Planning and

Managing your
Research Project
“Take benefit of five before five:

- your youth before your old age,

- your health before your sickness,
- your wealth before your poverty,
- your free-time before your preoccupation, and
- your life before your death.”

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Session Objectives
Able to work through a process for planning
projects

Able to relate these to your research project

Able to evaluate your personal effectiveness

and responsibilities

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Outline…
Project Management
◦ Project Constraints
◦ Project Planning
◦ Project Management Tools

Personal Effectiveness
◦ Time Management
◦ Student/supervisor Responsibilities
◦ Effective Research Meeting

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 What do projects “look” like?
Has a clear and specific objective

Is someone’s responsibility

Is any sort of planned undertaking which is finite and

bounded (SMART)

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context
aim
methodology

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Project Constraints

 Most projects operate under constraints

 What are the constraints on your project?

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Possible constraints
 Time
 Clarity of scope
 Access to literature/resources
 Access to supervisor
 Funding
 “Publishable quality”

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Planning your project
Identify Stakeholders

Define the Scope

Identify the tasks

Identify the risks

Plan

Implement

Review

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Scope of your project
What are you trying to achieve in your project?

Are you clear on the limits of your

investigations?

How will you know when the project is

complete?

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Project Management Tools
 Mind Map
 Drill Down
 Gantt Charts
 Risk Analysis

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Mind Map

 Useful at the earliest stage of a project

 Set out all possibilities and issues
 Helps gives structure to project
 Makes linkages more evident

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Constructing Mind Maps
 Use single words or simple phrases for information
 Print words
 Use colour to separate different ideas
 Use symbols and images
 Using cross-linkages

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Drill Down
A technique to identify all tasks associated with a
project

Start on the LHS with the project objective

Identify obvious tasks

Break these down into smallest parts

List questions or points to clarify

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Drill Down
Å You have found a novel way to fund your
research!
Å It will require careful planning!
Å Drill down through the problem to identify the
key tasks and questions you will need to take to
the criminal mastermind backing you.

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 Will the cash be
Get a job in bank
identifiable?

Research what Involve a bank Where will we buy

is in vault insider construction
equipment?
Use press and
Has anyone done
financial
this before?
knowledge

Rob Bank Buy house nearby

and get
Dig tunnel Get plans of
away
Get into vault building
Buy construction
Remove soil equipment

How will money be

laundered? Set up business to
Get away hide soil removal
Where do we lie low?

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Projects and Risks

 Identify sources of risk

 Assess likelihood of risk

 Assess magnitude of risk

 Develop response

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Structuring the project
Use list of tasks to start Gantt Chart

Identify relationships between tasks

Estimate time for each task include: project

management, detailed planning, liaison with experts,
meetings, information gathering

Ask for feedback on your plan

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Activity Month Month Month Month Month Month Month Month Month Month Month Month Month
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Register  
Literature review
Deadline for literature review 
Prepare and rehearse presentation
Presentation to School/Department 
Documented meeting with supervisors          
Plan first research unit
Present outline of first research unit 
First research unit
Review and analyse research results
Survey of literature
Courses/conferences
Learning about methodology
Holiday
Second research unit planning
Second research unit
Drafting transfer report
Finalise transfer report
Deadline for transfer report 
Transfer viva 
Visit from leading professor 

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Gantt Charts
Lay out the tasks that need to be completed

Show when these tasks should be carried out

Assist the allocation of resources

Help you to work out the critical path for a project

where you must complete it by a particular date

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Monitoring Progress
Time Now

Activity A Complete

Activity B Behind

Activity C Complete

Activity D Ahead

Activity E Behind

Activity F

Activity G Anticipated

Activity H Actual

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Behind Schedule ?
Report the implications of delays
Discuss changes in plans
Direct resources
Avoid persecution
Respond early
Be flexible
Involve your supervisor(s) and others

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Early problems
 Difficulty planning the project may indicate
◦ insufficient depth of understanding of project
objectives
◦ not convinced of project objectives
◦ unsure of responsibility
◦ not enough experience

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Risks
Å Get caught digging tunnel

Å Tunnel collapses

Å Route blocked by pipes/rock

Å Grassed up!

Å Vault empty/disappointing

Å Forensic evidence left

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Sources of Risk in research
Å Discover that someone has already answered this
question

Å My laptop with all my research records is stolen

Å Unable to get hold of a key source

Å Supervisor moves

Å Equipment breaks
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 Risk Management

Probability

Impact
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 Risk Analysis for your project
 First identify potential risks
◦ Review regularly and recognise slippage

◦ Talk to more experienced researchers

 Next map these against potential impact and likelihood

 Finally, eliminate, minimise or develop contingency plans

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Key points
 Project planning and management should be a
tool not a straightjacket
 It should be dynamic and have regular, fixed
reviews of progress
 It can help with communication and to check on
common understanding
◦ Between you and your supervisor
◦ You and your sponsor
◦ You and your colleagues

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Personal Effectiveness
TIME MANAGEMENT
STUDENT / SUPERVISOR
RESPONSIBILITIES
EFFECTIVE RESEARCH MEETINGS
Good Time Management
Å Can reduce stress

Å Increase productivity

Å Help in understanding the ‘big picture’

Å Help in prioritising the work

Å Increases leisure time !

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Time Management

 What are your time management problems ?

 Where does your time go ?
◦ think back to yesterday
◦ where did your day go ?
◦ draw a diagram or mind map to show this

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 Time Management

2 1

Importance
4 3

Urgency
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 Time Management Grid
Core skill is deciding what sits in each quadrant
 1 Do these first and do them well
 2 Plan these carefully and do next
 3 Delegate, then pay full attention to 2
 4 Bin these !

So quadrant 2 is the most important to manage…

but you need to be able to identify which issues are
important

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 Identify Important Issues
Identify some key roles for you, they should be
 clear
 discrete
 brief
 your responsibility

If you identify any roles that are not your responsibility,

then ask yourself why are you doing them?

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Identify Important Issues
Examples of roles:
 determining objectives
 setting limits
 balancing home / work balance
 clarifying your role and function
 negotiating over priorities

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Prioritising these issues
Now set weekly goals for each issue
◦ make sure these are SMART, so break down any large projects
into small tasks

Next, think about what times you work most

effectively…

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 Prioritising these issues
 …and finally allocate prime times to the most
important tasks…

Block of time Task

1
2
3
4
5
6 All other time All other tasks

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 Potential Time Wasters
 Other people communication
 Perfection not always needed
 Displacement just be aware of it !
 Losing the thread …
 Lack of motivation
 Over committing
 Disorganisation

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Losing the thread
Make sure you understand the objectives rather
than just wandering

Always signpost your thinking

Plan activities (even if it is only 10min)

Make time for reflection

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 Lack of motivation
 Think about what motivates you. Ask:
 what do I value (A)
 if I work harder will I achieve this (B)

 Motivation = A x B

 Break down tasks into manageable chunks and

reward yourself
 ‘if I finish this section I’ll go out tonight’

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Over committing

STIMULUS RESPONSE REACTIVE

STIMULUS RESPONSE PROACTIVE

THINKING TIME

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Student and Advisor
Responsibilities

DEVELOPING PROFESSIONAL
WORKING RELATIONSHIPS
Defining the Student’s Role
 What should a project student take
responsibility for?

 Discuss in pairs or groups the range

of activities that should make up
your role.

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Student’s Role
conduct original keep a research log book, and
investigations keep it up to date
test ideas regularly review their personal
timeline
understand the context of
work get involved in research
activities
identify and learn necessary
techniques learn how to discuss their
ideas openly
ensure all work is related to
the final goal heed the supervisor's advice!

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Defining the Advisor’s Role
 What should a supervisor take
responsibility for?

 Discuss in pairs or groups what you

expect from your supervisor.

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 Advisor
Interest in your research assess progress objectively and
provide honest feedback
guide with encouragement
support involvement in
be available for meetings research activities
ensure the final goal is encourage open discussion of
realistic and identifiable ideas
set a standard to follow

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Problems – Students view
Lack of guidance Lack of resources or facilities
Not available for discussions no attention to “whole person”
Fault-finding lack of support in process of
research (techniques, data
Unreasonable expectations analysis)
Not interested

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Problems – Advisor view
Students lack independence Lack of effort
poor written work absent from lab/desk
not honest about progress Oversensitive
lack commitment don’t accept challenge
don’t realise how much work it No enthusiasm
takes
don’t follow advice

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Basis of problems
False expectations
Failure to see whole picture
Survival of the fittest?
Personality clash
Other pressures
Lack of communication

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Overcoming problems
Keep things in perspective
◦ supervisor is human
◦ shares your long term goal (completion of degree)
◦ may criticize your actions, not you

Be organised
◦ organise FORMAL meetings if not happening
◦ prepare for meetings with points for discussion

Be honest
◦ report any mistakes (before the grapevine)
◦ report on difficulties whilst they are SMALL
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Overcoming problems
Be professional
◦ take criticism
◦ don’t expect to always get on with colleagues
◦ don’t bitch

Ask for feedback

◦ don’t wait to be told what to do/read

Show your enthusiasm

Meet deadlines

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Effective Research
Meetings
DEVELOPING YOUR
PROFESSIONAL
RESEARCH SKILLS
Structuring meetings
 Purpose
◦ what is the meeting for?
 Give info? Make a decision? Address problems?
◦ Are all agendas/expectations the same?
 Power
◦ Who controls or has responsibility?
Student or supervisor

 Logistics
◦ when, where, who

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 Structuring meetings
Implications and outcomes
◦ what will happen after the meeting?
◦ How is this controlled/monitored?

Record
◦ actions
◦ decisions
◦ discussions
◦ future meetings
Envisage the ideal outcome

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Common Problems
 Divided attention
 Confusion about purpose
 Not contributing
 Too much contributing
 No record of discussions
 No mechanisms to monitor progress
 Responsibilities poorly defined

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Good practice
µ Agree set time and ask for interruptions to be
avoided
µ Write agenda and circulate in advance
µ Identify “ideal outcome” for meeting
µ Write up minutes and actions

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Summary

What to present:
◦ results + interpretation
◦ suggestions for new research to improve understanding
◦ questions you can’t answer or want another opinion on

How to present:
◦ prepare agenda & circulate in advance
◦ have all papers needed

Useful techniques
◦ use active listening techniques
◦ be assertive
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Finally – some survival tips
Develop regular social working hours, BUT...
You WON’T finish it by only working 9-5
But... have some recreational time
Don’t get distracted by nonsense
Set deadlines for specific facets of project
Review and revise timetables regularly
Take annual holidays to get away from it

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Ask the experts
µ During your research you’ll have access to other
research students
µ Take every opportunity to use their experience
µ What do YOU need to know?
µ Think of questions to ask them

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Key points
It can be difficult to apply these ideas at the very
start of your project
..but you should be able to identify scope,
constraints, risks, time structure fairly soon
Plan towards the end point of your project
Be clear about the scope of your project

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Thank you!