Strategies for Overcoming Challenges in Writing a Thesis or Dissertation, Exercises of Project Management

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Project Managing Your

Thesis or Dissertation

Presented by: Dr. Paul Papin, Academic Development Specialist Date: May 7, 2019 Chancellor Cuthbertson STUDENT SUCCESS CENTRE

Learning Objectives  Familiarity with some basic project management principles applicable to managing the challenges of a thesis or dissertation

Challenge: Supervision  What Problems Can Arise with One’s Supervisor?

1. Supervisor gives you less help & direction

than you expected.*

Project Management Principle: Set Standards of Engagement

(as early on in the process as possible)

Challenge: Supervision

Challenge: Supervision

3. You and your supervisor have different expectations of what you should accomplish in your dissertation. Project Management Principle: Define the Scope of the Project

• How long should your project be?
• What standards will be used to evaluate the work?
• What parts of the dissertation will be “delivered” when?
• When will the dissertation be completed?

4. Supervisor very busy, leading to

long waits for feedback

Project Management Principle: Identify Constraints (so that you can factor them in to your scheduling) Challenge: Supervision

Procrastination I’ve got loads of time

• Beware the “ I’ve got lots of time ”

justification for procrastinating. The human

brain is a great excuse generator, so make

sure you set standards of engagement for

yourself as well.

Avoiding procrastination/increasing motivation

When you’re specifying your daily task, make sure the goal you create is SMART. S – Specific (What exactly do you want to achieve by the end of the time allotted for the task?) M– Measurable (How will you know you’ve achieved it? What are the indicators?) A – Attainable (Is it a goal you can actually accomplish given the allotted time, your familiarity with the task, etc. R – Relevant (Does the goal connect with your values and broader personal goals?) T – Timebound (Have you created a time frame for accomplishing the goal?) Avoiding procrastination/increasing motivation

Create External Motivation for Times When Internal Motivation isn’t enough  Schedule regular meetings with your supervisor— meetings that correspond, ideally, with the completion dates of project stages  Schedule a few Writing Support appointments in advance, so that you are forced to have a piece of writing ready on those dates.  Plan rewards for yourself at the completion of various project-related tasks. A good idea is to convert a temptation—one that normally leads you to procrastinate—into a reward. Avoiding procrastination/increasing motivation

What Problems Can a Large, Complex Project Cause? Challenge: Large & Complex Project

Fear Meet Thesisaurus Challenge: Large, Complex Project Are you hiding from him?

The first thing you have to do, then, is

cut

T-H-E-S-I-S-A-U-R-U-S

down to size*

and take one step at a time.

• Repeat as many times as necessary Challenge: Large, Complex Project

Project management principle: Break Down Tasks Challenge: Large, Complex Project