Project Management for your PhD

Teaching and Learning Centre

February 2008

Carola Nuernberg

Today‘s session

Not strictly managerial project management, but:

• Your PhD as a project

2. Psychological aspects of doing a PhD:

Adam Sandelson, Counselling Service

3. Planning & priorities

Your PhD as a project

1. Aims

2. Potential course of the project

3. Resources

Your overall aims:

1. What are your reasons right now for doing the PhD?

2. What do you want to do with the PhD once you have completed it?

Discuss with your neighbour.

The course of the project: If you access this online, have a look at the map

document

Activities Demands; work to be done; support; community

Potential emotional aspects

Changes

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

The course of the project

If you access this online, work through pages 2-3 of the workbook.

Your PhD as a project (group discussion)

1. Which issues seem particularly important or tricky?

2. Any good ideas that came up in the discussion?

Psycholgocial aspects of doing a PhD

Refer to page 4 of the workbook.

See separate powerpoint presentation from Adam Sandelson, LSE Counselling Service.

Priorities & planning

Elements of good planning

Short case study

Your own case

Your own priorities and planning

Good planning (1)

1. reflects your priorities: First things first! (urgent versus important, now versus later or not at all)

2. breaks the big tasks down into smaller managable chunks (things you can tick off along the way)

Good planning (2)

4. is realistic: gives you enough time for the tasks and leaves some space for buffers & breaks; also takes your strengthes and weaknesses into account

5. looks at timing (related to your priorities)6. includes regular check-ups on your plan

(daily, weekly)7. allows you to chart your progress8. also incorporates the pleasant things in life

Limits of planning

• Reality in general• The ill-defined nature of the PhD in

particularBut: • Careful planning and monitoring are still

helpful to map out where you are going• Priorities help you to focus and to say

„no“

If you are accessing this online: Read Emma‘s story (separate doc) and think about:

1. Priorities

2. Breaking tasks down in smaller manageable chunks

3. Urgent versus important

4. Being realistic

5. Good timing & reviewing progress

6. Space for fun & relaxation

Working with small manageable chunks

Look at pages 2 & 3 of Emma‘s story and see how her two top priorities (doing her interviews and writing the conference paper) can be broken down into small steps that you can tick off.

Write down your own story

Write down your own plan till August 08

1. Priorities

2. Breaking tasks down in smaller manageable chunks

3. Urgent versus important

4. Being realistic

5. Good timing & reviewing progress

6. Space for fun & relaxation