I use creative processes to develop solutions to challenges and projects. An idea can be a catalyst to a complete plan or steps to action. Having a project in front of you and an idea to go with, the next question is usually, "Where do we start?" You can almost visualize a set of stairs in front of you. What will it take to reach the top?

Let me suggest instead first considering, "Where do we finish?" This is a more thought-provoking question up front, and it usually leads to major rethinking of process along the way. But creative projects are supposed to include a level of flexibility and revision, right? Thinking backwards can lead you to the heart of the matter early on--and keep the focus on your ultimate goal throughout the undertaking.

When the military mobilizes, the logistics of the operation are considered from finish to start. The most important element is what must arrive intact on the theater of battle. In other words, who and what are needed to win the fight. Mobilization is getting all of those things where they need to go. In essence, the battle is won or lost from the very beginning, based on whether or not all of the people, artillery, aircraft, ships and other means of war can be assembled in the right place at the right time.

Let me suggest that creative projects work in exactly the same manner. Successful completion will be based on whether or not all the elements necessary for the result can be assembled and in the right place at the right time. For that, it's necessary to go to your result first, and work backwards from there.

Define success. Creatively, it's helpful to think not so much of what the finished project will look like, but rather what the result or outcome will be, if successful. For example, what would be a successful outcome when planning a worship event? That people were happy or pleased? Probably not. That God was glorified? Definitely. Now, how can you contribute creatively to that outcome?

Defining success early on is hard, because it often forces us to rethink or initial concept. The idea was great, but suddenly it doesn't fit as well as we thought into the overall plan. Which brings me to...

Be flexible. Thinking backwards means being flexible in your planning. Allow for changes along the way as the idea matures and the full weight of consequences becomes known. How far can you reach into the planning stage with an idea before discovering it is unworkable (that is, it will not help you get to where you need to finish)? In my experience, you can not only get completely through the planning stage, but even all the way to implementing it before realizing you've made a wrong turn. A flexible spirit keeps its eyes on the prize and will bend where necessary.

Never let the idea become the finish line. The idea is just a tool. I've seen many instances where the finish line is changed to meet the idea. It may be relaxing a rule to allow "certain people" to participate, or lessening expectations when things get tough. Be careful not to mix practical flexibility with compromising of principle. In ministry especially, how you accomplish something is often as important as what you accomplish.

Look in the mirror. When you run your car backwards, your eyes are glued to the rear-view mirror. Working backwards, its especially important to keep your focus on the road ahead (or rather, behind). Put out markers from finish to start to gauge your progress as you work from start to finish. Working from the end goal it may be easier for you to form a task list with firm deadlines and assignments. One aspect of thinking backwards is that your cost estimates will often be more realistic from the outset of a project--you're starting at the end, where dollars tend to add up quickly and sometimes budgeted items get overlooked until it's nearly too late.

Take only what you need. Working backwards is all about determining what you need to get the job done from the outset, then making a plan to get those assets in place. To use the military campaign analogy again, a mission need only consume that resources that are absolutely necessary. As you plan, ask yourself, will I really need this? How much difference with this element or expense make in the final hour? Consider too what it will take to get that element in place--is there additional expense associated with it? Make sure you are using every element you bring to the table to maximum effect. If not, maybe it should be elimiated from the project entirely.

The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm

The Ten Faces of Innovation: IDEO's Strategies for Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization

Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome

> Click for more books and periodicals on planning (innovation).

About the Author. Eugene Mason has more than two decades of experience in ministry communications and technologies. More...