JISC

The project plan should set out the overall approach you will take to achieve the objectives you have set. 

This isn’t a long work plan butThe overall approach is a simple, clear picture of what you will do and how should address:

• Strategy and/or methodology  How you will achieve the objectives
• Issues to be addressed  List any important issues highlighted in the programme circular/ITT and say how they will be addressed (e.g. interoperability, collaboration, evaluation)
• Scope and boundaries  Clearly indicate what will and will not be covered
• Critical success factors  List 3-4 factors which are important for the project to be successful

Strategy / Methodology

The project strategy or methodology is very important. For most projects, there is more than one way to approach the work and achieve the objectives. You will probably think through several methods, assess the pros and cons, and come up with the one that’s best. You may want to look at other JISC development projects and see how they approached the work. The important thing is to demonstrate that the approach is right for your project and will achieve the objectives.

Scope and boundaries

It’s important to indicate the scope and boundaries of the project, so there are no misunderstandings later on. You may want to take a ‘who, what, where, how’ approach and think through the scope in terms of deliverables, users, departments, sites, etc. Also consider any constraints imposed by your institution that could affect the scope.

Critical success factors

Critical success factors are factors on which the success or value of the project depends. Think of 3-4 processes or events which will be very important, emphasising the positive things that need to happen. For example:

• if you’re building a prototype system to demonstrate feasibility, then scalability and sustainability may be critical success factors
• if you’re developing a portal, then usability and interoperability may be a critical success factors
• if you’re developing learning objects, the pedagogical quality may be a critical success factor. 

It may help to think about your stakeholders and their expectations, so review your critical success factors after you’ve done the stakeholder analysis.