Specification with a timetable

You must make a written specification of the parts that are to be done, and a schedule of when they will be done. There are several purposes for this specification with a timetable:

• projects tend to have better chance of success if they are well planned
• it is a practice in delimiting a complext problem
• it is a practice in applying an approach with the purpose of clarifying what you are going to do before you begin doing it
• It is a practice in doing and following a timetable
• the probability that the thesis will be finished in time – ie constitute a completed whole – will increase
• you'll get used to create and keep an agreement with your contractor

You should create the specification and it needs to be approved by the supervisor and examiner before the actual work begins. You may need a couple of weeks to familiarize yourself with the problem well enough to be able to create a good specification with a timetable. The specification should be approved within a month after the exjobb has started.

What the specification needs to contain:

• header indicating that this is a thesis specification
• your name and email
• the name of your supervisor at CSC
• whom your provider is and the name of the supervisor with the provider.
• current date
• detailed definition of the problem
• description of the goal with the thesis work
• a list of what the literature study comprises of and a indication of how they will be examined
• a description of the procedures (methods) used to solve the problem
• a list of the resources that are expected to be needed to solve the problem (unless the exjobb includes investigating what equipment that will be used). This can be techinal equipment but also test subjects or interviewees
• clear boundaries of what will be done (so that it is clear what will not be included in the exjobb)
• timetable that shows not only which order the different parts will be done but also their extent and when they will be performed (calender week numbers or date). The timetable should include clear milestones

The timetable should take into account what weeks you can devote full time to the thesis work and what periods you need to fully or partially dedicate to other tasks. It should also be notet that for thesis work done at an external provider the supervisor there might require labor that the supervisor at CSC does not count as belonging to the thesis work. Likewise, CSC might require certain things for the work to be accepted even if the external provider does not see them as essential.

In working life timetables, as you propably know, very important and managers generally assumes that they will be held. Regarding thesis work it is not uncommon that the supervisor at the external provider tries to make the thesis worker deviate from the timetable to improve the work instead of devoting time to write the report. Remember to reser enough time for the report writing. Such work tends to take longer than you might think.

The specification and the timetable need to be discussed with the supervisor and the examiner. For thesis work with external providers and individual tutoring you should, whenever praticable, arrange meetings where the supervisor at the external provider, the supervisor at CSC (and possibly the examiner), and of course you are participants. Ensure that the supervisors and examiners receive a copy each of the specification in sufficient time before the meeting. The supervisors (both from CSC and the external provider), the examiner and the thesis worker signs the specification as a confirmation that they approved it. If you cannot agree on a specifikation, you need to find another task for the thesis work.

Circumstances may then force you do deviate from the specification and/or timetable. Such discrepancies are not unusual or strange. But you need to discuss any discrepancies with the supervisor at CSC and have them aproved by him or her.