research as a project: a good start is half the work done; david de jong

30/1/12

Challenge the future Delft University of Technology

Research as a project A good start is half the work done David de Jong (CiTG, T&P)

TIL/T&P Masterclass 7 December 2011, 15:45 – 17:15

2 Masterclass TIL/T&P: Research as a project

Overview

•  Introduction

• Preparing your project •  Finding a research topic

•  Defining your goals

•  Phases and steps

•  Risk assessment

•  Planning

• Managing your project •  Starting and planning

•  Communicating

• Questions and discussion


Introduction

• What is a project?

•  Temporary endeavor

•  Defined beginning and end

•  Achieve a particular goal

•  Usually constricted by time and/or funding


Introduction

• Most projects are unique as the goals are often

different

•  A project can however be broken down in smaller, more familiar

and uniform activities

•  These activities can be worked out independently

•  A project should be broken down in such a way that every phase

uses input of the previous phase and provides output for the next


Introduction

• Prerequisites for a successful project

•  Clearly defined goals and conditions

•  Good communication external and internal

•  Proper insight in possible risks

•  A realistic planning (or budget)

•  Thought out carefully at the start (of each phase)


Preparing your project - Finding a research topic

• Orientate on subjects

•  Talk to coordinator, (assistant) professors, PhD's and companies

•  Look at the bulletin board

•  Search on internet

• Get an idea of the scope and desired quality of a

graduation work

•  Read/browse through other graduation works

•  Talk with friends that have graduated/are busy graduating

•  Tip: Ask friends that have graduated for tips and what went well and

what went wrong during their graduation work



• Define what type of research you want to do

•  Tip: Assess your strengths and weaknesses

•  Theoretical – Practical

•  Programming/modelling – Investigating

•  at TU Delft – at a company – at a government authority

• Read some articles of your subject areas of interest



• Pick your subject area

•  Tip: If you are not really enthusiastic about your subject, choose

something else. You are going to be stuck with it for 7 months

• Read 10 – 15 articles on the subject

•  What type of research has been done?

•  What do we know about the subject?

•  Which recommendations for future research are given?



• The macroscopic

fundamental diagram

•  A macroscopic relation between

accumulation (number of

vehicles in a network) and

production (number of vehicles

reaching their destination



• Type of research done

•  Research mostly focused on predicting the shape of the MFD

•  Create MFD's from real data

•  Conditions for finding MFD's

• Recommendations for future research

•  Applicability to inhomogeneous loaded networks

•  Application of the MFD for perimeter control


Preparing your project - Defining your goals

• Define your research question

•  What do I want to know about this subject

•  What is the scientific and practical relevance of this/these questions?

• Define your research results

•  Answering your research questions (of course)

•  When are you satisfied?

•  What would be your 'perfect' result?

•  Tip: Defining a 'perfect' result helps you to focus on what's important

and what is not



• Research question

•  Is it possible to implement perimeter control strategies using a

simulation-based MFD and can this improve traffic flow in an existing

network?



• The perfect result

•  My perfect result is a model that is independent of the underlying

network and can be used to test perimeter control strategies for

different networks/cities


Preparing your project - Phases and steps

• Phasing your project

•  Conditions:

•  Every phase uses the output from the previous phase and delivers input

to the next

•  Every phase should start with questions that should be answered in that

particular phase

•  The end of every phase should have a product that can be used for a go/

no-go (or intermediate meeting)

•  Try to phase your project in such a way that when the work in that phase

should not be satisfactory, that the work to be redone is minimalized

•  Try to have approximately 4 – 6 phases



• Phasing your project •  After phasing your project, breakdown every phase in multiple steps

•  Try to create these steps in such a way that they contain similar

activities

•  Use your workplan to describe in detail what you are going to do in

every step.

•  Tip: Write active! This is what I am going to do, this is what I need and

this is the result I aim to obtain (try thinking of your workplan as a

contract!)



• Phase 0: Finding a subject and start-up

• Phase 1: Literature study

• Phase 2: Creating the framework

• Phase 3: Applying the theory to a test model

• Phase 4: Applying the theory to a real network

• Phase 5: Reporting and presenting


Preparing your project - Risk assessment

• Determine your risks

•  What do you think can go wrong?

•  What does this mean in time or quality of the product?

•  Can you control these risks (internal or external)?

•  What measures are you going to take?

• Adapt your phases and steps to explicitly incorporate

these control measures


Preparing your project - Risk assessment

• Risks

•  The result is not in line with the expectations

•  Write intermediate reports after every phase and create go/no-go for the

next phase

•  General miscalculation of time

•  Closely monitor time spent on every step

•  Further detail the planning after every phase

•  Insufficient data

•  Use another network/city

•  Start collecting data as soon as possible


Preparing your project - Planning

• Plan your project

•  Calculate time needed: •  After creating all the steps, estimate the time needed per step (in days)

•  Try to break down every step as far as possible to accurately estimate the

time needed

•  Make your planning

•  Plan your thesis, based on the estimated time per step

•  Estimate buffer time for every phase, based on the complexity of the

phase and your risk assessment

•  Tip: Do not use Excel, but Microsoft Projects! This gives you much more

insight in the relation between all steps and exact milestone dates


Preparing the project - Planning

• Warning!

•  Your time estimation will probably exceed the time available (140

days). Do not shave time, but downsize or exclude certain steps!

Your planning will probably be too optimistic in the first place. Too

much work in too little time will give stress and/or highly affect the

quality of your work!

•  Otherwise accept that your taking more time than necessary


Managing your project - Starting and Planning

• Starting your project

•  If done correctly, everything you are going to do is already worked

out in your workplan

•  All there is to do, is follow your workplan

• Managing your planning

•  Try to keep track of the time spent at every activity and compare

with your estimation

•  Evaluate for yourself why certain things were done faster or slower

and review/update your planning


Managing your project - Starting and Planning


Managing your project - Communicating

• Communicating your progress

•  Try having a meeting with your supervisor every two weeks and

inform him/her on:

•  Progress

•  Planning

•  Actions

•  Decisions

•  Deviations from your workplan

•  Risks

•  Tip: Place yourself in the position of your committee/supervisor from time to time.

What do they know, what don't they know, what do they want to know?


Managing your project - Evaluating

• Evaluate your progress

•  After finishing a phase, take some time to reflect on it

•  What went right?

•  What went wrong?

•  What do the results from this phase mean for the next phase?

•  Do I have to make adaptations to my workplan?

•  Discuss this with your committee/supervisor

•  When making adaptations to your workplan, make it an official decision


Questions and Discussion

Questions?


Tips

• This is your graduation work and it should reflect your goals. Be

aware of people 'pulling' on your work

• Allocate about 10% of the total time for overhead (administration,

mailing, meetings, et cetera)

• Only send something out when you think it is good. If possible

move your hand-in dates if it is not

• Be open to your committee and supervisor, they are there to help

you. Do not conceal things if they are going wrong

• Make notes of every meeting, you will need them


Tips

• Organize your folders at the start of your thesis and systematically

name your files

•  Systematically archive all incoming and outgoing mail and documents

• Always duplicate your files. You would not be the first with a failing

USB-stick

•  Plan appointments with your committee about two months in

advance

• Be pro-active. There is a lot that needs to be organized and you are

the one that needs to do it

research as a project: a good start is half the work done; david de jong

Technology

project phases

project conditions

successful project

research questions

research results

goals research question

future research applicability

phases masterclass tiltp