Why is planning important?

It is important to take this planning stage [planning stage: identify the main tasks, allocate a timescale to each task and allow for contingencies ] seriously. Planning accounts for five marks in all the units. In addition to the marks, the planning stage helps you to get through the rest of the project efficiently.

Look at the mark schemes the exam board provides. Ensure that the work you produce matches the mark scheme. You can check the schemes in the syllabus on the Edexcel DiDA website.

A detailed project plan:

• identifies all key tasks
• shows good understanding of the requirements of the project
• breaks tasks into sub-tasks
• puts all tasks into sensible order
• allocates sensible times to each task
• includes some time for 'contingencies' (events that could happen in the future, but that aren't planned for - an example could be the school's computer network crashing)
• allows you to regularly check your progress against the plan.
• shows how you adapted your plan as you went along.

Setting objectives

At the start of the project, set yourself clear objectives [objectives: what you are trying to do ].

All the planning stages will start with you reading the DiDA SPB [SPB: Summative Project Brief - the project brief set by Edexcel and the means by which your attainment is assessed. ] (project brief) very carefully. Throughout the planning stage, you need to show you have a good understanding of the objectives for the project.

Before you can sensibly start planning, you need to know exactly what end products the exam board wants to see in your eportfolio [eportfolio: an electronic folder which stores the documents you produced digitally ]. As you read through the project brief, build a list of all the things you need to make - for example:

I will need to make:

• a formal letter to a newspaper explaining why animal experiments might be necessary
• a 30-second video to advertise the local library
• a presentation to convince people to contribute to a charity for sick children
• a graphic to warn people that the contents of a bottle are poisonous

You could save this list:

• in a word processing document
• in a spreadsheet
• in a mind mapping [mind mapping: visualize your thinking through the use of a diagram ] application
• on a piece of paper

It is important to keep this list in your source file as evidence of your activities.

A mind map can help you to organise your ideas at the planning stage

Project tip It's a good idea to work with a friend or a group to brainstorm on all the objectives and the different ways that you can approach them. This might sound a bit like cheating, but the exam board says it is OK as long as you then write your plan on your own.

Sub-tasks

Once you have an idea of the main tasks involved in a project, break down each task into smaller, more manageable sub-tasks.

Think about all the different things you need to do for each task, and the order they need to be done in, and add them to your overall plan. Allocate a number to each main task and give each sub-task a number or letter to show which main task it is part of, and where it is in the order. For example:

Task 3: Produce a formal letter to a newspaper explaining why animal experiments might be necessary.

Once you have an idea of the main tasks involved in a project, break down each task into smaller, more manageable sub-tasks.

You could write this plan on paper and scan it before saving it on your computer. You could also write it straight onto the computer using a word processor, a spreadsheet, a mind mapping application or other suitable software.

The overall plan

When you've a good idea of all the tasks and sub-tasks to complete, decide how much time each task will take and the order they need to be completed in. Then draw up a table to show your overall plan.

The table should explain the task and show how much time you've set aside to do it. It's also a good idea to leave some space for notes explaining any changes you made and any problems you had to overcome. You could include other details like the example below.

A table showing a plan for tasks, including Task, Time allocated, Completed, Date completed, Actual time taken, and Problems.

Remember you might have to be flexible about the order some things are done in. For example, if you only have access to a digital camera for one lesson, you must use it when it is available and reschedule what you had originally planned. Make sure you make a note of this somewhere in your plans.

Try to anticipate what problems you might face, and include some way of making sure these don't delay your plans too much.

Project tip - Many students attempt to do the overall plan as a GANTT chart. This is a diagram that shows the order tasks must be done in and the length of time it should take. Do an image search on the internet for GANTT chart in a search enginesearch engine: a tool for searching the contents of the Internet, eg Google, Yahoo! or Live such as Google or Altavista to see examples of how other people do it.

GANTT charts can get complicated and don't always show all the information you need to get good marks. It's fine to include a GANTT chart, but don't rely on it for everything. Include a separate section where you explain:

• what the GANTT chart shows
• what problems you faced with each sub-task
• what tasks you didn't put in, but realised you needed later
• what other changes you made

A GANTT chart can help you to plan when to complete each task

Revising your plan

No matter how good your plan is, it's unlikely your work will go exactly as you intended. The exam board knows this and examiners expect to see evidence that you have regularly adapted your plan.

It's a good idea to set two or three key dates [key dates: a specified dates assigned to key tasks ] during your project, where you go through your plan and match up what you have actually done with what you said you would do in your plan.

If you are behind, this is a good time to change your plan and set new deadlines and objectives. You may need to be less ambitious about what you hope to achieve. Make sure you note all this down - it will earn you marks.

Showing you've used your plan

You are not planning just for the sake of planning. The whole idea is that planning helps you manage your work, and allows you to work more efficiently. Try to show this in the evidence you produce.

In your work, show the development of each product. Refer back to your original plans, comment on the things that went well and the things you had to do differently.

Keep updating your plan and deadlines.

Keeping your evidence

Keep evidence in a safe place, like a folder

Always keep your evidence! Before you even start planning the project, remember that you have to keep evidence of the planning stage. For your eportfolio you will need evidence like:

• sketches
• plans
• notes of brainstorms
• storyboards
• mind maps

You could either do this on a computer or on paper that you scan in, or take a digital photograph of your plan.

Planning in D201 - Using ICT

This is probably the first DiDA unit you'll do. Once you've finished it, you'll find the other units easier, as you'll know what's expected.

As the SPB [SPB: Summative Project Brief - the project brief set by Edexcel and the means by which your attainment is assessed. ] changes every year, it's not possible to say exactly what approach you need, but these general points will certainly be useful:

• Build in lots of contingency time - As this is the first time you've done a project like this, you might underestimate how much time tasks will take. Give yourself plenty of extra time in case things don't work out the way you hoped.
• Don't devote too much time to gathering information - It is easy to spend lots of time searching the internet for material, but you probably don't need that much research. Make sure you get just as much as you need for the relevant documents and no more.
• Plan time for producing your own images on a digital camera - This way you can get exactly what you want, rather than wasting time searching the internet and worrying about copyright.

Planning in D202 - Multimedia

The chances are you've finished D201, so you know what is expected for this unit. However, there are some special things to think about when tackling it.

These include:

• Collecting and producing components - Make a list of what you need to produce and come up with different ideas for how you could produce them. For example, if you need to produce an interactive quiz, this could be done using Flash, PowerPoint, Visual Basic, FrontPage, JavaScript, Captivate. Captivate produces really good interactive quizzes quickly and easily, PowerPoint is simple, but the quizzes are not as sophisticated.
• The hardware and software available - It's sensible to make a list of the facilities you have and then weigh up the pros and cons of each.
• File formats - These are really important in this project, as it can be quite difficult switching between different formats of video and sound. Look carefully at the file types allowed, and make sure the equipment you use is capable of producing the correct ones.
• Editing completed multimedia products - You really need to iron out all problems as you develop the product. Make sure you plan in plenty of time to review your work as you go along.
• Download time - Plan in time for testing download speeds. This could be tricky, as you will need to save work on to a machine on the internet, rather than on the network you're working on.

Planning in D203 - Graphics

The chances are you've finished D201, so you know what is expected for this unit. However, there are some special things to think about when tackling it.

• Researching - Plan time for looking at graphics similar to the ones you have to produce. Look for the techniques that professionals have used to make effective images.
• Checking format - Only certain file types are allowed. Make sure you plan in time to check that the software you are working with produces graphics of an acceptable format.
• Making different versions - With graphics software it's quite easy to come up with different solutions to a given problem. Try to set aside time to come up with different versions of a particular graphic - you can then use user feedback to select the best. Plan in time for all these things.
• Checking in different browsers - Sometimes graphics can look different in different browsers (eg Internet Explorer, Netscape, Firefox), so plan to test your graphics in different browsers. This can be difficult, as your school may only have one browser installed.
• Adapting to print or screen - Make sure you are aware what each graphic is being produced for. You will need different approaches according to whether they are for being seen on screen or printed out.
• Finding out about printers - Good quality graphics would normally be printed out on specialist paper on specialist printers, not the sort of printers you get in most schools. See if you can arrange a visit to a professional print shop to find out about the different options for printing out graphics. Include this visit in your plan.

Planning in D204 - Enterprise

The mark scheme for this unit is slightly different from the one for all the other units. This time you must use a GANTT chart to show your overall plan, and you must use mind mapping software to identify what tasks and options you have. Talk to your teacher about what software is available to help with this.

Other plans for this project could include:

• Find out if there are any organisations which might provide advice. Possible starting points for this are the Business Studies department at your school or the Young Enterprise website.
• Key milestones - For a business plan to come together properly, it's crucial that you identify when certain things must be done by. For example, 'we must have the budget for production fixed by ...', or 'our order to the supplier must be sent by ...' or 'the components must be delivered by ...' or 'the final products must be ready for sale by ...'.
• Keeping your plan up-to-date - Any business plan must be constantly updated with what has been achieved and what has yet to be done.
• Project planning software - It would be useful if you could use some software - such as Microsoft Project - that's designed specifically for planning projects. They can be difficult to use, but they will really help keep your project to budget and deadline.