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Setting Your Create Cycle Timeline

Effective timeline planning is crucial for the success of your 4D cycle projects. You may be leading one project or coordinating multiple projects in your community. This guide will help you create realistic and flexible timelines that balance urgency with thoughtfulness.

Table of Contents​

  1. Choosing a Create Duration
  2. Developing a Create Roadmap
  3. Managing Timeline Expectations

Choosing a Create Duration​

When planning how long you should run Create, you may think of having it match up with how long you expect your project will take to complete. If you're leading multiple projects in your community, we strongly suggest that you synchronize Create Cycles across the various projects and teams. This makes it easier for you to organize teaching and demo sessions.

When deciding on project duration, consider the following factors:

  • Project complexity: More complex projects require longer timelines.
  • Team availability: Consider the time commitment your team can realistically make.
  • Urgency of the need: Some community needs may require faster action.
  • Resource availability: Ensure you have the necessary resources for the project duration.

Options for project duration:

  1. Short-term sprints (1-4 weeks)
  2. Medium-term projects (1-3 months)
  3. Long-term initiatives (3+ months)

You could run a 4-week Create Cycle if you're working on a short-term project. Alternatively, you could run a 12-week Create Cycle for a medium-term project. If you're leading multiple projects in your community, a 12-week Create Cycle may be a good rhythm that works well for short- and medium term projects. You can repeat multiple Create Cycles for long-term initiatives.

Exercise: For your chosen project, list pros and cons for each duration option. Discuss with your team to reach a consensus.

Developing a Create Roadmap​

Once you've decided on your Create duration, follow these steps to develop a roadmap:

  1. Identify the rhythm for your community meetups or team meetings.
  2. If needed, map out additional opportunities to meet.
  3. Allocate prep time for sourcing projects, team formation.
  4. Drop in key milestones for each 4D Cycle stage.
  5. Use project management tools (e.g., Trello, Asana) to visualize the roadmap.

An example timeline used by FaithTech communities for a 12-week Create Cycle (Create12) is shown below.

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This timeline includes elements related to each of the 4D stages.

Exercise: Develop a timeline for your Create Cycle, including key milestones for each stage (Discover, Discern, Develop, Demonstrate).

Managing Timeline Expectations​

To effectively manage expectations:

  • Communicate timelines clearly to all stakeholders
  • Provide regular updates on progress and any changes
  • Be transparent about challenges and delays
  • Celebrate milestones to maintain motivation

Exercise: Create a communication plan for your project timeline, including frequency and methods of updates for different stakeholder groups.

Reflection Questions​

  • How does our timeline reflect our commitment to redemptive technology principles?
  • Are we allowing enough time for God's guidance in each stage of the 4D cycle?
  • How can we ensure our timeline promotes healthy work-life balance for team members?

Remember, while timelines are important for project management, they should remain flexible enough to accommodate the leading of the Holy Spirit and unexpected opportunities for redemptive impact.