Making a Head Start on your project

Most student projects begin in the Autumn Term, and many take place over the entire final year. At York, where I teach, students get a couple of weeks at the start of term to make their choices, and then the final decisions are made a few weeks into the term.

The majority of students tend to wait until that point to start thinking about their project. My suggestion is that you begin this process as soon as possible. If you start making some progress on your project now, you will be able to hit the ground running when you start officially.

But isn't that dangerous, given that my project choice isn't finalised? What if I can't get that project, and so any input I do is wasted? How can I find time to do this as I'm so busy working or travelling to University?

These are all good and sensible questions, and it may be true that there is no guarantee right now that you will get your project. However, there are several reasons why it's good to make a start, and they don't need to take up too much time:

• You will arrive back at university/college mentally prepared and raring to go.
• This helps you to quickly focus on your work and make the most of the facilities there.
• You will gain some background knowledge on the subject, and this gets you thinking.
• Some thoughts and ideas have a long 'gestation period', so the earlier you can start, the more sophisticated your ideas can become because they have time to grow.
• Even if your idea or focus changes, it is by being proactive that helps you to grow. It's often said by martial artists that it's easier to change direction if you're already moving, than to suddenly move in a new direction from being stationary.
• It puts a proper perspective on your project. When you're back at studying there will be many other pulls on your time, yet the project is often the biggest thing you will do.

So what sort of things can you do ahead of time?

1) Read about Project Management. This is going to sound like yet another shameless self-promotion, but you could do worse than getting the book (see below) and start working through it. Seriously, running your own project is one of the biggest changes and challenges you will encounter in your whole education, and it takes many people by surprise. Be prepared.

2) Read about your subject. Do everything you can to become an expert in the area you are studying. Find out what the major topics are. Look out for books, and get hold of some of the best, or visit your library. Make a reading plan and try to do some every day. Find out what the most important journals are. Search the web - not just once, but trying out different keywords and persevering. Be hungry to find knowledge in your area.

3) Contact your potential supervisor. Some of you will have done this already. The supervisor is in a good position to recommend some key topics for you to look into, or maybe some important references for you to read.

4) Make notes. Get a notepad, or use an electronic note-taking system such as Evernote or Google Keep or OneNote and starting making this subject your own. Keep a record of everything you do, ideas you have, things you've read, things you want to read, questions for your supervisor. By writing it down you will mentally begin the process of managing your project.

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For more information

In the book Managing Your Project, Chapter 3 is all about the things that you can do to get going on your project and to mentally prepare for the process, and is worth working through before the project actually starts.

Chapter 3 is actually available (in its entirety) free of charge on the sample that you can see on the Amazon website here. Just click on the cover's “Look inside” or download a sample to your Kindle or Kindle reader app (available on most major platforms).

Managing Your Project: Achieving Success with Minimal Stress < NEW: Print Version >

Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1537212206

Also available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0164RXKLI

Choosing a final year student project

This is an interesting time of year for many students who are just about to start their final year. In most higher education courses there is an Independent Study Module (often known as a Project or Dissertation).

Some of you may already know what your project is – either because it is chosen for you, or you have already decided and chosen what you are going to do (in which case well done! 😃).

But for most people, this is the time when they are still considering what to do. There is a lot to be gained by getting a head start and getting as much as possible sorted right now, and you can engage by email with the academics whose projects you may be interested in.

Top tips for choosing your project

1) Read through your departmental project suggestions.

Many departments will produce a full list of project choices. Read as many as you can (all if possible) and make some brief notes on each one. The more you read, the more chance you have of developing a feel for what is interesting to you and what you wish to avoid.

2) Talk to previous project students.

Do you know anyone in the year above who has just completed a project? If so, contact them now and ask for their advice about project choice, supervisors, the whole procedure etc. If you can find a graduate to talk to, this can be really useful as they have successfully completed the project and their degree, and can give you a unique perspective on the whole project process.

3) Do some initial research.

Find out about the topic area. Look up the key papers and authors, and start reading the first few. Search the web for what research is going on around the world in this area. This will help you to start thinking from a research perspective. Many students worry about what they can currently do (e.g., “I’m not very good at programming”) rather than engaging with the topic to see what’s needed. You can always learn new skills as part of the project.

4) Contact potential supervisors.

As it’s now the end of the summer break, it’s worth contacting them by email and registering your interest in a project. I’ve often had summer Skype conversations with potential students. You get to start the potential collaborative process, as the best projects involve a good deal of cooperation with a supervisor. You’ll also get some idea of whether this is the right project for you.

5) Ranking your project ideas

Come up with a list of your potential projects and consider the following about each one:

•         How much does this topic interest you?
•         How much will you enjoy the work that it will involve?
•         What response have you got from the supervisor?
•         What other information is available about the topic?
•         Does it give you a skill that will be useful for your career?

If you’ve not got a clear ‘winner’, why not go back to the supervisor for the ones you’re interested in and get a bit more clarity about what’s required.

For more information

In the book Managing Your Project, Chapter 2 goes into more detail about each of the above topics, and is worth working through.

Chapter 2 is actually available free of charge on the sample that you can see on the Amazon website here. Just click on the cover picture “Look inside” or download a sample to your Kindle or Kindle reader app (available on most major platforms).

The print book is available on the Amazon site below.

Managing Your Project: Achieving Success with Minimal Stress < NEW: Print Version >

Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1537212206

Also available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0164RXKLI

Why do you need a book or blog on Project Management?

I've been teaching in higher education for over a quarter of a century (nothing like a short phrase to make you feel ancient!) and I've noticed a great irony about solo projects:

The majority of a student's individual traumas / stresses / challenges are common to all students.

Looking back over years of individual supervisions with project students, it slowly dawned on me that I was answering the same questions at the same sort of time to every student. Over a particular year, maybe 20 or 25% of the discussions were truly specific to that project. Everything else was just being repeated, because everyone needed to know it.

Things like:

• How do I choose my project?
• How do supervisions work?
• How do I write a literature survey?
• How do I plan my time most effectively?
• How best to plan my project?
• How do I overcome being stuck, tired, unmotivated, etc?
• How do I write a final report?

and the list goes on . . .

I thought it would be good for me (as a supervisor) and the students if I wrote down some of these common questions, then I could share them with the students, and they would see that they were not alone in struggling with these things.

Then it dawned on me that maybe most other supervisors around the world were doing the same thing, covering the same issues. Maybe most students in every subject area feel the same thing. That's when I decided to write the book.

In future blog posts I plan to discuss the contents, give tips for students (timed to the academic year, so you could follow these posts as a voice from someone else who's working with people doing final projects), and give other useful links, tips and discussions along the way.

For more details, take a look at the full book, available on the Amazon site below.

Managing Your Project: Achieving Success with Minimal Stress < NEW: Print Version >

Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1537212206

Also available on Kindle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0164RXKLI

Managing Your Project - welcome

Welcome to the first post in Managing Your Project - a blog for students everywhere who need help and advice in time management, independent study, project management, and generally planning complex work and keeping ahead of the game.

I'll be posting up help and advice about projects and personal planning, so please do check back here or Follow.

I've worked at the University of York, UK for the last 28 years in the Department of Electronic Engineering. I'm now Deputy Head of Department, in charge of teaching. Over the years I've worked with hundreds of project students, and have become fascinated by the common problems that they encounter when they have to take on a big project.

I decided to write a book aimed at all students undertaking large projects, such as final year research projects, dissertations, group projects, or indeed anything where large demands are placed on personal planning and organisation.

Managing Your Project: Achieving Success with Minimal Stress is published in print and on Kindle.

Check out the book. You can download a sample couple of chapters (including the full description of the book) for free by clicking on the Look Inside link here.