Module 5, Session 1: Project Management and Time Planning

[Thando]

#3321

I think it’s very beneficial to think of a PhD as a prolonged project and have encountered some suggestions here which will be useful to my own practice. While I do have a sense of the planning aspect of the long project from planning my own PhD, I have also learned that these plans need to be flexible and can be changed at any point.

Our department does not have a standard MOU, I think people create their own with their respective students, and these are also malleable as issues arise.

[Thando]

#3322

I forgot to add that some phases of the thesis may take longer than expected, while others may be quicker, so it’s important to make more time in the plan for things that take longer to do.

I’m less good at time management since completing my own PhD. I think a lot of that has to do with having more commitments to juggle. However, I am able to concentrate for long periods of time, so it’s easier to catch up too. But I think planning is a more structured way of getting tasks done, which should be the standard in my practice. I will certainly try to do that more.

[Colette Gerards]

#3328

@Rendani, I agree it is not always possible to adhere but I would like to suggest to use it as a red thread throughout the journey. Very interesting remark about the committee. I agree there is a need for shared responsibility beyond the student and supervisor. If that is done well and jointly it can definitely help with supervision. Graduate schools or centers for PG studies can play an important role in this!

[Colette Gerards]

#3329

@Rendani, I agree it is not always possible to adhere but I would like to suggest to use it as a red thread throughout the journey. Very interesting remark about the committee. I agree there is a need for shared responsibility beyond the student and supervisor. If that is done well and jointly it can definitely help with supervision. Graduate schools or centers for PG studies can play an important role in this!

[Amos]

#3334

This session is enlightening and very useful in PG studies journey and Supervision. What i find interesting is the aspect of MoU’s between the student and the Supervisor. Though in some cases, if not all they are NOT official, they are impactful in the overall efficiency of PG studies and supervision. Personally, i have applied them not fully in the presented context and verbally. After going through this session, going forward, i will ensure that i have a progressive MoU with my PG students. This will enhance working relationship with the PG students. It will also make conflict resolution easy since there will already be a working document to fall back to.

[Irene]

#3337

On the issue of treating the postgraduate work as a project, I quite agree. It ideally must have a start and end date and ways of checking on milestones in between. However, I have not quite had a formal project planning and implementation approach to date. I consider myself as a novice supervisor and this is a great strategy I intend to pursue with my students going forward.
For my PhD studies, I was an international student and i believe this status pushed me to work quickly, meet all deadlines and enabled me to complete my studies quickly so I was able to go back home quickly.

[Amos]

#3361

Deadlines adherence is part and parcel of the supervision process. Deadlines should be agreed on on the onset of the PG studies. For efficient supervision, each party should meet the agreed upon deadlines.

Planning time is Crucial in PG supervision. Personally i have specific days and times set to interact with my PG students or have physical meetings. This ensures that there is one on one sharing of whatever challenges or opportunities there are.

On adherence to compliance, iam conversant with my institutions requirements for PG studies. I always consult the relevant policies to ensure that quality is maintained through out the supervision process.

Variances in time management can be a tricky scenario. However, in case there are overlaps in time allocation, i ensure that i communicate the same to my students in advance ans consequently reschedule out meeting.

[Nelson]

#3362

I have learnt the importance of having formal supervision agreements, many times i have held discussion with the PG students on our work schedules but they hardly take notes and so we often miss track.
In our discussions we cover the depth and breadth of work but not expectations of either party. Henceforth i will include discussion of expectations.

I have resolved to design PG supervision agreement for our Department, anybody with a template, kindly share with me.

[Mary Masehela]

#3370

Managing a postgraduate project requires discipline. however, the discipline that one has can be overtaken by other competing ventures. Often times at work, seniors call or email to say there is this task that is needed immediately, then you are expected to drop all that you are doing and give attention to that particular issue that is required by the higher offices. i find this very frustrating and destructive because it leads one to defaulting one’s deci-plan for that day or week. rescheduling activities is not always easy in my environment because there is always interference of one’s plans by competing activities. Nonetheless, experience always helps in finding a way to catch up with lost time. The challenge comes when the student that is being supervised is not up to the game.

[Mary Masehela]

#3369

Managing a postgraduate project requires discipline. however, the discipline that one has can be overtaken by other competing ventures. Often times at work, seniors call or email to say there is this task that is needed immediately, then you are expected to drop all that you are doing and give attention to that particular issue that is required by the higher offices. i find this very frustrating and destructive because it leads one to defaulting one’s deci-plan for that day or week. rescheduling activities is not always easy in my environment because there is always interference of one’s plans by competing activities. Nonetheless, experience always helps in finding a way to catch up with lost time. The challenge comes when the student that is being supervised is not up to the game.

[Joseph]

#3378

The presentation on managing projects and planning time was very useful. I was reminded of the significance of this part of management of postgraduate students and work. It has highlighted areas of limitations in my department. the pat for the place of MOU or some form of agreement is pertinent. We have it as part of supervision requirement but may need further sharpening to take into consideration all aspects.

[Damiannah Kieti]

#3387

Managing postgraduate as a project is a noble thing, but fairly challenging, particularly in
achieving all planned research activities within the agreed timelines.

[Joram]

#3407

The project approach to supervision is useful in planning activities and keeping deadlines. I always find that students have a well and clearly prepared schedule of time and activities during their proposal presentations. However,keeping to those schedules is often a different matter. Planning ensures the discipline and focus on the schedules. There should be revised plans if circumstances bring interruptions otherwise one will get lost

[Scholastica]

#3462

Sometimes it quite tedious to juggle my role on teaching, research and supervisory of the postgraduate students. But I have a way of making it in an optimal way. When we start a research project, the first meeting with the students is to alert them about our work plan. I usually advise them that our proposal are developed within 4 one-on- one meetings. The timelines work for the formative stages. As the students progresses it becomes easier to mnage the work load.

[Alando]

#3467

I find it useful that the doctoral process should be viewed as a project. This way, both the student and the supervisor are made aware that it has a timeline, which they should both strive to adhere to. I agree that it is useful to identify the activities that will go into the process from the onset so as to prepare well in advance on how these activities will be managed and whose responsibility it will be to manage them. Doing so, I believe, improves efficiency in managing the whole process. However, I think there is a need to look at this arrangement within the wider scheme of how the university as a whole works. I think it is rather difficult to be efficient in an environment where the university puts skewed premium on assigning lecturers (supervisors) administrative responsibilities at the expense of on academic work. In such an environment, lecturers (supervisors) are constantly called upon to attend to administrative duties thereby disrupting the scheduled activities, such as reading and commenting on the submissions of the students and by extension watering down the whole idea of pre-planning for the activities.

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