Internal Planning Team

Early on in the Project Concept phase, you’ll want to define an internal planning team, a small group of people within your organization who will lead project decision making from start to finish.  Staff and board leadership must understand and agree on the project concept, or be willing to revisit it until consensus is reached.

This group includes – at minimum:

• Executive staff representative(s)
• Board leadership

And often:

• Board members with relevant expertise
• Facilities staff
• Representatives from key departments within the organization.

This team should report periodically to the full board and build consensus around the agreed objectives.

The planning team will also be responsible for securing funds to hire external consultants to help complete the Concept & Feasibility phase.

External Consultants

Projects that have many possible solutions, have an impact on your existing operations, or will require fundraising beyond your usual reach will require a consulting team with specialized expertise – usually in arts & culture management consulting and capital campaign and project planning.

Selecting consultants can be a daunting undertaking.  If you’re unsure where to begin, research other similar arts organizations that have undertaken facility projects recently.  Ask them about their experiences, find out if they worked with consulting teams, find out what they might do differently.

Cultural associations and service organizations (like Arts Build Ontario) are also good sources for recommendations.  You may also wish to review resources related to creating RFPs and selecting design teams, which is described here in Plan It | Build It.

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