Week 4 of 6
Planning system
Model a real workflow with records, states, ownership, dates, and decision views.
You can turn a messy real workflow into records, states, and views that someone can actually run.
Watch and practise first
A published workspace, plus a 3–5 minute screen recording walking through it.
- Notion — recommended
- Airtable, or Trello with structured fields
- Recording in Loom
In Notion: Share → Publish → Copy web link. Check the published link in incognito — an unpublished Notion page looks fine to you and 404s for everyone else.
Everything the work must contain
- 01The outcome the system produces, and the people who use it.
- 02Your core records — projects, tasks, sources, stakeholders, deliverables.
- 03A small set of statuses, and the rule for moving between them.
- 04Owner, due date, priority, evidence link, and next action where they matter.
- 05At least three views: current work, blocked or at-risk work, completed work.
- 06Realistic sample data, tested from intake through to completion.
- 07In the recording: the problem, the data structure, one item moving end to end, how the views support a decision, and one complexity you left out on purpose.
- 08Do not store sensitive personal data in the workspace.
Open every link in a private or incognito window before you submit. If it asks you to sign in or to request access, your reviewer will see exactly the same thing.
2 separate links
- Link to your published workspace
The Notion, Airtable, or Trello board — published, not just shared with you.
- Link to your walkthrough recording
3–5 minutes. Loom, Drive, or YouTube unlisted all work.
- The one workflow rule that prevents the most confusion
Name the rule and what goes wrong without it.
What a reviewer checks
- 01The workspace models a real academic, operational, or professional workflow.
- 02The data structure includes useful ownership, status, date, and view logic.
- 03The walkthrough explains design decisions and demonstrates the workflow end to end.
How to build it
Week 4 - Design a Working Planning System
Capability
Translate a real workflow into structured information, states, ownership, dates, and useful views. The goal is operational clarity, not decorating a Notion page.
Choose a workflow connected to your domain thread.
- Commerce or management: research pipeline, campaign operations, vendor evaluation, or client onboarding.
- Humanities or social science: interview coding, editorial production, event research, or policy monitoring.
- Science or health: literature screening, lab-task planning, outreach content review, or study schedule. Do not store sensitive personal data.
Model the Workflow
- Name the outcome and the people who use the system.
- Define the core records, such as projects, tasks, sources, stakeholders, or deliverables.
- Define a small set of meaningful statuses and the rule for moving between them.
- Add owner, due date, priority, evidence/link, and next-action fields where relevant.
- Create at least three useful views: current work, blocked or at-risk work, and completed work.
- Add realistic sample data and test the workflow from intake to completion.
Notion is recommended for accessibility, but Airtable, Trello with structured fields, or an equivalent public workspace is acceptable.
Explain Your Design
Record a 3-5 minute walkthrough showing:
- the problem and user;
- the data structure;
- how one item moves through the workflow;
- how the views support decisions;
- one complexity you deliberately left out.
Reading is free and always will be. Applying gets you the review — a person who reads what you built against the rubric above.
Apply to the program