This is often the most difficult part of your project.  It is also the key to getting the project approved, and having the execution of your project go smoothly.  If you plan the work, and work the plan, you should have a smooth Eagle project.  If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.

Preparation

If you have not done so yet:

• Download the Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Workbook from this site and study it carefully.  You can download this workbook by clicking here for the document in Microsoft Word format, .DOC, (also readable by many word processors) or here for the document in Rich Text Format, .RTF, which works for word processors that can not read .DOC files.  If you have problems downloading the workbook, click here to try downloading a smaller workbook without graphics.  When you click above, your computer may start downloading immediately.  It may ask you if you want to open the file or save it (chose save if you get the choice).  It may just open in your word processor, in which case you need to click File and Save As to save it on your computer.  If you have trouble viewing them try right clicking on the link and either select open (Open, Open in New Window, Open Link In New Window) to open the link for viewing or select save (Save Target As, Save Page As) and specify where to save the file, then go open the saved file.  If you try to open the document directly and you get an error about "no viewer available" then save the file and open the saved file from your word processor.  Be sure you remember where you saved it, or use Find-Files or Folders to search for ESLSPW*.*.   If you have problems or questions, click here to send an e-mail question.  Please describe your computer, internet provider, connection (dial up, DSL, cable modem, FIOS fiber optic) and what word processor you are using.  The document is set up so it can be printed 2 sided if you have that capability.  Plan to fill it out using a word processor so that you can make and revise drafts as you go along.  You will probably have many drafts by the time you are finished.  The workbooks are designed to be completely filled in electronically.  You can insert blank pages to be replaced by hand drawn diagrams if desired.

  NOTE: The above workbooks specifically refer to handling the paperwork in the Chester County Council, BSA.  If you are in another council, check with your Council, District, or Troop for forms and instructions on how to submit your paperwork.

• Download the Parents Guide and review it with your parents and Scout leaders.

• You may want to download Randy Smith's Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project Planning Guide.  This is an excellent description of the planning process with many helpful suggestions.    

• Get a 3 ring notebook to keep your Workbook and all the associated papers together.  A binder with a pouch inside the cover is sometimes useful later.  A view binder, which allows you to insert a cover and a spine label, will help you make a professional looking presentation when it comes time to prepare your final report.

• If you do not have access to a computer to download and fill out the electronic form, and are going to use the printed national form, a set of instructions is available by clicking here.  Have someone download and print these instructions.  They include other forms that you will need to be able to complete the process.  The full downloadable workbook described above is the preferred form for Scouts in the Chester County Council, even if you have to get it printed out by someone else and fill it out manually.

• If your project involves skills or activities in which you are not experienced, you need to spend some time learning the skills needed so you can do the detailed plan and then successfully lead a group of youth in carrying out the project.  You need to become the expert.  There are many resources available to help you out.  You can get do-it-yourself type books at the library or home improvement centers on almost any kind of project.  Talk to your father, other adults in the troop, or friends who are skilled in the things you need to know.  You can search the internet for advice on many project, even plans.  Be sure that you understand what you have read before you decide to put it into your plan.  It my even be helpful to spend time watching professionals doing the type of work you are proposing.  For many types of materials that you might be using on your project, there is useful information available on the materials page.  Click to see this page and determine is any of the information is applicable to your project.  In many cases this is important information for you to review.

• You should become familiar with both the materials you will be using, and the techniques involved.  If you are using products such as paint, concrete, glue, or chemicals you should carefully read the instructions on the package about how and where to use the product, tools and techniques, safety, temperature limits, and other information.  If you are using fasteners such as nails, screws, or bolts, you should know what material, finish, size, head, thread pitch, and style is best for your application.  If you are using lumber, you should know how to choose the correct size, material, grade, treatment, and other details.  Many do-it-yourself books have chapters about these basic components.  One of my favorites is the New Reader's Digest New Complete Do-it-yourself Manual, but there are many books available.  If you are doing an outside project using pressure treated lumber or cedar, look for books about building decks, even if you are building a bridge or a sign.  There are also thousands of resources available on the internet.

• To get some ideas of what a completed workbook might look like, see the examples on this web site.

Title Page

First check the date on the bottom of the page.  The current versions available from this web site are dated 06/14/05.  Type in your name and unit number above the lines provided.  This page can be used as a front cover in a view binder, or you may want to do your own cover and have this page as the title page inside.

Name Page

Fill in all the requested information,  If you are not sure of a name, address, or phone number, ask.  You will need this information later.  For names and phone numbers of District Advancement committee person to contact, click here.

Project Description Page

This page should stay as one page, except for very unusual situations.  

First describe briefly what you are going to do.  One or two paragraphs should be enough.  What would someone be able to see as the results of doing your project?  Do not include the details, they will come later.  You are describing what you are going to do, not how.  This will tell many who will read your workbook what to expect from the project.

List the name and address of the organization that will benefit from the project.  Be sure they are eligible, as described in Finding a Project.  In a few cases the organization may ask you not to publicize the actual address of the project at some kinds of shelters.  They may have an administrative office that can be listed, or just a town name.

Describe the benefits of your project.  Don't repeat what you are going to do, this is the why.  This should explain why this project has a significant, measurable, and lasting benefit to the group or organization for which you are doing the project.

List the date you discussed the idea with your Scoutmaster or Eagle Advisor.  They should be in agreement that the project idea sounds good, but they have not yet seen your plan.

List the name, title, and phone number of your contact.  List the date of your meeting. You should have a specific name and title of a person with whom you will be coordinating.  Don't get in a position of calling back and having to say "I talked with some lady a few weeks ago".  At this point you should know what the organization expects from you, any constraints such as schedule, if and how much they can finance the project, and any other requirements they may have that would affect your planning and execution.  You should have a specific individual who will be your contact throughout the project, and you should keep in frequent contact with them so they know you are still working on the project and what the expected schedule will be.  They should understand what you can and can't do, and how an Eagle project works.  If they have not worked with Eagle projects before, you should have gotten them a copy of "The Benefiting Organization's Guide to an Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project".   Before you start working on the project they, along with others, will have to approve your detailed plan.  They do not need to sign at this point, this is for contact information so you can stay in contact with them throughout the process.

Project Plan Details

This is the heart of your project plan.  It may be as few as 3 or 4 pages for a very simple project, to 20 pages or more for a complex construction project.  It should be detailed enough that you could give it to another Scout and they could carry out the project without you.  It must completely document how you are going to carry out the project.  Remember that the work of the project will be carried out by a group of youth, working under your direction.  They probably know less than you about what and how the work is to be done.  This plan must prepare you, and convince the people who must approve it that you are prepared, to carry out the project.  You need to be able to explain to your workers how to carry out each step of the project.  In order to test your understanding of how to explain the process, it may be helpful to practice explaining these steps to someone not familiar with the project or the skills needed.

Start with a description of the present conditions, if this is relevant.  This might include a brief history of how these conditions developed and thus why the project is needed.  Pictures of existing conditions are often helpful.  Even if you are building something new, pictures of the location where the project will be located should be included.  For some projects, a map of the area and where it is located might be helpful.  Sometimes Topographic Maps or Aerial Photographs are useful.  Information is available on the Materials page.

The next step is the design.  Document exactly what you are going to do, and each step needed to accomplish it.  If you are building something, you probably need detailed scale drawings, with all dimensions shown.  Don't forget to use actual, not nominal dimensions of lumber (a 2 x 4 is not 2" x 4").  Don't just show an outline drawing, show, and allow for, actual material thickness.  Dimensions on the drawings and descriptions should be clear as to whether they are center to center, inside to inside, or exactly where they are from and to.  Be sure you explain what each piece will be made from, how it will be cut, and how each joint or connection will be assembled.   You will need to make this kind of explanation to your workers when you are carrying out the project.  Label your drawings with materials, including what type and size of fasteners are going to be used.  Be sure that all dimensions that will be needed to correctly assemble the project are shown.  Make it clear where the dimensions go from and to (inside, outside, center to center, etc.)  It often is useful to show 3 views, looking from 3 perpendicular directions such as front, top, and side.  Large scale, carefully done, scale drawings make it easier to explain to others, and may help you to figure out how to do what you need to do.  It may be useful to show cutting lists or diagrams, such as how a set of pieces will all be cut from a 4' x 8' piece of plywood.  Be sure you label each diagram, list, or table so you can refer to it in your instructions.  The documented design should be detailed enough that you could give it to another Scout and they could carry out the project exactly as you have planned.  

Give step by step directions.  If you are using plans from a book or other source, be sure you completely understand them, and that they are appropriate for you labor pool's skill level.  The steps should be small enough that you could give one step of instructions to a group of helpers and they could carry out that step and then come back for instructions on the next step.  This is where you should identify the order the steps will be carried out, and whether steps can be done concurrently are one step must be completed before another step can start.  Remember that these instructions are for your helpers who probably have less experience in this type or project than you do.  They are not professional carpenters, or even experienced do-it-yourselfers.  This section will be a tool to use to explain to your workers what they are to do for each step, and how to do it.  You need to be able to explain exactly how to do each step.  Refer to the materials page for some of the information you need to determine and specify for the materials you will be using.  

If your project involves running a program or event, what information and special resources will be needed?  Where will these come from and how will you make arrangements for them?  What are all the steps that must be done before the event, and what things will need to be done to run the event.  What is the time line leading up to the event that must met to be ready for the event?  If you are preparing and running an event, is it something that should be repeated (annually or otherwise) and what will you do to help make that happen?

What personnel will the project require?  For each step described above (not just day-by-day), estimate the time and number of people needed, and calculate the person-hours (time multiplied by number of people).  This is not how many people you will recruit for the day's work (which comes later), but how many people you will pull from your group of helpers and assign to this specific task.  You may end up having people working on two or more tasks simultaneously.  Be sure to include your time for the planning, approval, fund raising (if needed), and report-writing steps in your estimates.  Provide total estimates for your time, total number of people you expect to get to help you, and the total man-hours involved.  These are estimates, but try to be as accurate as you can at this point. Don't be worried that these estimates will not be exactly accurate, that is part of the learning process.  Present this information as a list or table.  A spread sheet may be a good way to prepare this table.  Most spreadsheet programs will do arithmetic on hour:minute units.  In this way you can have the spreadsheet do the arithmetic for you so that if you plan 4 scouts for 2 hours and 30 minutes (2:30) it will calculate a total of 12.5 person-hours.   If your time units for many steps are short (minutes rather than hours) you can do the table in number of people, minutes, and person-minutes.  At the end you can divide person-minutes by 60 to get person-hours.  One key reason for this step is to force you to think about how you will have your labor carry out the step, and thus what each person will need to do and how to do it.  You will also get a good idea of the size of the project you are planning.

While you develop the design, prepare lists of materials (things that go into the project), supplies (things that you will use up while doing the project) and tools (things to make the work easier or possible, but not used up).  Be sure that your lists agree with the documented design.  As you make revisions to the design, these lists may change also.  Be sure your tool needs agree with how many people you have planned to have working at the same time.  What will the materials and supplies cost?  If the materials are significant, it is a good idea to get prices from at least two places whenever possible.  Try to borrow the tools rather than buying them.  If you do not have them at home, investigate where you might borrow them.  Give a total estimate of how much money you expect to spend on the project.  Include enough detail in this list that someone else could buy the materials from the list.  For example, you cannot send someone to the store to buy "screws" and be sure that you will get what you need (one local home center has approximately 1,200 different kinds of screws), but you can send them to the store to buy "two 1 pound boxes of #10 x 3 inch Primeguard Plus+ exterior screws for $3.89 per box".  The materials list should be the items you will buy or acquire, not what you will make from them.  In other words, you might buy a 2 x 4 x 8' piece of #2 grade southern yellow pine pressure treated lumber (materials list) and then your directions and cutting list might describe making 2 x 4 pieces 39" long, 28" long, and 25" long.

If there are any expenses, where will the money come from?  What limitations are there on that funding if you go over budget?  In many cases, the organization for whom you are doing the project will finance it, at least up to some point.  If not, you can run a fund raiser in addition to your project, or you might pay for it yourself out of your earnings.  Will you pay for the materials and get reimbursed?  Does the organization have an account that the materials can be charged directly to the organization (be sure you have written detailed authorization before you do this)?  How will the money be held and accounted for?  Have you made arrangements to not have to pay sales tax?  Most organizations you might do a project for should have a state sales tax exemption number that you can give to the store when you buy the materials.  Check in advance whether they need a form filled out and signed, or just the number.

What safety issues apply to the project?  What safety equipment or procedures are needed to insure the safety of your workers and others?  One typical issue is the proper and safe handling of hazardous materials such as  pressure treated lumber (chemically treated (see http://www.naturalselect.com/safety.htm, and  http://www.gp.com/build/DocumentViewer.aspx?repository=BP&elementid=4589 for more information).  Be sure you know what material you are planning to use, and how to handle it safely.  Some additional information is available at http://www.doityourself.com/lumber/newrules.htm.   Another issue is that all dangerous power tools (saws, tractors, mowers, vehicles, etc.) should be operated by adults working under your direction.  There generally is no problem with Scouts operating tools like electric drills or power screwdrivers.  If you are using any other solvents, paint, or chemicals, you should be familure with the safety, handling, and disposal information provided with the product.

Describe in general terms how the needed manpower will be applied.  In other words, describe how many youth helpers you expect to have working at a time, how long you expect to work each day, and how many days you expect to work.  Be sure these numbers are reasonable, and in line with the manpower needs calculated above.  This is the basis for recruiting your labor for each day of work.  Where will these people come from?  In most cases you will be recruiting from your troop members, but you may have other resources to draw on for helpers.  Have you made plans for drinks, food, bathroom facilities, and transportation if needed?

What is the expected schedule?  Approximately what weeks or months do you expect the project to cover?  This does not need to name specific dates for work sessions unless those dates are critical.  If there are specific schedule constraints such as the project must be completed by a certain date, describe these here.  Does season make a difference?  It is hard to do outside projects in January.

Test Your Understanding

If you have planned the project thoroughly, you should be able to use it to describe to someone who knows nothing about the project exactly how you will explain it to your workers.  Try explaining to your little brother, your mother, another Scout, or your teddy bear, exactly what you will say, such as: "First I will have 2 people take the 6 2x8x12' pressure treated lumber pieces and mark them for cutting according to this drawing.  They will mark each piece 5' 8" from each end.  Then the adult operating the saw will cut them into 12 pieces each 5' 8" long.  Then while two people hold this piece and this piece like this, a I will have a third person drill two 3/8" holes with an electric drill in the locations shown here...."  You should be able to go through the entire project this way.  If the person you are explaining to (except the teddy bear) can ask any questions that you can not answer, you are not ready.  It is often helpful to work with some scraps of wood to be sure that you can describe each assembly step.  As you demonstrate each assembly step, check that fastener (screw, bolt, nail, ...) sizes make sense and that your technique will work (for example you can not drill or screw up into a piece of wood that is laying on the floor).  Throughout this process check that your description, tools, materials list, and personnel requirements are consistent and agree with what you are describing.  In a construction project, you should be able to describe, for each piece in the project:

1) What piece from the materials list was it made from?

2) How was it selected, marked, cut, drilled, or otherwise prepared for assembly?

3) How, when, and with what material and tools will it be finished (painted, sealed, ...)?

4) How and where will it be placed into position and held for fastening?

5) What fasteners will be used to fasten it, where do they get located, how are they installed, and with what tools and techniques?

Check the instructions

When you have finished writing your proposal, go back through the instructions here and in the workbook.  Have you included all the information requested?  Have you followed each sentence and word of the instructions?  Don't waste your time, and those of others, by presenting an incomplete proposal, or presenting a proposal before you thoroughly understand what the project entails, and how you will lead others to carry it out.  Do your descriptions of what you are going to do, how you are going to do it, materials list, supplies list, tools list, and manpower descriptions all agree with each other?

Review Your Proposal

Once you think the plan is ready, have several people read it and make suggestions.  Your parents can be very helpful at this point.  Be ready to take suggestions and make improvements.  Have your Eagle Advisor read it and make suggestions.  This is where a word processor really pays off. Be sure that all parts of your proposal are consistent including what you are planning to do, the detailed steps, the materials list, the tools list, and your time estimates.  In addition to checking the content, review it for spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and logical organization.  When you are talking with anyone about the proposal, take careful notes of any suggestions, and then check them off when you have corrected the problems.

Organization Approval

Make an appointment to meet with the representative of the organization for whom you are doing the project.  Ask them to review the plan carefully before signing their approval.  They must agree that you understand what they want, that they are satisfied that you understand how to do it successfully, and that they agree to provide any funding that your budget says they will provide.  If they see any problems with what you have proposed, revise it before they sign the proposal.  Don't just promise to make revisions after they sign. Take notes of any suggestions.

Troop Approval

If you have been working closely with your Eagle Advisor and Scoutmaster as you developed the plan, it should be easy to get their approval.  You should be prepared to explain how you will run the project, step by step, so they know you are ready.

The troop committee may want you to make a presentation to a troop committee meeting, or you may just need to meet with the troop committee chairman.  Check with the committee chairman or Scoutmaster in advance so you know what will be expected.

District Approval

Once you have the other three signatures, contact your district advancement committee person you listed on page 3 of the workbook to schedule a meeting to review your proposal.  Be sure to bring the complete plan with all drawings, pictures, and details.  If you have done the planning well, there should be no problem getting his signature.  If not, the process will need to be repeated after you have fixed any problems.  Remember that he probably does not know you, or anything about your project.  You and your proposal need to convince him that you are ready to lead the project on your own.  Be prepared to take notes on any problems, suggestions, or useful information that may come up in this discussion.

Carry Out The Project

Only after you have received all four signatures, may you start the project.  Do not purchase any materials, schedule work sessions, or begin carrying out the project until it has been approved.  Once it is approved, you are ready to carry out the project.  You have the approval to carry out the project.  The Board of Review will finally approve the project as carried out