Planning for a project is an important skill, so the TT$284$ EMA includes an element to encourage you to think about the work you will have to complete, how long the work could take, and what events might slow down your progress.

Many students encountering a project activity for the first time have commented that they failed to manage the process very well. When asked what went wrong they reported that they:

underestimated the amount of work to be completed

underestimated the amount of time required

didn$$t start thinking about the project early enough

didn$$t spend sufficient time planning the work

didn$$t allow time for unforeseen events

carried out work in the wrong order

missed important requirements in the rush to submit.

Our experience indicates that students who prepare for their project work perform much better than those who don$$t$.$ Students have also reported how planning helps to reduce their stress and anxiety. Checking their progress against their plan allowed them to see whether they were on track or needed to update their schedule to complete the remaining tasks on time.

The planning element has been included in the EMA to encourage you to start your preparations early, to understand the requirements, schedule the activities, assess the risks and difficulties and think about a mitigation strategy.

Please note that your EMA work plan is different from, and less detailed than, a project plan for a client $($as described in Block $4)$; it is about the work you will undertake and the risks you might face in completing Part $2$ of this EMA.

Given the importance that we attach to planning your work, one week of study has been set aside for you to complete the work plan. We have allocated $5\%$ of the EMA marks for the work plan, which should be in two sections. The first section should contain a schedule of activities and the second a risk assessment and mitigation strategy.