Homework is an integral part of the learning process in secondary schools. The diversity of their types and level of complexity amazes not only schoolchildren, but also their parents.
Creative projects are one of the most interesting types of work for a child. But its design also requires a lot of effort and special attention on the part of adults, since title pages for projects for primary school students are often prepared by parents.
Conditionally Homework can be divided into two types:
In contact with
- aimed at mastering and consolidating educational material (exercises, tasks, examples, reading textbook paragraphs, etc.);
- creative tasks aimed at developing the child’s creativity, creative abilities and thinking (essays, illustrations, reports, creative projects).
Definition and Purposes of a Title Page
The very title of this part of the work is a term from the publishing industry. Every book has a title page or title. It indicates the title of the book, the name of the author, the city and publisher, the date or year of publication and other information about the specific printed work. Exists Several purposes of this page in school projects:
- The first sheet is the face of the work. It creates the first impression of the content and the author of the work.
- The information indicated in the title helps to distinguish individual work from others of the same type.
- Based on the title page, you can determine which educational institution represents the project and who supervised it.
- Date information is used to create archives and store works.
The importance of this part of the work cannot be underestimated, although it may seem insignificant. In view of this, correct design is an important factor that directly affects the success and level of the project.
Features of the design of the title page of a project in elementary school
Primary School- a particularly difficult stage of learning for both children and parents. The family completes all tasks together, and the child tries hard to grasp the meaning of what is happening and learn to cope with school matters on his own. A creative project for grades 1–4 is a task aimed at the joint work of a parent and a student.
Often, a project is a type of activity that is more inherent in some subjects and practically not found in others. For example, in mathematics or the Russian language it is not easy to create something new, because these subjects are aimed at teaching children vital things, and in subjects such as the world around us, my family or the English language, the use of projects helps bring the material to life, makes it interesting and gives the child the opportunity to create his own version of the topic being studied. Such works motivate primary school students well, encouraging them to engage in research activities.
Often, to make things easier, the teacher does not require a title page for a project unless it is outside the scope of the school. In cases where this element is necessary, students may be given a sample to help them complete their work.
What information is included on the title?
In general, title pages are designed using the same template. If there is no sample available, and the work must have a decent appearance, you can use the list of information required for the title and draw up the face of the project in accordance with it. The first page should provide the following information:
- Name of educational institution. For example: Municipal educational institution “Primary School No. 2” in the city of Ivanovsk.
- Type of work (Project, Abstract, Report, etc.).
- Subject (in the discipline My Family, English, the world around us, etc.).
- The theme of the project (“My Roots”, “My family”, “Spring Flowers”).
- Class (Completed by: 2nd grade student).
- Last name and first name of the author (Andrey Andreev).
- Full name of the teacher (Checked by: Petrov V.I.).
- City.
When there are no specific instructions from the manager, this information is enough for the work to have a decent appearance and informative content on the title page. And if the project is in English, you can also submit the title in English, so the chance of getting the maximum score right away will be almost 100%!
Features of formatting and placement of information on the page
Working in a word processor requires some experience and dexterity, but even if the project is designed by hand, it is important to follow some rules. This font location, size and features.
The same rules apply to a handwritten title page. It is important to maintain the proportions of elements and ensure correct text alignment.
If the project is developmental in nature, then in elementary grades a more creative approach to the design and decoration of this page is not prohibited. The whole family can participate: draw patterns, frames, pictures on the topic of the project. This will only add uniqueness and beauty to the project and enrich the work on it with positive emotions.
Sections: General pedagogical technologies
Working as a primary school teacher, I was always concerned about the low level of development of research skills and the lack of cognitive interest in children in finding answers to questions and problems that arise during the learning process. Having studied the literature on this issue, I came to the conclusion that the most interesting and productive way to stimulate and develop these skills is project activity.
Since I work in a gymnasium environment, but in general education classes, the project activities of my students help develop and realize their potential. The age of younger schoolchildren is favorable in order to develop their inclinations to the maximum. I tried to create children's projects in the 4th grade of elementary school, the experience turned out to be very successful, and I continued working with children from the 2nd and 3rd grades.
My goal in this work with children was to develop the skill of searching for information and the development of child-parent relationships. Therefore, I purposefully developed these skills during school and extracurricular hours. Because outside of class, maintaining cognitive interest is much more important than narrow subject focus. Although in the educational process, as in any other type of activity, it is always possible to identify a problem or phenomenon that will interest a child, with skillful direction and creation of conditions, it is possible to investigate this problem and formulate children’s work into a scientific project. The most important point for successful research is the creation by teachers and parents of conditions in which each student can express himself, his aspirations, abilities, and talents. Here, as they say, all means are good. I especially like the fact that when creating children's works, parents of younger schoolchildren are involved, which is very valuable for the development of parent-child relationships. It is no secret that nowadays parents spend less and less time in the family; they often do not know how to communicate with their children. And the school, first of all, stands up for the development of the child as an individual and for the successful work of the triad: teacher-student-parent. It is when working with a project that feedback is successfully developed, the parent becomes involved in the life and problems of his child, and together with him learns to open new horizons. It’s nice to see how parents, grandmothers, and relatives come to support children at school scientific and practical conferences. This focus will undoubtedly continue to contribute to the development and growth of the child as an individual.
My most preferred methods of working with children when creating projects are: conversation (dialogue), observation, implemented in the process of joint activity, when I help, guide, outline a work plan together with parents. Sometimes parents themselves can organize their children’s work step by step; others need help. Modern conditions for searching for information are multifaceted, from newspapers, magazines, and ending with Internet resources, which makes it possible to realize the most ambitious ideas and projects. Naturally, when starting to work with a child, it is necessary to take into account the individual, age and psychological characteristics of younger schoolchildren. Student activities can be individual, pair or group. The work is performed over a certain (specified) period of time and is aimed at solving a specific problem. The work of students in this case is built according to the logic of classical scientific research, using methods and techniques of scientific research characteristic of the work of scientists, but for elementary school the project can be simplified. Depending on what final product you plan to make - make an illustrated book, map, presentation, craft, publish a wall newspaper, compose a memo, make a cartoon, clear the area of garbage, hold an exhibition, etc., the research itself depends. In a children's project there must be a result, but in a research project
The only thing that matters is experimentation. The types of projects are also different: complex, intergroup, creative, individual, research.
When guiding schoolchildren’s project activities, an additional difficulty for the teacher is that there is no identical recipe that allows one to immediately give an unambiguous solution to various problems. Consulting in the process of working on projects requires the teacher to have broad erudition and high pedagogical skill. There are no ready-made solutions. There is only the process of working on the project.
Many experts in this field (Sergeev I.S.) believe that the project is the “five Ps”:
Problem-Design (planning)-Search for information-Product-Presentation. The sixth “P” of the project is its Portfolio, i.e. a folder in which all working materials of the project are collected, including drafts, daily plans and reports, etc.
An approximate plan for creating a children's project in stages:
1) Preparatory.
2) Approximate.
3) Organizational.
4) Productive.
At the preparatory stage, it is necessary to select a research topic and specify it. I always try to offer the student interesting topics, the most important thing here is to intrigue, interest the child, “infect” him with ideas, and draw bright prospects for his work in his mind. Sample topics for school projects can relate to any area of knowledge, they can be extensive, the main thing is to specify them. For example, the topic “Evil spirits in fairy tales” is quite comprehensive, but “Koschei the Immortal is the main representative of evil spirits” or “King of Monsters - Basilisk” are more specific. The narrower the topic, the more fruitful the work. Interesting project topics: “Folk Tales”, “My Favorite Toys”, “Pet”, “Magic Objects in Fairy Tales”, “My Favorite National Game”, etc.
The indicative stage is the determination of the goals and objectives of the project, the selection of a subject or design object. The student must clearly understand what he is designing, why and why he is doing it. For example, in the project "King of Monsters - Basilisk", the subject of the project is the Basilisk. This work has the following goal: to prove that the Basilisk is the most important among monsters.
Project objectives:
Study information about this Monster.
Identify in him those characteristic features that make him great among all representatives of evil spirits.
The third stage is the most labor-intensive; it involves organizing work on the project and drawing up a work plan. At this stage, you can apply various design methods, which in turn form and develop search skills. This can be: independent reading, studying books, films on the topic, observation, interviews, experiments, access to the global computer network Internet. When searching for information, a student needs to at least briefly study the history of the issue, different points of view on this phenomenon, as a result of which interesting facts are discovered. For example, in the project "Tuvan Folk Tales", having studied the history of the issue, my student then shared with me, and subsequently with her classmates, very rare facts, such as: Tuvan fairy tales were a gift for little ones for the New Year, some storytellers knew up to 300 fairy tales and were welcome guests in every yurt; for the continuous telling of fairy tales on New Year's Eve, residents stocked up food and firewood, etc. in advance.
All this arouses additional interest and stimulates the younger student to further study the topic.
I especially remember the first project in my practice, “The Basilisk King of Monsters.” The student who was working on this project became so interested in his classmates about the unknown monster from fairy tales that many children began to look for information and then shared their knowledge. A better result could not have been expected!
The last stage is the preparation of the work, preparation for the defense and questions. The student must clearly know and go all the way from choosing a topic to the result of the project in order to successfully present his work.
For a better perception of the work, it is necessary to provide clarity - illustrations, diagrams, drawings, diagrams, layouts, computer presentations, etc.
Requirements for the design of children's projects can be found in the literature on this topic or on the website of the festival of pedagogical ideas.
The result of my work is that younger schoolchildren develop the skill of searching for information: the ability to work with literature, the Internet, etc. Children learn to think broadly, act consistently, and achieve their goals. The student already more or less clearly understands the entire structure of the search; he is motivated to study new unknown topics and facts. An invaluable consequence of the development of such a skill is that a junior student enters a new stage of development and can successfully realize himself in studies at the middle and senior levels. After all, the main thing is that the child develops independent work skills when searching for and processing information.
Information sources:
- Zemlyanskaya E.N. Educational projects for junior schoolchildren. // Elementary school.-2005.-No.9.
- Sergeev I.S. How to organize project activities of students. - M., 2005.
- Ivanova N.V. Possibilities and specifics of using the project method in elementary school. // Elementary school.-2004.-No. 2.
An example of a children's project completed by Dasha-Ivanova, a 2nd grade student at Municipal Educational Institution Gymnasium No. 5 in the city of Kyzyl.
Project "Barbie is the most popular doll for girls"
1. Introduction.
Currently, the most popular toy among young girls, just like thousands of years ago, is a doll. In the modern world, the doll no longer plays the same role as before. Previously, a doll was inextricably linked with a person; it was a symbol of procreation, a talisman for a child.
Currently, the doll is assigned an interesting role, in which the main place is occupied by knowledge of the surrounding world. After all, when playing with dolls, every girl dreams and realizes her future life in the game. Among my peers there are girls who really love to play with dolls, and I am no exception. The subject of my project was one of the most beautiful dolls of our time - the Barbie doll.
Now there are many different types of dolls.
And the most common doll that all children know is the Barbie doll.
I found it interesting to find, study the history of Barbie and convey this information to others.
Hypothesis:
I believe that almost every girl has a Barbie, and it seems to me that this doll is the most popular.
2) Main part.
Nowadays, every girl knows who Barbie is. This is a girls' favorite toy - an elegant doll just under 30 cm tall, with long hair and a beautiful figure.
Barbie loves clothes and cars, always smiles and is happy with life. With her you can play family, home, work, sports - whatever you want. Barbie was born in 1959 in America. Her “parents” are spouses Ruth and Eliot Handler, founders of the Mattel toy company. Together with Japanese designers, they came up with the same Barbie that can be seen in all stores today. And she received her name, a diminutive of Barbara, in honor of their own daughter.
American girls, having seen this doll at a New York exhibition and sale, immediately wanted to have it at home. After all, unlike other toys, she was immediately an adult. In the first year, 351,000 dolls were sold at three dollars each. Gradually, Barbie began to have a variety of outfits, furniture, a house, cars, roller skates, and bicycles. In 1961, Barbie was no longer lonely - she had a friend, Ken. Barbie became so popular that many famous women wanted to see themselves in the image of this doll. This is how copies of real people began to be produced. The popular singer Madonna, for example, ordered as many as five dolls that looked like herself.
Today, the most famous fashion designers sew outfits for Barbie. There are also decorations for her (including very expensive ones). Barbie has a luxurious home, a family with a small child, many cars and even a plane. She recently acquired a cell phone and a computer - after all, Barbie is a modern girl. For Americans, it has become a national symbol.
Eighteen times Barbie flew into space with American astronauts, and all flights were successful. Many girls dream of becoming like her - beautiful and happy.
In many countries (including Russia) competitions are held for the best dress for Barbie. The girls design and sew these dresses themselves, and the winners are given the opportunity to learn from famous fashion designers.
Every minute two Barbies are sold around the world.
Who today does not know Barbie, this graceful doll just under 30 cm tall, with long hair and a beautiful figure?
In our country, the first Barbies appeared in the 1980s and immediately became very popular.
Barbie is always sweet and cheerful. This helps her solve the problems of doll life.
3) Research objectives.
Experimentally, using a survey, prove that the most popular Barbie doll today.
Using questionnaires, you can also prove that almost every girl has a Barbie.
4) Research methodology.
To study interest in modern dolls, together with my mother, we compiled a questionnaire for girls, which was administered in grades 2-3. 100 girls aged 9-10 years took part in the survey. The questionnaire consisted of 6 questions about dolls.<Приложение 1>.4-6 minutes were allotted for the task. For each question, the number of identical answer options was counted and converted into a percentage.
We also asked the girls to draw their favorite dolls.
5)Analysis of survey results.
To the first question about their love for dolls, 15 girls out of 100 (15%) do not like to play with dolls. The remaining 85 people (85%) responded positively. This means that for most modern girls, playing with dolls is their favorite pastime.
The second question about the number of dolls showed the following results: only 2% (2 children) have no dolls at all, the remaining 63% (63 people) have up to 10 dolls and 35% of girls have more than 10 dolls. This means that modern girls have a lot of toys.
The third question was about the availability of dolls. Several possible answers could be identified. The majority of girls - 98% of girls indicated that they have Barbie, 20% have Baby Born, 45% of children have Bratz, only 10% of respondents have Russian dolls, 9% of children have other types of dolls. As a result, we can say that among other types, most girls have a Barbie doll.
In the 4th question about which doll you consider beautiful, Barbie indicated 50% (25 people), Winx 20%, Brothers 15%, Baby Born 3%, others 12%. This suggests that Currently, half of everyone thinks Barbie is the best.
Having studied the answers to question 5, we can say that girls have all the household items, shoes, dresses, clothes, furniture, houses and even cars. 79% (79 girls) have a lot of these accessories, 20 children (20%) name only one item and 1 person does not have a single name. This means that children really love to play with dolls, since they have a lot of interior items for dolls.
The sixth question suggested that girls have doll friends and doll families. A large percentage of girls—87%—noted that Barbie dolls had girlfriends, children, and families. Which once again confirms my hypothesis.
6) Conclusions. Conclusions
Based on the data obtained, the following conclusions can be drawn:
My hypothesis was completely confirmed. A large number of girls, almost 90%, play with the Barbie doll. Barbie is the most popular doll of our time, girls have many accessories for them.
The doll of today symbolizes a slender, successful, optimistic, fashionable young woman who has a house, a car, and a family. Just the fact that Barbie turns 50 this year speaks volumes about her popularity. Recently, magazines, coloring books, craft books, and computer games have appeared, the main character of which is Barbie.
By playing Barbie, each of us invents and “builds” our own future life. The main feature of Barbie is that she is already an adult, young and beautiful woman. That's why many girls want to be like her.
How to properly format a research paper
and prepare for the conference
How to register a project
The work on the topic is completed, the material has been collected. Now you need to properly format the project.
The first thing you need to do is to carefully read the Regulations or Conditions of the Conference in which you will take part. Sometimes the organizers of the Conference clearly define how much work they want to see, what font this work should be typed in, at what interval, and so on…. If there are no special instructions, then focus on the following:
Volume - ___ A format pages 4 portrait orientation
Font - Times New Roman
Font point (size) - 12-14 for text, for tables and footnotes - 10-12
Interval - 1.5
Margins: left margin - 20 mm
Right margin - 20 mm
Top and bottom margins - 20 mm
Some sources recommend - left margin - 30 mm, right - 10 mm, top - 20 mm, bottom - 20 mm. That’s why it’s so important to get acquainted with the requirements of the conference organizers.
Red line 1.25 cm
Automatic hyphenation.
The text is printed on one side of the page.
Text alignment is in width, headings are in the center, they can be highlighted in “bold” font.
Drawings are made in size no less than 60x60 mm and no more than 110x170 mm in jpg, bmp format.
The numbering of links is continuous, the link number is enclosed in brackets.
All pages of the work are numbered starting from the first sheet. Numbers are not placed on the first title page and the second (table of contents) page! The numbers are written starting from the Introduction, i.e. page No. 3. The page number is placed at the bottom, in the center in Arabic numerals.
Each chapter of the work begins on a new page. The distance between the title of the chapter and the following text should be equal to three spaces. The title of the chapter is placed in the center; there is no period at the end of the title.
Work structure
Title page
Table of contents
Introduction
Main chapters
Conclusion
List of information sources
Project product
Applications
How to design a title page for a work
1. At the top center of the page, write the full name of the conference and indicate the locality in which it is being held (see Appendix No.)
2. Making 10 to 15 indents down, in the center, indicate the type of work (abstract, research project...) and write the title of the topic in capital letters without quotes and a period at the end.
3. In the lower right corner, aligning the text to the left, indicate:
- the name of the author of the work,
- student, what class he is,
- full name of the educational institution,
- section name
- last name, first name, patronymic of the scientific supervisor,
- position of scientific supervisor,
- name of the locality where the educational institution is located.
4. At the bottom of the page, in the center, is the year the work was completed.
EXAMPLE
How to create a table of contents
The table of contents should contain the names of all chapters of the project, paragraphs and the page numbers from which they begin.
The headings in the table of contents should exactly match the headings in the text. You cannot shorten them or give them in a different wording or sequence compared to the headings in the text. All headings begin with a capital letter; there is no period at the end of the heading. The last word of each heading is connected by dots to its corresponding page number.
EXAMPLE
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Table of contents Introduction………………………………………………………. 3 pages |
Introduction
The introduction is an important part of the entire work, as it contains in a concise form all the provisions the work is devoted to justifying.
The introduction should consist of the following parts: justification of the topic, purpose of the work, task of the work, research methods, research hypothesis, relevance of the project and practical significance.
The purpose of the research is the final desired result, the solution to a scientific problem, what should ultimately be achieved.
The most typical goals are: determining the characteristics of phenomena that have not been studied previously, poorly studied, controversially studied,
identifying the relationship between phenomena,
studying the dynamics of phenomena,
description of a new effect, phenomenon,
discovery of a new nature of phenomena,
generalization
identification of general patterns,
creation of classifications, typologies, creation of methods, adaptation of methods.
Goals should not be confused with objectives.
Research objectives are ways to achieve a goal. Tasks can be aimed at identifying, analyzing, generalizing, justifying, developing, individual components of the overall problem. It is necessary to remember that the listing of tasks sets the plan and internal logic of the text of the entire work.
For example, Topic of work: Partisan movement of the Ulyanovsk region (according to the memoirs of contemporaries).
Purpose of the work: Show the history of partisan detachments on the Ulyanovsk land based on the memories of contemporaries.
Objectives: 1) identify and summarize the literature relating to partisan detachments in the Ulyanovsk region;
2) identify archival documents, letters, memories on the topic under consideration;
3) find participants and eyewitnesses of those events;
4) write down memories;
5) analyze, based on published and unpublished memoirs, the history of partisan detachments in the Ulyanovsk region.
Research methods- the main ways in which research is carried out.
Research hypothesis- an assumption in which, based on a number of factors, a conclusion is made about the existence of an object, connection or cause of a phenomenon, and this conclusion cannot be considered completely proven.
Relevance of the project- this is an explanation of why you turned to this topic, what is the scientific and practical need for this.
Practical significance of the work:
Practical significance is determined by the influence of the received recommendations and proposals on solving practical issues.
Theoretical significance - what area of science can be influenced by the theoretical conclusions obtained, what are the prospects for applied work.
Main part of the work
The volume should be 70% of the entire work and correspond to the table of contents.
The main part of the work describes the research itself in detail, sums up the results, and analyzes the results.
The text is divided into large (chapters) and small (paragraphs) parts. Chapters and paragraphs are titled so that the title exactly matches the content of the text, but should not contain unnecessary words.
When numbering chapters and paragraphs, Roman and Arabic numerals are used.
For example,
Chapter 1. The benefits of citrus fruits
1.1. ...........
1.2. ...........
1.3. Conclusion...........
Remember that each chapter should end with conclusions. The presence of conclusions is of great importance when evaluating work.
Conclusion
The smallest part in volume, but of particular importance, since this is where the final results of the study should be presented. Here it is necessary to bring together all the conclusions in the work, correlate the findings with goals and objectives, show to what extent the goals and objectives were achieved, note the practical significance of the study, and outline problems and tasks for the future. If necessary, thank those who assisted in the work.
List of sources of information and literature
The list is formatted as follows:
Sources
1) unpublished
Museum of Natural History. Fixed assets, inv. No. 125.
2) published
Citrus selection. Collection of documents / Compiled by I.P. Avanova, 1998
Literature
The list of references should be placed in alphabetical order, by author's last name.
Indicate the surname, first and patronymic initials, title of the book without quotes, city of publication (optional), name of the printing house, year of publication, number of pages. Literature in the original language is indicated after Russian-language sources and is subject to the same rules of description. For example:
1. Akimov N.V. Ancient world history. M.: Ario, 1985, 80 p.
2. Boldyrev N.N. Cognitive semantics. Lecture course. - Tambov, 2001.
3. J. Murray The Oxford English Dictionary. - Oxford, 1989
Project product
The result of work on the project should be a “project product”, which is why this research was carried out.
What could it be? A grown lemon tree (cactus ... related to the topic of work), website, layout, albums, brochures with mathematical problems and interesting facts, .... on the research topic.
The project product is presented to the jury members. Details....
Applications
The appendix contains work materials (schemes, drawings, diagrams, photographs), which clutter the text. Applications to the work must be annotated. Make the necessary captions for drawings, diagrams, photographs, etc.
Each application must be placed on a separate sheet. On the sheet we write the words “Appendix No. 1”, “Appendix No. 2”
If an application uses more than one material, you can create a list of applications.
In the text of the work, references to applications are allowed if it is necessary to illustrate this or that material. Links are formatted as follows: (see Appendix No. 1).
The more applications, the more informative the project.
When writing a work, avoid writing in your (first) person (me, in my work), use the phrases “in this study, in this work, the author came to a conclusion, we draw a conclusion, in conclusion it is necessary/should be noted, etc. "
Cardinal numbers written in numbers if they are ambiguous and in words if they are unambiguous.
Ordinals written in numbers if they appear after a noun.
Dates are written in numbers (1941; 1941-1945; 1940s).
Centuries are written in Roman numerals: XVIII century.
Abbreviations: city - city, year, years. - year(s), in. - century, centuries - centuries.
Check the text of the work in terms of lexical and stylistic literacy of presentation, remove repetitions, solemnity, pathos, and emotionality.
Check reference books and encyclopedias for historical dates and facts mentioned in the text, surnames, first names and patronymics, dates of life of individuals, etc.
When quoting individual statements, different points of view, memories, it is necessary to correctly formulate references to
Steps from "A" to "Z" for beginners and experienced
Project: a set of planned actions taken to solve the problem of a specific target group, limited in time and resources, with specific results.
Social project: a program of real action, the goal of which is aimed at solving a pressing social problem in society, and the objectives are for positive results and changes in society.
Basic requirements that the project must meet:
relevance– the reason, the basis for the implementation of the project must correspond to the requirements of the time, a separate target group or other aspects that explain the emergence of the project idea;
time– the project must be limited in time;
resources– the project must have a clear description of the needs;
quality and results assessment– the scale for assessing the effectiveness of the project is determined in accordance with your goals, but the results you strive for must be clear, amenable to analysis and comprehension.
Projects can be simple and complex, short-term and long-term, with a limited and substantial budget, risky and with completely manageable risks, with different results. In any case, the project is aimed at solving a specific problem. The project must be systematic, logical and adequate, that is, each section must correspond to all the others (tasks must correspond to the goal, the mechanism must correspond to the goals and objectives, the budget must correspond to the goals, objectives and mechanism, etc.).
How to write and format a project? Steps from "A" to "Z"
Step #1: Decide on an idea, analyze the problem.
What would you like to change?
What and in what way (in the most general terms) would you like to achieve?
What problem do you want to solve?
You wrote down the answer → moved on to defining the scope of the project activity, defining the problem you will work on.
Analyzed the problem → determined what you want to change → a project idea arose → move on to detailing and describing the project.
Step #2: Write the goal of the project.
Target- a general description of the expected results and expectations, the highest point of achievement that the organization strives for during the implementation of the project. A goal is a course of action to achieve the desired result.
The goal should be formulated in such a way that its achievement completely solves the problem that has arisen. The formulation of the goal should be based on the formulation of the problem. We can say that the goal is the problem in reverse.
Ask questions for the purpose of your project:
Is there an exact expression of what exactly should be the outcome of the project?
Will we be able to see and measure the results of the project as a whole and its individual parts?
Is the goal realistic? Is it possible to achieve the stated goal given the available resources?
What benefits or benefits will be obtained as a result of achieving the goal by the project team and other stakeholders?
Step #3: Write the project objectives.
Project objectives- these are specific steps that need to be taken to change the existing situation for the better, these are steps to achieve the goal.
INimportant to remember! There can be several tasks, all tasks are steps towards achieving a goal, interconnected and related to the goal of the project.
Use verbs. For example, if you need to build a house, then the tasks will be: laying a foundation, erecting walls, building a roof, installing communications, doing interior decoration, etc.
Check. Objectives must completely cover the solution to the problem (the set goal).
Analyze. Tasks must be effective (as a result, changes after the project consist of specific results).
Step #4: Check the goal and objectives according to the smart criterion.
We look at our goal and objectives, check them according to the SMART criterion, and adjust them if necessary.
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Specificity |
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Measurable |
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Achievable |
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Rewarding |
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Time bound |
For example: Goal: “Construction of a house” - can be specified according to the SMART criterion as follows: “Construction and commissioning of a 2-story, 6-apartment building for families of young professionals in the village of Vychegda by the second quarter of 2014.”
Step #5. We build a logical chain of actions from tasks.
We have determined the goal and objectives → Let’s start planning: how it will all happen.
From each task we build a logical chain of actions: how we will achieve the result. Sometimes it helps to draw the entire chain of actions and tasks in order to understand the logic of the project in each direction.
For example, if we are talking about building a house for the families of young professionals, then our task blocks may be related to:
directly by construction
agreements with government authorities
with working with the target audience – families of young professionals
working with the press on PR of the project and the event in general.
This logical chain will help us write a project schedule in its logical sequence.
Step No. 6. We write an action plan, a work schedule.
The plan determines the order in which all work will be performed: it describes what, who will do it and when, in a logical sequence + makes it clear what resources are needed. When planning, you can use various forms, schedules, plans.
For example: Project implementation plan. Example No. 1
Project implementation plan. Example No. 2
Project implementation plan. Example No. 3
It will also be useful to make a network plan - schedule.
Step #7. We calculate how much our project will cost.
Each stage of project implementation requires a certain expenditure of funds and resources:
how much money is required to implement the project? What will they be spent on?
From what sources is the money expected to be received? Grants, subsidies, sponsorships, etc.?
This section of the project must relate very closely to other sections of the project, especially the implementation mechanism and project schedule.
Possible cost estimate for the project:
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The “budget” (estimate) must be itemized.
Main expenses:
rental of premises and utility payments
travel and transportation expenses
equipment
communication and communications
holding special events
publishing costs
Consumables
and other direct costs that directly go to your project.
"Other expenses"- this is an optional item that is included in the budget if there are expenses that are not reflected in other items. This article must be especially carefully argued.
"Salary"- includes direct wages of project personnel and specialists hired temporarily under a contract, as well as “Income tax accruals” - 35.8% of the total wage fund for personnel and attracted specialists.
It is necessary to pay special attention to the last three columns in the budget table: “available funds”, “requested funds”, “total”. The “available funds” column should indicate the funds that you and your organization are investing in the implementation of the project. For example: the involvement of volunteers as staff or external specialists must be reflected in the budget item “salaries” in the “available” column, and the amount will correspond to the costs that the organization would have incurred if paid employees had participated in the project implementation instead of volunteers specialists.
If the organization, you or sponsors provide any office equipment for the implementation of the project, then in the “available” column it is worth indicating its approximate cost, taking into account its service life.
In the “required” column, it remains to indicate the amount of funds that the organization lacks to implement the project.
Step #8. We write the results.
When drawing up an action plan and calculating a budget, we may realize that the results may be even greater than we planned. It is important that our results correspond to the purpose of the project.
In a project, the results can be written down in text; here we suggest you fill out a worksheet to determine the results:
Quantitative result(what will be done?) - records the number of services provided, participants in events, recipients of specific assistance, number of books published, etc.
Quality result(what will change?) - should reflect the positive changes that will occur as a result of events, provision of services, etc.
Efficiency- Are the results obtained commensurate with the efforts expended?
The criteria for assessing the effectiveness of a project are results that demonstrate how well the developers understand what they are striving for and how they will achieve it.
Step #9. we draw up the project.
A completed project usually contains the following sections:
Brief summary of the project: briefly describe your idea (3-5 sentences), goals, results (no more than 1 A4 sheet, 12-14 font)
Detailed description of the project:
The relevance of the problem, why your project is important and necessary.
Goals and objectives of the project.
Target group of the project: who is your project intended for, for whom are you doing it.
Project implementation mechanism: stages, substantive activities, events, etc.
Schedule plan for project implementation (remember about visibility, schedules are welcome).
Budget (estimate).
Specific expected results (quantitative and qualitative), criteria and methods for evaluating results, the effect of the project in the long term.
Possible further development of the project, if anticipated.
applications (photo materials, diagrams, sketches, etc.)
The design of the project text is as important as its content. Use large font (at least 12 font) and one and a half spacing. Highlight the main points, structure the text to make it easier to read, use headings and subheadings, bold fonts and underlining, bulleted lists, etc.
If you need to make a presentation:
for each section no more than 1-2 slides;
the font should be as large as possible and readable even from afar, the title and text of the presentation slides should be printed in the same font, it is recommended to use a font size of at least 20 in the presentation;
when using a light background, the font should be black or a very dark shade of other colors (brown, blue); when using a dark background color, the font is white;
All processes, concepts or objects begin somewhere. This moment of beginning happened several days or years ago, and everything looked different - not like it does now. Looking, for example, at a car, we understand that at the very beginning it was not like this: first an idea appeared, then this idea was conveyed to other people, which caused discussion; Designers got involved in the work, the assembly process was launched, and much more.
The above is a minor example. But he explains the essence perfectly - everything has a beginning.
Project management is no exception. As a complex chain of tasks and processes, it also starts somewhere. This first step is project plan.
In this article, we will talk about the plan and the planning process, and also explain the points related to the question “How to create such a plan.” We have identified 7 steps.
What is a project plan?
You may have noticed that in addition to plan mentioned and The planning process. What's the difference between them? Everything is very simple.
Planning is a process, a discussion. During it, the scope of work, goals and ways necessary to achieve them are clarified.
A plan is an official document containing all planning decisions, approved volume, and costs. Its main functions are control, facilitating communication between participants and scheduling.
When creating a project plan, the manager should already have key knowledge and skills. This increases the chances of its successful implementation. In addition, a prepared plan will help you anticipate and avoid unnecessary mistakes and bad decisions, and will also help you save time and reduce costs.
Project Plan Goals
A well-prepared plan should answer the following questions.
Why?
The reasons why funds are allocated to the project must be clarified; what problem needs to be solved.
The question concerns the work that must be done to achieve the result and final goals.
Question about the people involved, their roles and responsibilities; about how they should be organized.
When?
This is about the schedule/duration of the project.
How to create a project plan?
Before starting to draft, the manager must be aware of the large number of questions that will arise throughout the project and the answers to them. Each question can be highlighted separately. But it is still better to identify common characteristic patterns and models. So, what does a manager need to do to draw up a project plan?
1. Communicate
The first step to success is to communicate with the team about goals, members, tasks, etc. The manager must know who is responsible for what task, the deadlines, and simply everything that happens in the project.
It is worth adding that communication is not only the first step. Communicating throughout the project is the key to success.
2. Identify participants and goals
Determining all project participants is sometimes difficult: there can be a lot of them. Moreover, they can directly or indirectly, to a greater or lesser extent, influence the project. That is why it is important to identify all those who directly influence the preparation of the plan and take their wishes seriously.
Who can be a participant in the project:
- Customer– the person who directly finances and approves the work;
- Project manager– a person involved in planning, followed by creation, execution and control of the project;
- The project team, which creates the final product. Team members are involved in many important processes, including development, quality assurance, design work, etc. Typically, they do not approve the project;
- End user;
- Other. This list can include a wide variety of people: risk analysts, procurement specialists, etc.
What can be done at this stage? Conduct interviews with key participants. This way you will understand what requirements are set and what goals should be achieved. The most effective way to achieve goals is the SMART goal setting technique.
Conducting interviews also allows the manager to understand what problem the project is solving and why it is being funded in the first place.
This is ours Why question.
3. Determine the entire scope of work
Undoubtedly the most important part of any planning. All the key points are highlighted and discussed here: rationale, product description, compliance criteria, goals and results, limitations, assumptions, cost estimate and some others. All project participants must come to full understanding and agreement at this stage. Once the discussion is over, everything important is recorded in a document that describes the content and scope of the project.
This stage also reduces the risks of misunderstandings that could lead to the scope of the project.
This is ours What question.
4. Define roles and responsibilities
One of the most important tasks of a manager is the distribution of tasks among team members. They must know their roles and responsibilities. And, of course, we should not forget that teams are formed units with a certain number of participants.
This is ours Who question.
5. Create a project schedule
This point is a direct continuation of the previous one. Once roles and responsibilities have been assigned, the next step is to set the duration of work for each resource with start/end dates.
This is ours When question.
At this same stage, the manager establishes key events, the critical path - in general, deals with the work schedule.
Which tool to choose for working with the project?
6. Visualize your project plan with a Gantt chart
Note that when some people talk about graphics, they mean the entire project. This is not entirely true. A visualized schedule is just part of the planning and plan itself. The entire project is a more complex structure.
Use GanttPRO - an online tool for . With its help, a manager can:
- Create and distribute tasks;
- Set their duration with start and end dates.
- Establish dependencies between tasks. The manager monitors all events and knows when a completed task gives rise to the next one;
- Monitor the progress of individual events and the project as a whole;
- Determine the resources needed to complete tasks;
- Set the cost of resources;
- Interact with team members and review all changes they have made;
- Keep track of key events;
- Visualize the critical path - the shortest period of time required to complete the project.
With GanttPRO Gantt charts it is easy to manage planning processes and create a project.
7. Manage risks
All stages of a project may be subject to risks. Therefore, managing them is one of the most important aspects in planning.
An experienced manager is able not only to assess and anticipate such situations, but also to create a plan with ways to solve them. The team, in turn, must also know how to respond to any changes.
What risks may arise?
- Optimistic expectations about time and costs;
- Poorly defined requirements and wishes;
- Poorly defined roles and responsibilities;
- Changes in requirements;
- New requirements;
- Budget cuts;
- Poor communication.
Let's summarize
There are no identical projects. One can be perfectly implemented without risks and postponed deadlines. Another may fail even if it has the same participants, costs, schedule and goals. Risks and changes in a project are inevitable. But still, a well-planned scope of work, schedule, assessed risks and excellent teamwork will help to facilitate the planning itself and draw up a plan. In this case, even difficult projects can be fun.
Do you have experience in project planning?
