Project approachmethods Assessment criteria

266 Chapter 10 n Final considerations n Higher degrees. If you are moving from an undergraduate bachelor’s degree to a higher-level course – an MSc, MPhil or PhD – you will have to adapt your way of thinking to some extent. MScs usually contain a project as a significant part of their assessment. MPhils, on the other hand, are represented almost entirely by a research project. In both of these cases, your depth of understanding and critical evaluation will have to be far more mature than at bachelor’s level. The nature of the PhD is also very much different to a taught degree project. It will need justification and contextualisation and it will certainly have to make a contribution to knowledge. These days, timing is also more critical. Departments are sometimes penalised by funding bodies if you take longer than you should to com- plete your PhD, so pressure will be on you from sources outside yourself to complete your thesis on time. You might also need to diversify your work into articles and papers for publication. As mentioned earlier, you might also have to do some teaching or help out with tutorials. An excel- lent book that can help you with the transition from a first degree to a PhD is Phillips and Pugh 2005, which provides some interesting information on doing a PhD.

10.6.3 Professional accreditation

Completing your degree may open professional doors to you. For example, when you start work you might wish to join a professional body that supports your particular field. Examples are the British Computer Society BCS in the UK and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers IEEE and the Association for Computing Machinery ACM in the United States. To become a member of the IEEE and ACM you will be required to hold some formal qualifications. To become a full member of the BCS, you will either have to complete some Society examinations or show that you have completed an academic course approved by the BCS. Check with your institution to see what level of exemptions or accreditations, if any, apply to your own particular course and which professional bodies are involved. You may find, for example, that while one course within your department is fully exempt or recognised, another is not. These Internet links will provide additional information on appropriate professional bodies: n The British Computer Society: http:www.bcs.org n The IEEE: http:www.ieee.org n The Association for Computing Machinery: http:www.acm.org n The Engineering Council UK: http:www.engc.org.uk n European Federation of National Engineering Associations: http:www.feani.org •

10.7 Top ten tips for successful projects

As a summary of the main points of this book, this section presents my top ten tips for completing student projects successfully. Although these tips will not guarantee that you achieve top marks for your project, they should ensure that your project is completed 10.7 Top ten tips for successful projects 267 well. The tips are not presented in any particular order as no tip is better than any other and the extent to which you follow their guidance is up to you, your project and your circumstances. n Choose a project that interests you Section 3.2. It is difficult to motivate yourself and produce a good project if you have little interest in the topic area. If you choose a pro- ject that interests you, you will be far more committed to it and keen to undertake the work than you would otherwise be. n Have a clear goal and objectives Section 4.2. If you understand clearly in your own mind the ultimate goal of your project and can define some intermediate milestones, objectives or sub-goals to achieve this aim you will know where you are going with your project and what you should be doing. n Try to get a client for your project. At an undergraduate level, projects that have real clients for example, for a software system you are developing or a case study you are undertaking generally turn out better than those which do not for example, devel- oping a web site for an imaginary company, etc.. A real client will provide you with more motivation and perhaps clearer requirements than you could obtain from your supervisor alone. In addition, a real client and users will provide valuable feedback when your project nears completion. Although your project may have been suggested as an academic exercise by your supervisor you could still make the effort to find a client for the project yourself. You could use friends, relatives, industrial placement contacts, etc. to help identify a suitable client. n Put together a project plan and follow it Chapter 4. There is an old saying – ‘fail to plan, plan to fail’. With a project plan in place you will have some idea on what you should be doing on your project and some means of tracking and controlling your progress. However, do not spend so long planning your project at intricate levels of detail that you fail to get on with any real work. You should spend no longer than around 10 of your effort on project management activities. n Identify risks to your project and put contingency plans in place Section 4.4. You should have some idea of the key risks to your project and risk triggers and their impact on your project. Make sure that you are aware of these risks and have some ideas on how you will deal with those risks if they should occur. Don’t assume that everything will go well – consider problems that might occur and be prepared to deal with them. n Be well organised. Put together a project folder, establish a working area and good working practices, keep your references up-to-date and organised, arrange data and files on your computer logically and make regular back-ups. Failure to follow these guidelines will lead to sloppy work and inefficiency as information is lost and you are unable to keep track of everything you are doing. n Start to write early. Get into the habit of writing up notes and work you have com- pleted as you go along. This will prevent you having to write your reportthesis from scratch towards the end of your project when time is limited. It will also get you into habit of writing and will improve your writing skills. n Undertake a literature survey Chapter 5. Make sure you have ‘read around’ your sub- ject area thus ensuring you do not complete your project in a vacuum and you are aware