When you’re assigned a project, it can sometimes feel overwhelming. One way to lessen that feeling is to break down what you need to do into manageable pieces. This poster gives you some guidance on how to do just that.

HOW TO BREAK DOWN PROJECTS

IDENTIFY KEY DATES. Look at all project due dates. Is there a rough draft or work-in-progress due date? If so, you’ll need to plan to have as full a draft of your project as possible by that date. If there is not a rough draft/work-in-progress date, then work backwards from the final project’s due date. You’ll want to finish your draft with enough time to fact-check, edit, proofread, and check that you have completed all expected aspects of the project task. Or, if it’s a presentation, you’ll need plenty of time to practice.

THINK ABOUT THE STEPS. Think about all pieces of the task, brainstorming all steps that you can think of. Make sure to consult the assignment instructions, if your instructor has provided any, because that can help you identify the steps you need to complete.

These steps can include meeting with a librarian, conducting research (which most likely takes several sessions), assembling data, outlining a report or essay, creating visuals, writing part of a text (thinking about which parts should be written first), meeting with your group (if it’s a group project), and checking the formatting of a text or object that you produce.

BE REALLY SPECIFIC. When you look at your task list, have you been clear about what you have to do with each step? If you’ve used vague terms like “work on” something, or “do” something, that’s a sign that you might not have really clarified what those steps are. If you aren’t clear in your step identification, you might struggle later to complete the tasks. 

So, if you find that you can’t clearly articulate what each task entails, visit your professor’s office hours as soon as you can so that you can acheive clarity about what you need to do with each step of the project. 

ORDER THE STEPS. Some tasks must be done before other tasks, and sometimes it’s quite clear which should come first. Those tasks are relatively easy to put in order.  

However, some tasks might not be put in order so easily. If you’re struggling to figure out task order, talk to your professor as soon as you can — their office hours are ideal for this — so that you can put the steps in good order.

SCHEDULE YOUR STEPS

ESTIMATE TIME PER STEP. How long will it take to complete each task or step? Give your estimations some careful thought, and factor in at least a bit more time for each task than you think you’d need, just to be safe.

REALLY BREAK IT DOWN. If your time estimation for a task is longer than about an hour, think critically about whether you need to break that task down further. Remember, you’ll need to complete these tasks in the time between your classes, in the evenings, and on weekends. So, you need to be realistic about how long you truly have to complete each task.

“CHUNK” THE STEPS. Will some of the steps be easier to complete if you finish them close in time to each other? If so, indicate to yourself which tasks relate to each other and schedule time to do them together. Also, can some separate tasks be done at the same time? For instance, if you’re preparing a presentation, you might be able to perform some preliminary research while you also search for images for your presentation slides. 

KEEP TO THE SCHEDULE. Working backward from the rough draft due date (or, if there is none, the final due date), you already scheduled the tasks. Keep to these deadlines as closely as you can to spread out the work effectively, and keep the project’s quality as strong as possible.

FURTHER RESOURCES 

Bowdoin College Baldwin Center for Learning and Teaching. “Breaking Down Large Projects into Manageable Tasks.”

Fort Hays State University. “Breaking Down Big Assignments and Making a Study Plan.” 

University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. “Breaking Down Long Term Assignments.”

FACULTY FAUCET

Students will get a better grasp on project planning if you provide them with a clear set of expectations. Consider these aspects: 

  • First years may need more explicit guidance. Setting clear milestones will help reinforce to less experienced students how to section a project into smaller, more manageable pieces.  
  • More senior students can benefit from practicing this skill themselves. In higher-level courses, students might gain deeper insight into project scheduling if you ask them to submit their own project schedule plan, offering suggestions if/as needed.
  • Build in time for formative feedback. Having students submit a project draft (or perform a run-through of a talk) allows you to give them feedback before they earn a grade. This allows a chance for them to correct misconceptions or re-route a project that’s veering outside of what’s expected.

For more on helping students through project and task management, see NC State University’s “Increasing Student Success Through Effective Task Management.”