How to plan projects to get them done on time.

1. PLANNING PROJECTS
UnderstandingWhy Planning Is Important For
Success

2. ■ “WITHOUT GOALS AND PLANS TO REACH
THEM, YOU ARE LIKE A SHIP THAT HAS SET
SAIL WITH NO DESTINATION.” — FITZHUGH
DODSON

3. Why do we
need to
plan?
Many may view planning as a bore
task.
And it may seem like an
‘inconvenient’ step. However, at its
core, planning can prove to be of
great help to everyone.
Without proper planning, we see the
usual symptoms of sliding back into
our normal schedule of life.

4. Proper planning
is much needed
to:
Encourage us to achieve the goal
Also to break it up into bite size
pieces and small goals that makes
achieving much more attainable .

5. What is Project Planning?
Successful projects have a STRUCTURE
• A project should be planned out and organized from day ONE
Project planning is
1. Identifying,
2. prioritizing
3. Assigning the tasks and resources to complete a project successfully.

6. When should I do it:
■ When a student shows signs of being overwhelmed,
anxious, unfocused, disorganized, lost,
unmotivated, etc
■ When a student is reluctant to begin, sustain, or
complete work
■ When an assignment is longer, larger, more
complex, or has many parts or sections
■ When a student doesn’t know where to start
■ When students have trouble organizing their
thoughts

7. Creating a Study Plan: How to Break
Assignments intoWorkable Pieces
ASSIGNMENTS ARE
USUALLY ASSIGNED WELL
IN ADVANCE OF THE DUE
DATE.
COLLEGE ASSIGNMENTS
TYPICALLY TAKE A LONG
TIME TO COMPLETE WELL.
THE EXPECTATION IS THAT
YOU WILL DEVELOP A
HIGHER LEVEL OF
REASONING, RESEARCH
AND EXPLANATION.
YOU SHOULD BE AWARE
OF DUE DATES BY
READING THE SYLLABUS
START IMMEDIATELY SO
THAT YOU HAVE TIME TO
SPEND ON EACH TASK,
WITHOUT HAVING TO
NEGLECT THE WORKLOAD
FROM OTHER COURSES.

8. 1. IDENTIFYING

9. 1. identifying
Understand the Assignment Done by: X
date
As soon as possible, read over the assignment carefully and determine what you need to do.
You need to know what the assignment requires even before you get started or else you
won’t know what it is, you’re supposed to be doing.Ask yourself the following questions:
What format does this assignment require?
What are the technical details – length, reference style?
Do you have a choice of topics?

10. 1. identifying
Understand the Assignment Done by: X
date
If you are not completely clear on any aspect of the
assignment, ask your professor for clarification.
You do not want to spend hours and hours doing an
assignment, only to find out that you misunderstood
what you were to doing.

11. 1. Identifying
Breaking down into phases – eg.
Writing an essay (Choose a
topic, thesis, research, outline, etc,)
Breaking down into categories – eg.
planning a Presentation (topic,
photos or videos, speaker notes, etc.)
Breaking down into parts – eg. Math,
science.( formulas, examples,
practice problems)

12. 1. Identifying
keeping in mind the other work (reading, studying, other
assignments) that must be done for other classes.
Allow yourself enough time to complete each step fully
and completely.
Write down each step, phase, or category in your planner.
it is important to take the time to break it down into
smaller steps and assign yourself a completion date for
each step.
Regardless of
the type of
assignment:

13. 2. PRIORITIZING

14. 2. Prioritizing
Breaking down a project according
to its crucial tasks helps you divide
it into larger chunks first.
It also automatically identifies
milestones
And gives a headstart on breaking
down those chunks into bite-sized
tasks.

15. 2. Prioritizing
1. Collect a list of all your tasks.
2. Identify urgent vs. Important.
We’re talking about work that, if
not completed by the end of the
day or in the next several hours, will
have
serious negative consequences.
3. Order tasks by estimated effort.
Productivity experts suggest the
tactic of starting the lengthier task
first. But if you feel like you can’t
focus go for the shorter task.
(motivation)
4. Be flexible and adaptable.
Know that your priorities will
change, but you also want to stay
focused on the tasks you’re
committed to completing.
5. Know when to cut.
You probably can’t get to
everything on your list. After you
prioritize your tasks and look at
your estimates, cut the remaining
tasks from your list, and focus on
the priorities that you know you
must and can complete for the day.

16. 1. Capture everything on a Master List and
then break it down by monthly, weekly, and
daily goals
2. Separate tasks with similar priorities
using the ABCDE method
• Go through your list and give every
task a letter from A to E (A being the
highest priority)
• For every task that has an A, give it a
number which dictates the order you’ll
do it in
• Repeat until all tasks have letters and
numbers

17. 3. Set a productive tone for the day
by “Eating the frog” (i.e. Do your
most important work first)
Priorities are great. But remember to
be realistic about how much work you
can actually do each day
4. Rank your daily tasks by
their true priority with the
Ivy Lee Method

18. 3. Assigning the tasks and
resources to complete a project
successfully.

19. 3. Assigning the tasks and resources to complete
a project successfully.
Task (Choose
topic, thesis,
research,
outline, draft,
final draft)
Resources
(TIME, books,
technology,)
Goal

20. 3. Assigning the
tasks
and resources to co
mplete a project
successfully.
TheTSFA
Time management. Stop falling victim to the
procrastination doom loop (mood)Time
Set reminders to take breaks (and stay energized
throughout the day I.e podomoro technique)Set
Focus on one thing at a time (i.e don’t try to
multitask)Focus on
Ask for extra help (and take advantage of it when
it’s offered. WCC tutors, virtual library, teachers )Ask

21. B-MOS

24. UPCOMING
EVENTS
■ Add related workshops, etc.
that students attending this
session may also be
interested in

25. Our Services
Study Help
• Drop-In Study Help for all courses
• Study Groups
• On-Track Appointments
• Question Drop-Off
Tech Help
• Drop-In Student Tech Help
• Ask-a-Lab Associate Question Drop-off
• Get Tech Ready and Appy Hour Workshops
Learning Help
• Check out our collection of self-service resources that supplement classroom materials
Get In Touch!
www.wccnet.edu/LC (live chat assistance offered during regular hours)
(734) 973-3420
Lab Email: LCLab@wccnet.edu
Tutoring Email: TutorWCC@wccnet.edu