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Design Project Proposal and Management Advice
HSC Outcome H4.1: identifies a need or opportunity and researches and explores ideas for design development and production of the MDP
The proposal should be
determined at the start of the HSC course. Students need to be
well aware of their Major Design Project during the term break
so that work can commence at the start of the HSC course. The
proposal will both identify and explore the need to be met by
the project. This exploration would involve some research. During
this time students will also develop an idea of the areas that
they will need to investigate to reach a successful satisfaction
of the need identified.
The examiners will use the proposal to determine the intent of
the project and to consider how successful the project has been
in relation to this intent.
Finally, in this phase of the work, students should be able to develop a list of criteria by which they can evaluate the success or otherwise of their whole project. It may be useful to predict at this stage, how each of these criteria will be measured.
- Identification of the need/s to be met by developing the Design Project
Students should explain the motivation for and purpose of the project. Why is the project being done? Who will use the product, system or environment produced? (target market) How will it be used? How is it intended to meet the needs of the target market?
- Areas of investigation
Students should specify the areas which are to be considered and the parameters of the design. What is to be investigated? How will it be investigated? What are the boundaries and limitations of the project? What are the possibilities?
- Criteria established to evaluate success
Students should clearly state what the product, system or environment will have to be able to do in order to be successful. What are the functional and aesthetic qualities the product, system or environment will need to be able to demonstrate to be successful? Which qualities are most important and which are least important? How will the student know if the completed project has been successful?
If, during the development and realisation of the project, the student's intentions and direction changes from the submitted proposal, eg the student realises that he/she has attempted too much, or further research leads to a new unexpected result and focus, then the student needs to explain and justify the change and re-state the proposal.
Project management will include the development of a plan for the use of the available time, the budget available and how it could be dissected, and the probable actions that will be required to reach the successful completion of the project.
Management is a process, which involves the planning of activities and the organisation, allocation and use of resources to achieve desired goals. Project management includes the justification and application of decisions made in the use of resources including time, money, energy, human resources, materials, tools and techniques.
The examiners will be seeking evidence in the folio of:
- action plan
- time plan
- finance plan
- selection and use of resources
Students will need to document the plans prepared to guide the development of the project and explain how those plans were implemented. Changes to plans are to be expected, but such changes should be stated and justified. Effective management results from a flexible and adaptable approach.
Students may choose to have aspects of their project undertaken professionally. For example, this may be appropriate where students do not have access to highly specialised resources or expertise within the school environment. It is absolutely essential that students provide corroboratory evidence when outside expertise is used in a project, eg the specifications for the work undertaken, negotiations and quotations. This is acceptable only if the work undertaken is clearly stated and justified. The teacher is required to monitor such decisions and documentation carefully. It is not appropriate for students to totally outsource the production of their Major Design Project. The majority of the project must be completed at school.
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