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Design Project Proposal and Management Advice
HSC Outcomes
H1.2 relates the practices and processes of designers and producers
to the major design project
H4.1 identifies a need or opportunity and researches and explores
ideas for design development and production of the major design project
H5.1 manages the development of a quality major design project
H5.2 selects and uses appropriate research methods and communication
techniques
The Project 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 should consider the areas that they will need to investigate to reach
a successful satisfaction of the need identified.Students should 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.
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.
- Identification and exploration of the need 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.
The examiners will be seeking evidence in the folio of:
- action plan
- time plan
- finance plan
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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