Project Portfolio Reality Check

What could this idea change?

The work is designed to produce a dated findings summary that separates facts, experience, assumptions and unanswered questions; the central local boundary is that diagnosis must separate facts, experience and assumptions and cannot turn criticism of a practice into blame of a person.

A simple way to start

1. Write the decision brief for Project Portfolio Reality Check: define which evidence and lived experiences establish the strengths, pressures and unanswered questions that matter most, the starting evidence, people affected, local authority, resource limit, success signals and stop conditions. Who could lead it: Club board sponsor and renewal lead
2. Invite members with varied experiences and affected community partners where appropriate, show what is open or fixed, make access practical and record trade-offs and minority views. Apply this specifically to Project Portfolio Reality Check and record which relevant experiences or users are still missing. Who could lead it: Club board sponsor and renewal lead with the access and privacy contacts
3. Build and test a bounded evidence review with defined inputs, participation gaps and interpretation limits for Project Portfolio Reality Check; complete the Project Portfolio Reality Check Diagnostic Evidence Matrix, rehearse the boundary wording and confirm who may decide, refer, pause, recover or close the work. Who could lead it: Facilitator and workstream owner
4. Use a time-bounded change with named authority, capacity and stop conditions; compare evidence with the starting point and make unfinished work, unintended effects and resource pressure visible. Capture only the evidence needed to judge whether Project Portfolio Reality Check advances an honest shared club-health picture. Who could lead it: Facilitator and workstream owner
5. Compare the evidence with the starting point, validate meaning with affected participants or users, record gaps and unintended effects and prepare a dated findings summary that separates facts, experience, assumptions and unanswered questions without overstating what the trial proves. Who could lead it: Facilitator and workstream owner with an independent reviewer

What should we look for?

• Review Project Portfolio Reality Check after 90 days. Look for whether the club has a shared view of its starting point, two evidence-backed priorities and no important concern hidden by averages, and write down one decision the evidence supports.
• Project Portfolio Reality Check produces a dated findings summary that separates facts, experience, assumptions and unanswered questions by the promised decision date, with evidence limitations, participation gaps and unintended effects stated.
• People affected can explain the purpose, their choices, the boundary and how to raise an access, privacy, safety or governance concern.
• The trial shows whether an honest shared club-health picture improved from the recorded starting point without shifting hidden workload, risk or exclusion elsewhere.
• Every accepted action has an owner, due date and completion evidence, and the club records a reasoned continue, adapt, refer, scale or stop decision.

Before we say yes

• Does it fit a real local need?
• Can people take part safely and fairly?
• Are the facts, permissions and Rotary branding right?
• Who will lead it, and when will we review it?