Executing Your Eagle Project

When your project plan is complete and has been reviewed with the beneficiary, you’re ready to begin execution! Do your best to make this a pleasant experience for everyone involved – including yourself:

• Be sure you and hour helpers are adequately hydrated and fed as needed.
• Keep an eye on safety issues.
• Keep track of all income and expenses.
• Keep track of hours spent by each of your helpers, both youth and adults, including Mentor/coach/advisor(s), any Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), even the beneficiary or beneficiary representative if they participate in the project.
• Remember to keep track of your time, too!
• Keep track of and take good care of any tools you have borrowed.

Follow through on your proposal and your plan. At the end, someone at your board of review might ask “Did you do what you said (in your proposal and your plan) you were going to do ?” You might encounter some “bumps in the road” while executing your project – most Scouts do. Use the skills you’ve learned and the resources you have – including your Mentor, Coach, Unit Leader, SMEs, and other Scouts and volunteers – to solve problems and move forward.

If you find that it makes sense or is required to make changes to project proposal that was approved, be sure to contact your liaison from the Eagle Board that approved the proposal. Minor things like changing a paint color or instruments in a band won’t need approval – but if in doubt, check it out. Your liaison won’t mind getting a question while you are working on our project, and asking a question now might be easier than answering a question at your board of review.

At the end of the project, take care of any excess funds raised and not used according to the requirements in the workbook: Give them to the beneficiary, or, if that is not possible, to a suitable alternative as specified in the Workbook. It’s wise to get a receipt for funds you turn over to the beneficiary or anyone they specify; an email or handwritten note specifying the amount and who (organization and person) received it is sufficient. Likewise, discuss with your beneficiary what to do with any leftover materials and supplies.

As work is going on, take time to reflect on how things are going on your project: What is going well, what could be better, and what are you learning in the process. This will make it easier to complete the last step, which can be the most valuable part of the project for you: writing the report.