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Team Report (INITIAL VERSION, NEEDS EDITS)

You must submit a team report on the requirements specification and project plan in the first semester worth 15% of your total mark. The final year team project is a substantial part of your degree. It can have a major effect on the degree class you are awarded and even whether or not you pass the degree. The team report is to make sure you understand what your project requires you to do and how you are going to finish your component of the overall system developed by the team and how it all links.

The team report is marked by your supervisor and moderator independently. Before you submit the final version you should discuss the report with your supervisor to make sure both of you agree on what your project entails. The team presentation is also about the report and also a chance to get more feedback on your project.

The team report should be e-mailed directly to your supervisor and moderator, and you will get oral feedback during the presentation and further formal feedback via a written report returned to the group.

Finally, note that this is about the initial requirements, and you can, and most likely should, adjust these as you progress. Note, however, that with the report you are prescribing what you intend to deliver at the various stages.

Structure and Contents

Your team report should be at most 5,000 words per team member, excluding any figures and tales. It should contain the following information:

Project Title

The title of the team report document should be “Team Report” followed by the title of your project. List your team members as authors and also list your supervisor and moderator with their roles. Please also list the module number and module title you are taking and credits due for this module.

Project Description

The first section of the document should be a brief description of your project outlining the problem you are trying to solve, its context, and overall aims. You can adapt the proposal used to select your project. Half a page to one page should be sufficient for this.

Project Aims and Objectives

The second section of the document should be a list of more detailed aims and objectives for your project. These are statements of what you set out to achieve with your project. Try to be as specific as possible at this stage, but avoid getting into too many details that may change later. It's only the main results and components of your project you should list. A bullet point list with at most one level of sub-points is usually sufficient.

Work Plan

The last section of your initial plan should consist of a time plan stating what you are working on when. This should include clear milestones of what you expect to achieve by which date and also show how you intent to achieve these milestones.

Make sure you clearly describe what you intend to include in the deliverables required for your project type, i.e. state what you will produce for the interim and final report, as applicable for your project module. Link the deliverables to your time plan, such that you actually plan to deliver them when they are due.

Your time plan should further have at least two scheduled review meetings with your supervisor. You should typically see your supervisor once a week for a shorter time or once every two weeks for a longer time. The details of these arrangements are for you to agree with your supervisor. However, in your time plan you should mark out special meetings with your supervisor where you are reviewing your progress since the last such meeting (or from the beginning) and adjust your plan for the project based on the outcome of this meeting. These review meetings are mandatory and are considered as part of the mark of the reports (see marking criteria there).

You are free to choose the work plan format that you think is best suited for your project and working style. This may be a Gantt chart, but sometimes it may also be sufficient to simply list in sequence what you are working on with a time-scale and milestones/deliverables. Usually a weekly scale for the work plan is a good choice. Take note of the deadlines for the deliverables as listed in your PATS project description when you develop the work plan and also consider any other commitments and busy times such as the exam periods.

Marking Criteria

Your supervisor and moderator will mark your plan according to the following criteria:

  • Title and project description accurately represent the project and are suitable for the module you are are taking;
  • Aims and objectives are clear, sufficiently detailed and provide a suitable challenge for your project;
  • Time plan is feasible, sufficiently specific to the project, and has a clear timeline and milestones;
    • Deliverables for the reports required for your project are suitable and clearly specified;
    • Approximate dates for at least two review meetings are given;
    • The amount of work is suitable for the credits and level of the module;
  • The report is well written and clearly structured;

on the following scale:

  • 0 marks: No suitable plan has been submitted.
  • 1 mark: Only a partial plan with major deficiencies/omissions has been submitted.
  • 2 marks: A plan with a project description, aims and objectives, and time plan has been submitted…
  • 3 marks: …which is feasible to execute within the constraints of the project…
  • 4 marks: …and has sufficient project-specific details and clear milestones…
  • 5 marks: …and shows originality and professionalism and/or scholarship.

Supervisor and moderator will leave comments about your plan explaining any concerns they may have and their expectations regarding the aims and objectives and deliverables. Make sure you consider these when executing the project.

team_report.1396519039.txt.gz · Last modified: 2014/04/03 10:57 by scmfcl