AHDS-Planning and Managing Digital Resource Creation Projects.pdf

8/10/2019 AHDS-Planning and Managing Digital Resource Creation Projects.pdf

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Planning and managing digital resource creation projects

Content written on: 8th June 2004 by Zoe Bliss and Matthew Woollard.

Content updated: 8th June 2004 by Zoe Bliss and Matthew Woollard.

Planning and managing digital resource creation projects ...............................................1

Introduction.............................................................................................................................................2

1. Concept ..............................................................................................................................................2

2. Project Scope .....................................................................................................................................2

2.1 Aims and objectives..................................................................................................................22.2 Approach ...................................................................................................................................2

2.3 Initial studies................................................................................................................................3

3. Project Plan .........................................................................................................................................4

Why is a good project plan important?.......................................................................................4

3.1 Del iverables ................................................................................................................................4

3.2 Realistic/achievable milestones .............................................................................................4

3.3 Workflow......................................................................................................................................5

3.4 Relationship between tasks .....................................................................................................5

3.5 Potential roles and responsibilities ..........................................................................................6

3.6 Management or advisory committee ...................................................................................6

3.7 Stakeholders ...............................................................................................................................6

3.8 Copyright / IP strategy..............................................................................................................6

3.9 Sourcing, conservation and movement of original materials ...........................................7

3.10 Standards ..................................................................................................................................7

3.11 Technical/data development ..............................................................................................7

3.12 QA procedures and evaluation ...........................................................................................7

3.13 Budgeting (in part of project plan) ......................................................................................8

3.14 Partnership agreements .........................................................................................................8

Other issues..............................................................................................................................................8

4.1 Delivery mechanisms ................................................................................................................8

4.2 Risk assessment ..........................................................................................................................9

4.3 Continuation and/or exit strategy ..........................................................................................9

4.4 Documentation .......................................................................................................................10

4.5 Communications .....................................................................................................................10

4.6 Decision-making process .......................................................................................................11

Conclusions.......................................................................................................................................... 11

Bibliography ......................................................................................................................................... 11


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Introduction

This AHDS Information Paper addresses at a relatively simple level some of the main issuesfaced by academic researchers when planning a major research or resource enhancement project. Itcovers the issues which will need to be addressed in a funding application to the AHRB, but will alsoinform other researchers, including those already involved in digital resource creation projects.

Most projects can be neatly be divided into three main sections. The planning stage coversthat part of the project from initial concept to funding. The effectuation stage covers the part from fundingto delivery. The continuation period refers to the post-delivery period. Each period is vital to the successof a project, though an emphasis on first two stages is usually made. (Yeates, 1991).

1. Concept

All projects must start with an initial concept or vision. During most research projects theseconcepts are put to the test; in digitisation projects the vision is achieved. This should be a clear andconcise statement outlining what you want to do, why you want to do it, and why it is important. It will alsoneed to consider any previous work done in the field and how it will be enlarged upon in your project.Your concept should be reasonably rigid and your vision statement should encapsulate precisely whatyou want to do. This means that further work on the project plan will avoid creeping scope, which is a

blurring of the boundaries of the project.

2. Project Scope

The 'project scope' should consider the aims and objectives of the project. Objectives orgoals should be concrete outputs, but are not necessarily deliverables. The following section explains thisproject management terminology.

2.1 Aims and objectives

Aims and objectives are often used interchangeably, but refer to subtly different things. Aimsare broader but more ephemeral: objectives are concrete and measurable, but more prosaic. Aims shouldbe encapsulated in a short statement of intent which provides a summary of what you intend to achieve orthe problems you aim to solve.

The JISC (http://www.jisc.ac.uk/ Joint Information Systems Committee) suggest thatobjectives should be SMART. That is:

S pecificM easurable

A chievableR ealisticT imed

Each of the following headings in this section should be considered before moving forwardon a project.

2.2 Approach

a) Strategy - there may be a number of different ways of carrying out what you wish toachieve. At an early stage you should consider these different approaches and assess whether anapproach which you had not previously considered may be better for your project than one you hadoriginally thought reasonable.

b) Issues - if your project is in response to a specific call rather than an 'open' call it isimportant to ensure that your project addresses the precise issues relevant to that call. For projects which
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intend to apply for AHRB (Arts and Humanities Research Board) funding it is necessary to considerwhether the project falls within the published terms of reference of its main research funding schemes.

c) Scope - make sure that your project plan is clear about what you will and what you will notbe doing. Consider overlap with other projects and resource constraints which may be imposed by yourinstitution.

d) Success factors - these are factors on which the success of the project depends. As theJISC project management guidelines suggest "if you're building a prototype system to demonstratefeasibility, then scalability or sustainability may be critical success factors.If you're developing learningobjects, the pedagogical quality may be a critical success factor".

2.3 Initial studies

There are two forms of study which can be carried out in advance of the creation of adetailed project plan. Firstly, a feasibility study which may also encompass a pilot study and secondly, auser-needs survey.

The main aim of the feasibility study is to address whether the objectives of the project areachievable. This is done by attempting to answer the following questions in as much detail as possible.

What materials are to be digitised?

Are they suitable for digitisation?

Are there existing catalogues?

Will, and in what ways will digitisation benefit the collection?

What are the potential sources of funding?

Is the expected time-scale adequate?

Are there sufficient resources allocated?

The feasibility study should also address the question: Is the project necessary? Sinceprojects usually have outputs there is a need to discover whether those outputs are useful to the end-user. It may be that you feel that the only end user is yourself. This is not usually the case, especially asthe AHDS preserves and disseminates outputs from projects. Whatever you may produce is likely to be ofvalue to other researchers, and considering their potential needs will be of value to the way in which youplan your project.

Undertaking an analysis of user-needs to discover what your potential users want or howthey might use the results of the project is a valuable pre-planning element of any project. It is a rareproject which has outputs which are not reusable by others - though it is often difficult to see how othersmight put your own research outputs to use. Putting a few simple measures in place at this stage mightfacilitate further use - a use to which you had not originally considered at the outset of the project.

User-needs analysis should cover the broadest range of your target audience as possible.This does not necessarily mean that a large number of people should be questioned, but that all possiblepotential user groups, from school teachers to other researchers and from undergraduates to specialinterest groups. A broad, but targetted audience may bring all sorts of unforeseen comments that derail ordeflect from your initial concept of the project, but it will be as well to reflect carefully on these and gaugetheir relevance to the project, and if necessary alter the scope of the project. For example, someresearchers making machine-readable versions of the census enumerators' books for the nineteenth


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century omit certain variables because they feel that they are not important for their own research - in factthe Genealogical Society of Utah inconsistently omitted the column relating to disability in theirtranscription of the 1881 Census of Great Britain making the whole of this part of their work problematic.(Goose, forthcoming).

The combination of your original project scope and vision with the feasibility and user studiesshould leave you in a position to draw up an initial project plan. While a project plan should cover asmany eventualities of the project as possible, you should always remember that a project plan does nothave to be followed rigidly. Project plans almost always evolve over the life of the project, it may berevisited, revised and altered as necessary during the progress of the project.

While it is normal to have some flexibility between proposing, planning and executing aproject, major variations in deliverables and deadlines may need to be approved in advance by thefunding body. In many cases, your application and letter of grant represent a contract that you are legallyrequired to fulfil. As a rule of thumb, if your variation means a change to your initial proposal, a change toproject deadlines or a change to deliverables, then you may need to have these approved by the fundingbody. For example, in the case of extensions to a project the AHRB will only allow a six-monthcontinuation period in exceptional circumstances and with their approval. See the AHRB Terms andConditions of Resource Enhancement Awards(http://www.ahrb.ac.uk/website/apply/research/resource_enhancement.asp) Other funding bodies may

have different conditions - read the small print!

In most cases the project plan should be considered in two distinguishable parts. Firstly, asan outline project plan which is used to secure funding. Secondly, on the basis of the first, a full-blownproject plan which can be used in the execution of the project. The outline plan should not omit any of theareas mentioned below but should be more concise than the full project plan.

3. Project Plan

Why is a good project plan important?

The project plan provides a concept-document for the project. It gives the project leader aconcrete basis on which to carry out the project. It is designed for the project manager and not for thefunding body! The plan enables progress and performance to be monitored and evaluated throughout the

project. The plan also provides a point of contact for all people within the project, not just the projectmanager and all the project staff, but also any advisory or management boards and of course the funders.

The plan should be made available to all relevant staff and should be understood by thewhole team. What should a good project plan contain? The main headings covered by the project planshould include:

3.1 Deliverables

Outline what you will have achieved at the end of the project. In a digital resource creationproject these are usually digitalised images, metadata, a user-interface and some documentation.However, there are many other outputs which one should consider within a plan. These includedemonstrators, workshops, documentation, reports, software, technical and user manuals, and FAQsamongst others. It is important to consider all things which are expected to be created during the lifetime

of the project. Throughout the life of the project the project manager should review these deliverables ona periodic basis. It is possible that the deliverables may alter and sometimes they will need to bedelivered before or after the planned delivery date.

3.2 Realistic/achievable milestones

(See the section on relationships between tasks)
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3.3 Workflow

The main elements of workflow is activity path, this is the path through which tasks must becarried out in order to complete the project. The project's workflow needs to be effective and efficient. Itmay be possible to estimate workflow from a feasibility study or pilot. Note that projects with poorlyspecified workflows can fail. It is important to allow for slippage (but not too much!). It is also important toknow when in the project and why slippage may occur (see risk assessment below.)

Some projects are enhanced by carrying out a full pilot project. A pilot project differs from afeasibility study in as much as a pilot is like a small scale rehearsal of the whole project whereas thefeasibility study is only a small scale rehearsal of part of a project. Pilot projects are the best way ofunderstanding workflow. They allow the identification of problems and help to reveal a clearer picture ofwhat the project will require in terms of staff, equipment, time etc. They may also allow the testing of themethods which are to be used within the project. Demonstration of a successful pilot may enhance thesuccess of a project proposal. However, a pilot will not solve all your problems - good planning andadaptability is just as important.

3.4 Relationship between tasks

While planning for workflow an emphasis needs to be placed on time management andscheduling. These, along with workflow help to ensure that the project finishes on time.

There are a number of formal methods for scheduling for example hierarchicaldecomposition and PERT (Project Evaluation Review Technique). Both of these methods depend onidentifying and estimating the duration of each and every process within the project.

Hierarchical decomposition is the 'top-down' method inasmuch as one starts with the maingoals and iteratively breaks these down into smaller tasks.

PERT considerstasks, their duration anddependency information. PERTcharts start with a node fromwhich the first task originates.

The task is represented by a linewhich gives it name, identifier,duration and people assigned tothe task. The completion of atask is denoted by a new node.The chart is complete when alltasks come together at acompletion node

In CPM (Critical Path Method) charts, the critical path of the project is highlighted. The criticalpath is a set of dependent tasks which take the longest to complete.

A Gantt chart is a matrix which has on the vertical axis all tasks to be performed. Thehorizontal axis always covers time, and sometimes covers personnel, financial details etc.

Using project management software like MS Project can assist in the process of creating aformal time-line for the project. Elementary tutorials are available on the Web(http://www.stylusinc.net/ms_project_tutorial?lesson1_more.shtml)
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It is also worth considering 'milestones' as key moments within the life time of a project.Milestones give fixed markers when certain key tasks have occurred and/or have been brought together.These allow one to fix times in the future to judge the progress of the project and also to celebrate theachievement of a substantial section of the project.

3.5 Potential roles and responsibilities

Roles and responsibilities need to be defined to understand staffing needs. Remember thatrecruitment is sometimes difficult, and money may need to be set aside for recruitment (and not just at thebeginning of the project.) Different funding bodies may treat these costs differently; the AHRB expectsthese costs to be found from overheads whereas the JISC which does not allow overheads in projectbudgets, does allow costings to include this form of expenditure. If you have likely candidates for theposts but who might need training, this is the point to consider it. Staff training is a vital element of thestaffing budget. Also having staff does not just involve monitoring the tasks which are being carried out,there may need to be an element of overseeing (but also see monitoring.)

There are other issues regarding staffing issues; these include staff retention (which isgenerally a matter for the institution hosting the project as funding bodies disallow these costs at present;timings - it is often difficult to get multiple members of a project team to start at the same time (andsometimes unnecessary too.); interview panels need to be organised with appropriate members and so

on.

Projects should have a designated Project Manager. This need not be a full-time post, butthe proportion of that person's time devoted to project management should be agreed in advance. TheProject Manager is usually responsible for the effective management of the project. Often the projectmanager will be different from the person who initiated the project - who may become a project director orchair of the relevant management or advisory committee. If the project manager was not part of theoriginal proposal, they need to be fully briefed by the author of the proposal but be sufficiently empoweredto change the project.

3.6 Management or advisory committee

There are generally two types of project committee. The most usual is the managementcommittee, sometimes specific advisory committees are also appropriate. Management committees allow

monitoring of the project by outside evaluators and provide a control on the project director. They alsousually allow for repetitive but clear reporting from the project manager. Management committees oftenprovide evidence of a project with effective checks and balances, and can often help projectmanagers/directors if problems become too overwhelming. They demonstrate clear managementstructure. Advisory committees differ from management committees in as much as they offer subject-specific or technical advice to the project team.

3.7 Stakeholders

Some funding bodies, especially the JISC, place a considerable emphasis on the role of thevarious stakeholders within a project. Stakeholders are anyone who has a vested interest in the project,or will be affected by its outcomes. Projects should consider carrying out a stakeholder analysis at thestart of the project, as it helps identify just who is important to the success of your project. Stakeholderscan usually be considered to be internal to the institution and the project, and external. It is important that

all parties, both internal and external need to be satisfied as to validity and outcomes of the project.

3.8 Copyright / IP strategy

Issues surrounding copyright and intellectual property rights etc. should all be addressedwithin a project plan. If there are several partners in a project, they should also be addressed in theconsortium agreement. If work is being contracted to outside suppliers then the relevant contracts should


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stipulate the correct copyright/IP regime in advance. It is often useful to conduct a rights audit for this. Forfurther information about these issues see AHDS Information Paper: Copyright and Other Issues inDigitisation(http://ahds.ac.uk/creating/information-papers/copyright-introduction.html)

3.9 Sourcing, conservation and movement of original materials

In digital resource creation projects sourcing of material is not always as simple as it may

seem and it may take a considerable time to obtain the source materials. It may also be necessary tobudget for the conservation and relocation of original materials. Alternatively, if the real world materialsbeing digitised are too large or fragile to move, it may be necessary to move the digitisation equipment toit. The former has a cost implication in terms of conservation, the latter in terms of travel and subsistence

3.10 Standards

Standards play an important role in any digital resource creation project. A detailed projectplan will need to consider, content capture standards, metadata (such as Dublin Core),terminology/controlled vocabularies, interoperability, authentication, open URLs, web accessibilitystandards, and learning standards and justify why chosen standards are valid for the project in question.

Each of these is or will be the focus of anAHDS Information Paper

In terms of metadata it is usually valuable to assess levels of existing metadata, and ifpresent, to consider the problems, timings and costs of data migration, normalisation (reformatting) anddesigning databases.

3.11 Technical/data development

The following areas need to be addressed within the project plan: digitisation process;digitisation workflow; cataloguing and metadata; preservation and records management; programmingand scripting development, security and data protection.

The digitisation process is best understood through the various Guides to Good Practice(http://ahds.ac.uk/guides.htm ) published by the AHDS. Further information and workshops on digitalimages are also provided by TASI (http://www.tasi.ac.uk/ Technical Advisory Service for Images) andHEDS(http://heds.ac.uk/Higher Education Digitisation Service).

Some of the key areas which should be considered in the digitisation process are inhardware (i.e., scanning device/digital camera); editing rules (cropping, contrast adjustment and colourcontrol); software; platform; potential file sizes, image profile (resolution, bit depth and colour space);short and long term storage, and back-up procedures.

The preservation of any digital resource is of considerable importance, and the AHDS'sguidelines (http://ahds.ac.uk/depositing/index.html ) on how to deposit resources are useful for anypotential resource creator.

It is worth factoring in project time to ensure that your resource will conform to the standardsrequired by the various AHDS centres. These standards will ensure that data will be preserved for futureuse and reference

3.12 QA procedures and evaluation

According to the JISC, there is an important difference between QA (quality assurance) andevaluation. Quality assurance relates to the technical aspects of the project where there are explicitstandards. All deliverables (databases, images, texts and metadata) should meet with specified thespecified standards and the project plan should specify what checks will be in place for metadata,images, delivery interface. Quality Control/Quality Assurance should be ongoing. This will allow for the
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current state of affairs (known in project management jargon as 'actuals') to be compared with the plan.Evaluation is more subjective and covers quality in terms of usability, look and feel etc. Evaluation mayalso include 'usability' testing with real users, or commissioning evaluation studies.

3.13 Budgeting (in part of project plan)

Budgeting is a vital element of the project plan. Given that many projects attempt to create a

project on the basis of a fixed and known sum. The project plan must give accurate in-depth assessmentof all costs, e.g., staffing, hardware, software, specialist applications (web design, watermarking, e-commerce applications and other contract services), storage space, network infrastructure, input andoutput devices, consumables, digitisation, security, travel, publicity, etc. It may be necessary to obtainquotations and it is important to ensure that costs are valid for life of project (i.e., don't ask for salaries for2005/6 at 2004/5 costs). Sirius web (http://siriusweb..leeds.ac.uk/ ) is a useful tool for calculating staffcosts within the University sector.

Furthermore, your University Research Office and University Computing Services should beable to assist in staff costings and infrastructural costings (remember that computers need to be installedand maintained!). You must also make sure that equipment specified in the project plan is fit for purpose.

3.14 Partnership agreements

Some funding bodies, including the JISC require that a consortium agreement is signed byall partners and sent to the JISC before the project commences. This is a useful strategy and should beundertaken in all large-scale projects. Consortium agreements can range from informal letters ofagreement to legal contracts. The JISC suggest that these should cover why there is a need for a'consortium' (i.e., a collaboration or contractual agreement, what the membership of the consortium will beand what the broad responsibilities of each party are; what are the financial arrangements within theconsortium; how will disputes be resolved; how parties may leave the consortium; who owns each of theproject's assets (including hardware and property rights). The JISC provide a template consortiumagreement (http://jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=projman_copyright ) in Appendix 2 of the JISC Copyrightand Licensing Guidelines.

Other issues

4.1 Delivery mechanismsIf your project is creating a digital resource you should carefully consider the appropriateness

of various delivery mechanisms. Basic delivery mechanisms are hardcopy (for projects where the digitalresource is not the delivery version (i.e., is a by-product of research)), the internet (usually the world wideweb) and via the AHDS.

If the internet is the main delivery mechanism, you should consider who will be creating theuser interface and how much will this cost. (There are benefits and disadvantages of doing this in-houseor by out-sourcing). You should also consider whether user authentication systems such as ATHENS(http://athens.ac.uk/ ) would be necessary. (This is particularly useful when you have HE/FE-basedfunding and also feel that the resource has commercial value.)

If you intend to use the internet as your main delivery mechanism, you should not just

consider, trialing, evaluation and usability (not just in terms of accessibility, though this is vital) but alsoensure that they are factored into your original project plan.

In a well managed project it should be possible to have a phased delivery policy. This meansthat not only can you trial some material on users, but ensure that the system works. A phased policy ofbringing resources 'on-line' in discrete portions can allow you to boost your usage figures if your site iswell designed. You will also have to consider user support, and if necessary provide a 'help desk' facility.
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If the AHDS is your preferred delivery mechanism, you should check the relevant web pagesto see the proper format and documentation (http://www.ahds.ac.uk/depositing/deposit-formats.htm)which you will need to provide. Also remember that if you plan to deposit with the AHDS you shouldmake sure that this is considered in your project plan, and ensure that there are staff present towards theend of the project in order to comply with AHDS policy.

4.2 Risk assessmentRisk assessment is one of the key concepts of project management. There are always

uncertainties in projects, and it is as well to have an idea about what these potential risks are and howstrategies can be designed to address them. The JISC suggest four questions which need to beanswered:

What could possibly go wrong?

What is the likelihood of it happening?

How will it affect the project?

What can be done about it?

Answering these questions is not always easy, but it is worth considering them during theconstruction of an outline project plan, and also when constructing a full project plan post-funding.

Risk assessment should identify weak areas and potential pitfalls and allow for the pre-planned strategies to cope with them should the risk occur. All project members to be informed ofpotential risks and remedies at the beginning of the project, and they should also play a role in identifyingrisks.

The main risks in digital resource creation projects centre on unrealistic targets. It generallytakes longer than expected to make a machine-readable version of a text because not only does dataentry have to take place, but verification should also follow. Other important risks are: altereddeliverables; recruitment, retention and staff changes; equipment delivery, specification and failure;technological change and legal permissions. It is vital not to hide problems but to be upfront about them

and to try to manage them.

4.3 Continuation and/or exit strategy

Projects, especially if they are resource creation projects should be sustainable. This isusually managed by the AHDS in the form of its preservation and dissemination strategies. However, insituations where projects may have commercial potential, there may be a necessity to restrict free accessto a created resource. If this is the case, a well-defined strategy needs to be in place to ensure thatpreservation and dissemination of these resources through other services is successful and long-term.The AHRB funds the AHDS to carry out these services and it is likely that projects which find it impossibleto deposit their resources at the AHDS will not be considered favourably.

However, in the planning stage it will be of value to consider the different options availablefor sustainability when the funding ceases. Different projects will have different needs at the end of the

project. It may simply be that a resource needs to be deposited with the AHDS: however, it may be that aweb-based resource has been created which needs continued maintenance. As such how these costs willbe met needs to be considered. It is not sufficient to expect further funding from a research body tomaintain a web site regardless of its importance. There are a number of 'commercial' models which mayprove useful. The models may not always be appropriate, but they do provide a starting point.

Advertising model - where the project is supported by advertising revenue.
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Merchant model - where the project sells material on the traditional retail model.

Affiliate model - where the project offers financial incentives to affiliated partner sites (e.g. theBritish Library has a partnership with Amazon).

Community model - where users invest in a site (e.g. contribution of content, money, time,hosting).

Subscription model - where users pay for access to "value added" content (e.g. high resolutionfiles);

Utility model - where funds are raised via metered usage or pay-per-view;

Infomediary model - where data is collected about users and their purchasing habits and sellingthis data to other businesses (generally an inappropriate model for the academic world, but hasbeen suggested by the JISC.) If this route is followed beware of potential Data Protection issues.

These business models also apply to the continued development of an on-line resource.

Furthermore, in terms of the long term ability of a project to remain visible, it may be worth

considering whether the outputs of any particular project can be integrated together with other resources?Finally there is always re-purposing. Some considerable should be made of whether any resource can berepurposed for other users. Commercial licensing, for example, may be an option for "selling" the product.

4.4 Documentation

Good documentation is fundamental to the success and the sustainability of any project.Documentation should cover all processes within a project. All decisions, systems, processes andworkflow methodology should be recorded. Documentation is valuable because it ensures continuity inthe event of changes in the staffing of the project, or in alteration of suppliers. Documentation also aidsthe monitoring, reporting and evaluation process and provides ordered, comprehensible andcomprehensive details for audit and reporting to the funders. Finally, documentation, establishes therelationship between original documents and digital resource

The project manager should keep a full record of all aspects of the project. The mainpurpose of this is to provide an institutional memory. Solid documentation is one of the best methods ofrisk-management, especially since one of the most important risks in any short term project is staffrecruitment and retention. The key documentation in any project is the project plan. The project planshould not be seen as a fixed document, it should evolve throughout the project. Other documentationincludes institutional or technical evaluations; information relating to image capture, editing andprocessing; license agreements and contracts (vital if dealing with sub-contractors) and proceduralmanuals.

Documenting the use of standards which are being adapted by the project should not beseen as a minor output of the project.

4.5 Communications

Marketing

Marketing can largely be divided into two stages. Firstly, during the planning stage, identifythe market (i.e., potential users). Secondly, during effectuation, 'do' the marketing. This can be done byrunning training sessions or workshops, either one-offs or part of a program. An exploitation plan whichdetails how one will market your resource will prove invaluable to the project and assist in getting the


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widest audience. Exploitation plans should consider project identity, logos, a website, newsletters,workshops, conferences, targeted mailings etc.

Communication

Clear lines of communication within the project are also important, especially if the project isdirected by more than one person, across different sites, or parts of the project are sub contracted to

others. Clear and consistent reporting lines are important because they allow for monitoring to occur.Monitoring is the process of ensuring that all aspects of the project are running to plan. If things are goingwrong, frequent monitoring will ensure that problems are picked up as soon as they occur and before theyimpinge on other aspects of the project.

It is also useful to have communication lines with external stakeholders. Some of these maybe considered as the Management or Advisory Committees; others may be through publicity andpromotions.

4.6 Decision-making process

In any project a number of decisions will have to be made well in advance of the action beingcarried out. This is not as inflexible as it often seems. Project plans are expected to be flexible documentsand should be subject to frequent (and hopefully relatively minor) change throughout the lifetime of theproject. Managing a project is not about rigidly adhering to a plan, but attempting to use the plan as aframework for ensuring that problems, which will undoubtedly occur, are resolved with the minimumamount of fuss and effort.

Conclusions

Project management can not be carried out by rote; however, there are a number of keyelements which can be put in place at various stages of a project to help in assisting the smooth runningof a project. All projects involve a certain amount of uncertainty and managing this as efficiently andeffectively as possible can help to ensure the success of a project.

Bibliography

JISC Project Management Guidelines(http://jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=proj_manguide8)

N. Goose, 'Evaluating the 1881 Census Transcription: a Pilot Survey of Hertfordshire',History and Computing, forthcoming, 13.2.

D. Yeates, ed., Project management for information systems (London: Pitman, 1991)
http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=proj_manguide8http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=proj_manguide8http://jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=proj_manguide8http://jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=proj_manguide8http://jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=proj_manguide8http://www.jisc.ac.uk/index.cfm?name=proj_manguide8

Documents

AHDS-Planning and Managing Digital Resource Creation Projects.pdf