Beware of family history project creep!
You’re almost done with your latest family history project…and then a sibling drops off ANOTHER box of stuff. What do you do?
Over the years I have created an array of resources for those in my community who prefer a DIY approach to their family history and memoir projects. Some of those resources provide nitty-gritty, step-by-step directions on how to do something (such as create a tribute book, say), while others offer broader inspiration (like ideas for fun family photo books).
One thing almost all of them have in common, though, is some reference to overwhelm. Why? Because it’s the thing I hear from prospective clients and DIY’ers most—how daunting they find the project before them. How they can’t imagine ever finishing—or they don’t even know where to begin. How they start with enthusiasm, and at some point abandon the project due to burnout.
As a professional personal historian and longtime editorial project manager, this is something referred to as project creep. And, frankly, it sucks.
What is project creep?
A quick AI overview makes it clear that project creep is generally a professional term:
“Project creep, also known as scope creep, is when a project's requirements or deliverables increase beyond what was originally defined in the project plan:
Definition: Adding features or functionality without considering the impact on time, costs, or resources
How it happens: Often starts with small changes that build up over time
Can lead to: Decreased quality, reduced team morale, customer dissatisfaction, and project failure.” *
YOUR personal family history project has only one client and one stakeholder, and that’s you. So while you aren’t worried about some other customer’s dissatisfaction, you are concerned with your own, right?
So let’s skip the bureaucratic jargon in the AI definition, and say this:
Project creep can happen even when you are in the driver’s seat, making decisions, and seemingly NOT adding any new requirements or aspects to your project. How?
>> Because every genealogical discovery leads to another (or to a mystery just begging to be solved).
>> Because every time you need to learn something new (like how to export a gedcomm file from Ancestry, or where to find family history templates that meet your needs, or how to transform your family history facts into compelling stories…), you might end up going down a rabbit hole.
>> Because family photos can be distracting (in a most endearingly emotional way, but still).
>> Because there really is no “end” to your family history.
So, how do you avoid project creep in your family history project?
The following three simple steps will help you ditch the feelings of overwhelm and avoid losing focus from your family history project.
Set clear goals.
What are you trying to accomplish with THIS family history project? Are you aiming to create a beautifully bound family history coffee table book? If so, that large project needs to be broken down into smaller tasks to help you get there. Are you aiming to create single page synposes of all the known ancestors just on your maternal side? Then write that as your end goal, and make a list of tasks to achieve it (a list of known ancestor names; what your one-page summary will incude; whether or not you need pictures, and where to source them from; etc.).
Be clear about your end goals, and your expectations and next steps will be clear. Any time you feel project scope creeping in, ask yourself: “Is what I am doing within the scope of my original project goals?” If not, write the task down and consider revisiting it during your NEXT family history project.
2. organize your project materials.
Using the goals and resulting step-by-step approach you created, gather all the materials you think you will need to complete THIS family history project. You may prefer to work with hard copies—in which case you will need folders or a binder to organize your materials; or you may be a digital native who hates paper clutter—in which case I recommend dedicating a single external hard drive to your project (and nothing else!).
Organizational categories may include things like:
E-Book recommendation
If you want to get serious about organizing all your family history materials, I highly recommend this step-by-step guide from archivist Margot Note.
family tree info (perhaps further broken up into maternal and paternal lines, or by couples and their children, for instance)
family photographs (organized chronologically, perhaps, or by family member, or thematically if you plan to tell stories through your family history)
resources (such as maps, a list of family surnames, contacts such as genealogists or family members you regularly communicate with)
schedules or other project management info
You may also want to consider a color coding system to help you discern materials at a glance. One simple hack I have used in the past is to buy three colors of post-it notes and assign each a status—green for “ready to go,” yellow for “need more info/hold for later,” and red for “problematic/needs work.”
3. set deadlines.
If you know you must finish your project by a certain date—an upcoming family reunion, say, or a loved one’s birthday—then you know your FINAL deadline; go a step further and create interim deadlines for various aspects of your project.
Even if you have no firm end-date in mind, though, it’s crucial that you set a firm schedule if you plan to finish. Check out this post for exactly how to set a deadline for your family history project (including concrete ways to hold yourself accountable!).
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*Project creep definition and other explanatory info derives from an AI overview from Google, November 13, 2024.
You’ve decided to do SOMETHING with all that family history stuff you’ve gathered—but somehow your project keeps growing. Here’s how to cross the finish line.