One of the first tasks of the student once they have chosen a project topic is to define clear and comprehensive terms of reference (TOR). The TOR is a critical element of the project and act as a yardstick against which the project will be measured. A framework for the TOR will be given below.
Well-defined terms of reference are helpful in the following ways:
- they prevent a student tackling a project that is over ambitious.
- they form a 'contract' with the student as to what is to be achieved in the project.
- negotiation of the terms of reference with the supervisor clarifies issues in the project and is an important learning experience.
The TOR form a basis for the project, but they may be subject to modification if the progress of the project justifies it, and modifications are agreed between all parties concerned with the project.
Framework for Terms of Reference
Format:
Heading - to include project title, student name, date of production and version.
Overview - this outlines the reasons for undertaking the work.
Objectives - the aims of the work, in terms of the major tasks, are stated here.
Constraints - define the boundaries of the work.
Resources - such as equipment, services, or software are identified.
Project Scheduling
Next you should prepare a schedule of tasks and target dates. Your project will normally be split into phases such as:
- background research
- investigation of requirements
- analysis
- design
- familiarisation with software tools
- implementation
- testing
- user and system documentation
- report writing
Once the phases and tasks have been determined then the time required for their completion must be estimated.
A Gantt Chart must be produced for this scheduling purpose.
No comments:
Post a Comment