Planning and Managing your

Research Project
Dr Mohamed Hasnain Isa
Associate Professor
(Environmental Engineering)
Civil Engineering Department
 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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12
 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
For more information:
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newISS_01.htm

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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
You have found a novel way to fund your
research!

It will require careful planning

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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 'Record' bank robbery in Brazil
Thieves in Brazil have stolen up to $65m (£36m) after
tunnelling into a bank in what police say could be the
country's biggest bank heist.
The thieves dug a 200m (656ft) tunnel into the bank from a
nearby house in the northern city of Fortaleza. Neighbours
said between six and 10 men worked at the house, rented in
the name of a company making artificial turf.
The theft happened over the weekend, but was not discovered
until Monday morning because the bank was closed.
Neighbours reported seeing vanloads of material being
removed each day.
"It's something you see in the movies... They dug a tunnel that
goes underneath two [city] blocks. They've been digging for
three months," investigator Francisco Queiroga told the
Reuters news agency.
The Banco Central said the robbers opened five containers with
50 real ($22) bills. The value of the stolen bank notes has not
been determined. However, police sources said the heist may
have yielded as much as 150m reals, which would make it the
biggest bank robbery in Brazil's history.

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 Projects and Risks
Identify sources of risk
Assess likelyhood 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
Seek advice NOW

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 Risks
Get caught digging tunnel
Tunnel collapses
Route blocked by pipes/rock
Grassed up!
Vault empty/disappointing
Forensic evidence left

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Sources of Risk in research
Discover that someone has already
answered this question
My laptop with all my research records
is stolen
Unable to get hold of a key source
Supervisor moves
Equipment breaks

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 Risk Management

Likelyhood

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 likelyhood
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
Can reduce stress
increase productivity
help in understanding the ‘big picture’
help in prioritising the work
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 Supervisor
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
conduct original keep a research log
investigations book, and keep it up to
date
test ideas
regularly review their
understand the context personal timeline
of work get involved in research
identify and learn activities
necessary techniques learn how to discuss
ensure all work is their ideas openly
related to the final goal heed the supervisor's
advice!

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

Discuss in pairs or groups what you

expect from your supervisor.

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

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

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Problems – Supervisor view
Students lack Lack of effort
independence absent from
poor written work lab/desk
not honest about Oversensitive
progress don’t accept
lack commitment challenge
don’t realise how No enthusiasm
much work it 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
Agree set time and ask for interruptions
to be avoided
Write agenda and circulate in advance
Identify “ideal outcome” for meeting
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
During your research you’ll have access
to other research students
Take every opportunity to use their
experience
What do YOU need to know?

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