project-brief-template

Download as Word (DOCX)

Project Brief Template

Instructions: Copy this template for each new project. Fill out all sections before moving from seed to active status. Update regularly as the project evolves.

Project Information

Project Title: [Clear, descriptive title]

Project ID: [Unique identifier, e.g., IDEEAS-2024-001]

Current Stage: [ ] Seed [ ] Active [ ] Completed [ ] Archived

Research Thrust: [ ] AI-Powered Pedagogy [ ] Decision Architectures [ ] Cognitive Modeling [ ] Sustainable Systems

Start Date: [YYYY-MM-DD]

Expected Completion: [YYYY-MM-DD]

Last Updated: [YYYY-MM-DD]

Team and Roles

Project Lead (DRI): [Name and role]

Principal Investigator: [Name]

Team Members:

  • [Name] - [Role] - [Specific responsibilities]
  • [Name] - [Role] - [Specific responsibilities]
  • [Name] - [Role] - [Specific responsibilities]

External Collaborators: [If any]

Mentoring Relationships:

  • [Graduate student] mentored by [Postdoc/Faculty]
  • [Undergraduate] supervised by [Graduate student/Postdoc]

Project Overview

Research Question(s)

[1-2 clear, specific research questions that this project addresses]

Hypothesis/Expectations

[What do you expect to find? What are your theoretical predictions?]

Significance and Impact

[Why does this research matter? How does it advance the field? What are the potential applications?]

Connection to Lab Mission

[How does this project align with the lab's mission and research thrusts?]

Background and Literature

Key Literature

[3-5 most important papers/sources that inform this work]

  • [Citation 1] - [Brief summary of relevance]
  • [Citation 2] - [Brief summary of relevance]
  • [Citation 3] - [Brief summary of relevance]

Theoretical Framework

[What theories or models guide this research?]

Gap in Knowledge

[What specific gap does this research fill?]

Methodology

Research Design

[Experimental, observational, mixed-methods, etc.]

Participants/Data Sources

  • Population: [Who/what are you studying?]
  • Sample Size: [Target N and justification]
  • Recruitment: [How will you recruit participants/gather data?]
  • Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria: [If applicable]

Data Collection

  • Methods: [Surveys, interviews, experiments, archival data, etc.]
  • Instruments: [What tools/measures will you use?]
  • Timeline: [When will data collection occur?]
  • Location: [Where will data collection happen?]

Analysis Plan

  • Quantitative: [Statistical methods, software]
  • Qualitative: [Coding approach, analysis framework]
  • Mixed Methods: [Integration strategy]

Tools and Resources

  • Software: [R, Python, NVivo, etc.]
  • Hardware: [Special equipment needed]
  • Data Storage: [Where and how data will be stored]
  • Computing Resources: [HPC, cloud computing, etc.]

Ethical Considerations

IRB Status

[ ] Not required [ ] Submitted [ ] Approved [ ] Modifications needed

IRB Number: [If applicable]

Ethical Issues

[Privacy, consent, potential harms, data security, etc.]

Risk Mitigation

[How will you address potential ethical concerns?]

Responsible AI Practices

[If applicable - bias, fairness, transparency, safety considerations]

Project Timeline and Milestones

Phase 1: Planning and Setup [Dates]

  • [ ] Literature review completion
  • [ ] IRB approval (if needed)
  • [ ] Tool/instrument development
  • [ ] Pilot testing
  • [ ] Team training

Phase 2: Data Collection [Dates]

  • [ ] Participant recruitment
  • [ ] Data collection milestone 1
  • [ ] Data collection milestone 2
  • [ ] Data quality checks
  • [ ] Collection completion

Phase 3: Analysis [Dates]

  • [ ] Data cleaning and preparation
  • [ ] Preliminary analysis
  • [ ] Full analysis completion
  • [ ] Results validation
  • [ ] Interpretation and discussion

Phase 4: Dissemination [Dates]

  • [ ] First draft of findings
  • [ ] Internal presentation
  • [ ] Conference abstract submission
  • [ ] Manuscript preparation
  • [ ] Publication submission

Key Deadlines

  • [Other important deadlines]

Deliverables and Outputs

Academic Outputs

  • [ ] Conference presentation(s): [Which conferences?]
  • [ ] Journal article(s): [Target journals?]
  • [ ] Thesis/dissertation chapter
  • [ ] Workshop or tutorial

Practical Outputs

  • [ ] Software/tools
  • [ ] Dataset for sharing
  • [ ] Policy recommendations
  • [ ] Educational materials
  • [ ] Industry report

Open Science Outputs

  • [ ] Code repository
  • [ ] Data sharing (if appropriate)
  • [ ] Reproducible analysis
  • [ ] Documentation and tutorials

Resources and Budget

Personnel

  • [Role]: [Hours/week] x [Weeks] = [Total hours]
  • [Role]: [Hours/week] x [Weeks] = [Total hours]

Equipment and Software

Travel and Conferences

  • [Conference]: [Estimated cost]
  • [Research travel]: [Estimated cost]

Other Expenses

Total Estimated Cost: $[Amount]

Funding Source: [Grant, department, etc.]

Risk Assessment

Technical Risks

  • [Risk]: [Likelihood] - [Impact] - [Mitigation strategy]
  • [Risk]: [Likelihood] - [Impact] - [Mitigation strategy]

Timeline Risks

  • [Risk]: [Likelihood] - [Impact] - [Mitigation strategy]
  • [Risk]: [Likelihood] - [Impact] - [Mitigation strategy]

Resource Risks

  • [Risk]: [Likelihood] - [Impact] - [Mitigation strategy]

Contingency Plans

[What will you do if major assumptions prove wrong or key resources become unavailable?]

Success Metrics

Primary Success Criteria

  • [Specific, measurable outcome]
  • [Specific, measurable outcome]

Secondary Success Criteria

  • [Additional positive outcomes]
  • [Learning objectives achieved]

Minimum Viable Outcome

[What's the minimum result that would still be valuable?]

Communication and Reporting

Internal Reporting

  • Weekly Check-ins: [Day/time with whom]
  • Monthly Reviews: [Schedule and participants]
  • Milestone Reports: [When and to whom]

External Communication

  • Stakeholder Updates: [If applicable]
  • Collaborator Meetings: [Schedule]
  • Public Communication: [Social media, blog posts, etc.]

Notes and Updates

Decision Log

[Record major decisions made during the project]

  • [Date]: [Decision] - [Rationale] - [Who decided]

Lessons Learned

[Update throughout the project]

  • [What worked well?]
  • [What would you do differently?]
  • [Unexpected findings or insights?]

Change Log

[Track major changes to the project plan]

  • [Date]: [Change] - [Reason] - [Approved by]

Review Schedule: This brief should be reviewed and updated monthly during active phases, and at each stage transition (seed → active → completed).