessary. This way, you make sure the criteria for growth are both measurable and motivational.
Additionally, understanding your audience is critical for effective communication, taking into account their perspective, including social, cultural, or linguistic factors. After establishing the project's baseline, you move onto creating a first draft or prototype, which serves as a starting point for future revisions and improvements. The entire process begins with an analysis of the problem to be addressed and clearly defines objectives and goals, essential for demonstrating the project's success ultimately.