Project managing your postgrad research october 2012
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Transcript of Project managing your postgrad research october 2012
Project managing your postgraduate researchCarolyne Jacobs
Wednesday 10th October 2012
Wednesday 10th October 2012
Project m
anaging your postgrad research
Introductions
CJ
Group
Moodle PhD resources – a quick tour
Wednesday 10th October 2012
Project m
anaging your postgrad research
Project manage your PhD/research?
What defines a project? Why do you need to project manage
your research?
Because you are probably facing:A research deadlineProfessional and domestic commitmentsResource limitations
Wednesday 10th October 2012
Project m
anaging your postgrad researchOutline (in Project Management speak)
Scoping - overview of what you are hoping to achieve
Business case – underpinning rationale Requirements – essential elements Design – tools and techniques Resources – time, consumables, etc.
+ PM methodology and tools
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anaging your postgrad research
Scope
What is your project about? What do you want to achieve?
Business case Why are you doing it? How will it benefit you
professionally/personally)? Analogies (CJ’s examples – UoP
projects, own PhD and research)
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anaging your postgrad research
Practical (10 mins in total)
Take 5 mins each to explain your research to the person sitting next to you including:
1. What your project is about
2. What you want to achieve
3. Why you are doing it (how will it benefit you professionally/personally)
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anaging your postgrad research
Business Case
The overall aim is to achieve your postgrad qualification, but how does it fit into your longer term plan for the next 5 years?
Consider your 5 yr objectives for 5 mins: What are they? Are they achievable? Realistic? Are they
SMART? What will stop you achieving your objectives? What will help you achieve them?
Project managing your postgrad research
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anaging your postgrad research
Identifying requirements
Getting the grasp of key concepts
What is the difference between methodology and methods?
Project managing your postgrad research
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anaging your postgrad research
Requirements
Getting the grasp of key concepts
What is ontology?
What is epistemology?
Project managing your postgrad research
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anaging your postgrad research
Requirements
What is ontology? Your view of the world
What is epistemology?
Wednesday 10th October 2012
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anaging your postgrad research
Requirements
What is ontology? Your view of the world
What is epistemology? How knowledge is acquired
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anaging your postgrad research
Requirements
Ontology View of the world
Do you think the world exists externally to human beings?
or.....
Do you think that people contribute to a constantly changing world?
Project managing your postgrad research
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anaging your postgrad research
Requirements
Epistemology How do I think knowledge is acquired?
By gathering data and seeking out rules/patterns or cause/effect (positivist)?
Or interpreting and taking into account context, experience and views (interpretivist)?
Project managing your postgrad research
Wednesday 10th October 2012
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anaging your postgrad research
Requirements
Why is this important?
Your view of the world and how you consider knowledge is acquired impacts on your research.
Examples: Effect of volcanic activity on rocks
objectivist?? research design??
Impact of social networking on integration constructivist?? research design??
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anaging your postgrad research
Requirements
Does your research topic exist outside the influence of human beings?
or Do humans influence your area of research?
Will you: Gather data, seek out patterns and/or cause and
effect
or Discuss your ontological and epistemological
approach (groups of 4 for15 mins in total)
Project managing your postgrad research
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anaging your postgrad research
Break
10 minutes
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anaging your postgrad research
Requirements 2
After determining your approach, what next??
What distinguishes doctoral research from other research?
How do you find out if your research is unique?
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anaging your postgrad research
Requirements 2
Which literature resources are available for your research?
How can you find out about other sources?
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anaging your postgrad research
DesignHow will you undertake your research?
How will you identify literature resources? What approach will you use?
experiment? case study? ethnographic research? survey?
Who or what is the population/data source? How will you choose the sample? (How do you know it is
representative and not bias?) How will you gather the data? (interviews, online questionnaires,
etc.)
Thinking time (5 mins)
Sharing your thoughts and ideas (10 mins)
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anaging your postgrad researchMilestone(completion deadline) Gaps in the literature Identifying your research questions
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anaging your postgrad research
Recap
We have considered: Your approach/methodology
Literature review
Research design (population, sample, tools and techniques)
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anaging your postgrad research
Other areas to consider
How will you analyse your data? How will you report your findings? How will you disseminate your findings?
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anaging your postgrad research
Resources
How much time will your research take?
How much time can you allocate?
(longer than you expect!)
(less than you expect!)
Will you need to spend any money? What resources will you need?
(Printing, postage, online s/w)
Wednesday 10th October 2012
Project m
anaging your postgrad researchReflecting on your PhD/research experiences to date
The highs and lows (30 mins in total)Individually (5 mins):
○ write down 3 of your highs and lows (use yellow sitcky notes for highs and green for lows)
Together (20 mins):○ Look for common themes ○ Sort on large sheets of paper○ Discuss and note how
to resolve the lows (small green notes)highs can be used in future research or your practice
(small orange notes)
Group discussion
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anaging your postgrad research
Project Management methodology
AgileFlexible system with short deadlines for
tasks, self-organisation. Include frequent meetings and visible tracking
Waterfall methodMore structured with clear project stagesPrince 2 methodology for technical projects
For your research you are likely to take the relevant elements and manage in your own way.
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anaging your postgrad research
Planning tools MsProject Gantter Smartsheet Excel Paper
It doesn’t really matter. It is the thinking and organising in your mind that is important….
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anaging your postgrad research
Practical (30 + mins)
Identify:The key stages of your projectLikely timescalesMilestones (key completion dates)
Use one of the project tools to create an outline project plan
But remember this is a working document and will change – frequently!
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anaging your postgrad research
Ending with…
New ideas and thoughts about how you will approach your research
Comments?
Questions?
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anaging your postgrad research
Thank you
Carolyne Jacobs,
Department of Curriculum and Quality Enhancement
University of Portsmouth
www.port.ac.uk/victory
Wednesday 10th October 2012
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anaging your postgrad research
SMART Specific: in both meaning and focus. Measurable: so that you know when you are achieving
progress and can declare success. Advantageous: what's in this for you? If you can see no
personal advantages, don't waste your time; you won't be seriously motivated towards success.
Realistic: make sure that you are being realistic: you can get feedback to help you do this. Setting learning targets in this way will, through experience, gradually improve your ability to manage your own self-development and learning.
Time limited: set deadlines and 'milestones', times when you will sit down and reflect on and review your progress
(Ref: www.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/1221/Setting%20objectives.html )
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