I have been an IT Project Manager for a number of years so working with project plans is something am very familiar with. I have drawn up some broad plans but feel it worthwhile to outline some project management basics.
Firstly, and most importantly, the project plan is a means to an end and is not an end in itself. The plan is produced to deliver a project or part of a project. I can create a polished plan with bells and whistles yet do no work whatsoever on project delivery. On the other hand, I could deliver a project, if I so chose, without a detailed project plan although I would still need somewhere to organise and record my tasks, especially for complex projects.
Next, is the idea of the order of delivery. Imagine I assume that I need to understand what I will deliver BEFORE I was to write a plan and will not start on my research or practical work until the plan is in place. It is easy to see that such an approach will create unnecessary delays. In real project delivery for IT projects, the pre-requisites for ‘ideal’ project delivery might be to have a list a requirements from the customer of what they want and a technical design of what I am to deliver. In real life, these things are rarely available at the start of a project. Therefore the project plan is written based on assumptions and educated guesswork. For the Photography 3.1 unit, the coursework is newly written and not always easy to navigate. I therefore make basic assumptions at the start of my project design and based on this, my project plan for this unit will be a broad outline.
Thirdly, the project plan is a working document. It isn’t something to produce once and never to look at again. Tasks might change, the order of tasks might change and dates might change. The fact that plan is a broad outline screams out to me that the plan at project end will likely bear little relationship to that at the start. This is all normal.
Fourthly, and this one might be of less interest for people with a non-IT background is the question of tools. This is a technical consideration on what tool I used to write the plan and to consider whether audience I share plan with have this tool or if I need to save a different format of the plan. I would normally work on a project plan using Microsoft Project but this is complex and expensive and even in world of IT not everyone has this software. I therefore need to consider whether to present plan as an Excel file, as a PDF document or whatever. If nobody else has my tool of choice then an obvious argument is to use something simpler.
Project plan
| Photo 3.1 – Planned end date before 23 Feb 2023 | |
| Preparatory work | Read course notes, layout website/blog page, assemble what I need for note taking, recording practical ideas and a diary, look at some text books and assemble a reading list to research, reach out to peer group on Photo 3 course/courses |
| Project 1 | Submit plan (this document) along with OCA template for a plan. Submit initial ideas for research and areas of interest and beginning to define my initial work along with outline of initial practical 2-part practical work designed as a baseline for my project – Planned end date – 28 Feb 2022 |
| Project 2 | Submit a summary of work in progress – Planned end date – 28 Mar 2022 |
| Project 3 | Submit a summary of work in progress – Planned end date – 28 Apr 2022 |
| Project 4 | Present initial test piece with a summary of work in progress – Planned end date – 28 May 2022 |
| Project 5 | Mid-point review. Submit early draft of Dissertation with proposal and literature review with research and practical updates. – Planned end date – 28 Jun 2022 |
| Project 6 | Outline of second practical test piece with a summary of work in progress – Planned end date – 28 Jul 2022 |
| Project 7 | Submit a summary of work in progress – Planned end date – 28 Aug 2022 |
| Project 8 | Submit a summary of work in progress – Planned end date – 28 Sep 2022 |
| Project 9 | Present second test piece with a summary of work in progress – Planned end date – 28 Oct 2022 |
| Project 10 | Submit next draft of Dissertation which will be completed in the 3.2 unit -Planned end date – 28 Nov 2022 |
| Suggested Assessment date | For March event so submit work by 15-30th Jan 2023 |
This is the OCA Project Plan template
| What are you going to do for your practical or creative project(s)? Check that these fit within your assessment outcomes in the unit introduction.Describe the project’s aims and outcomes. I want to try and find a way to put the person not seen in medical scans back into the frame. The scans seem harsh, technical and devoid of emotion. I do not yet know how I will accomplish the task I have set myself. |
| Are you doing a Critical Review or Dissertation? Check that these fit within your assessment outcomes in the unit introduction |
| I think a dissertation as this will give me more latitude to pursue my chosen subject in greater depth. |
| What does your research explore, and what is your research question? |
| My research is in part a cathartic and self-healing journey about dealing with personal loss. In part it will allow my subject to live on in a new way. At the same time my work will attempt to deal with the social boundaries surrounding bereavement and medical care and ask why we should take back ownership of the medical view of the self. My research question is developing and not close to being finalised but broadly will exist in the space of the junctions between different versions of the self from the medical self, the self as seen by society and the most intimate personal view of the self. |
| Why have you chosen these practice and research projects? Think about the connections between your practice and research |
| I have long wanted to explore this field due to the death of my daughter Rebecca and the ongoing illness of my son Robbie. The practice of producing a worthwhile (in my eyes) work and of the balance between my research on the medical side and the human side which seems vast will be challenging both emotionally and technically but at same time of great interest. |
| How will you schedule your project within the unit structure? Set out the start and end dates of your projects. Identify whether you are doing more than one practical project. Add suggested submission dates. For example: |
| Preparatory work – Read course notes, layout website/blog page, assemble what I need for note taking, books for potential areas of research, practical ideas and diary, reach out to peer group on Photo 3.1 – Planned end date 23 Feb 2022 Project 1 – Submit plan (this document) and show initial ideas for research and areas of interest and beginning to define my initial work along with initial 2-part practical work designed as a baseline for my project – Planned end date – 28 Feb 2022 Project 2 – Submit a summary of work in progress – Planned end date – 28 Mar 2022 Project 3 – Submit a summary of work in progress – Planned end date – 28 Apr 2022 Project 4 – Present initial test piece with a summary of work in progress – Planned end date – 28 May 2022 Project 5 – Mid-point review. Submit early draft of Dissertation with proposal and literature review with research and practical updates. – Planned end date – 28 Jun 2022Project 6 – Outline of second practical test piece with a summary of work in progress – Planned end date – 28 Jul 2022 Project 7 – Submit a summary of work in progress – Planned end date – 28 Aug 2022 Project 8 – Submit a summary of work in progress – Planned end date – 28 Sep 2022 Project 9 – Present second test piece with a summary of work in progress – Planned end date – 28 Oct 2022 Assessment – for March event |
| Who else will be involved in your project? List any collaborators, audiences, clients, or others you will be working with?If you are working with others, how can the project be accessible to others? |
| None at this stage |
| Is the project safe and ethical?
Please few the appropriate OCA policies: www.oca.ac.uk/about-us/our-policies/ |
| Are there any health and safety risks to you or others? How will you mitigate against these issues? |
| None. |
| Are there any ethical issues you need to take into consideration? How will you mitigate against these issues? |
| There might be ethical issues should I use scans of other people and need their permission. |
| I have carried out appropriate Health and Safety checks and have a copy of the relevant documentation. (please tick) |
| No |
| I have the necessary insurance to carry out my project. (please tick) |
| Not required |
| I have familiarised myself with the OCA safeguarding policy, and checked my project meets the criteria. (please tick) |
| Yes |
| Resources and budget
What do you need to make the project a success? |
| A project budget at this stage is unknown. |