K-Chart: Tool for Research Planning & Monitoring EPH7112 Research Methodology

CONTENTS Background: Dilemma in Research Planning and Monitoring Existing tools The K Chart Conclusion

SCENARIO 1: GRADUATE STUDIES You just started your graduate study. You are looking for a title. Your supervisor/mentor is always busy. You pick up and photocopy every single article you come across, only to sleep on it than to read it through. Even when you do finish an article, it’s like reading Peruvian. You don’t know what to get from the paper. You keep asking yourself; What exactly am I working on? How much should I read? What should be my methodology? How many results should I have? How do I get a novelty?

SCENARIO 2: EMBARKING ON A RESEARCH PROJECT You are about to embark on a research project. You face a hard time identifying the scope of research and specific problems to solve. You are planning to have co-researchers/ students, but organizing and coordinating them are not a piece of cake. You want them to work together, not to scream at each other. You ask yourself; who will do what, and how much? How many sub-projects can be created? How to maximize the outputs? How to produce more papers?

Questions Students/Researchers Wish to Answer Earlier on: What is the specific title of study How to identify the problems to study? How wide/deep is the study? How much is the literature review? What do I look for in reading reference papers ? How do I choose between two (or more) design options? How do I organize my study? Should I focus on theory or simulation or what? How many results should I get? How do I know whether my results are correct and sufficient? What if I can not get the target results? How to arrange the results? How to cluster for sub-projects? Who to do what?

DILEMMA Many new researchers and graduate students are suffering from lack of guides for research planning/monitoring. Good researches should have macro and micro level planning/monitoring Macro level: Activities and Timelines in general Micro level: Scope of Issues Under Study, Methodology, and Results Existing tools tend to be too specific in function K-Chart attempts to provide the Micro-level research planning/monitoring.

EXISTING RnD PLANNING TOOLS Pareto Chart (80-20 rule) Ishikawa/ Cause and Effect/Fish bone Flow Chart Gantt Chart Existing tools tend to be too specific in function, or too broad

WEAKNESSES OF GANTT CHART 1. Does not clearly show the structure/scope; depth and width of the project 2. Does not provide the designation of issues under study; general issues, complementary issues and focused issues 3. Does not clearly provide the methodologies used 4. Does not clearly show the detail results 5. Does not provide the number of results

WHAT IS A K-CHART? A tool for systematically organizing research Scope of issues under study, Methodology, and Results Timelines in the form of a Tree Diagram

K-Chart organizes the items in 5 layers: THE K-CHART LAYERS K-Chart organizes the items in 5 layers: GENERAL TITLE SCOPE OF ISSUES LAYERS METHODOLOGY LAYERS RESULTS LAYERS TIMELINES

Study of the Performance of ABC STRUCTURE OF A K-CHART System Sub Issues 2 (App. Based) Sub-system/ Elements Methodologies Sub-issues N Simulation Experiment Results: Performance Parameters Sub Issues 1 (Types based) DP 1 ABC Type 2 Type 3 App. 1 Type 1 App.2 App. 3 A B C App.4 Theory Survey PP2 Design Parameters b1 b2 b3 PP 1 DP 3 DP 2 PP 3 DP1 General Topic Study of the Performance of ABC Scope Methodology Result

GENERAL TITLE Factors Influencing the Performance of Motor Vehicles SYSTEM Vehicles Sub Issues 1: App. based Air Land Sea Sub Issues 2: Types based Motorcycles Cars Trucks Vans Sub Issues 3: Types based Mini Sedan Wagon SUBSYSTEM/ ELEMENTS Engine Body Tire METHODOLOGIES Theory Experiment Simulation Survey Lab. Tests Field Tests Lab. prototype Eng. prototype Commercial prototype Meas. Techn.1 Meas. Techn.2 Meas. Techn.3 RESULTS: Performance Parameters Acceleration Speed Fuel consumption Design Parameters Pressure Tire Height Tire Width Tire Pressure Tire Width

THE IMPORTANCE OF TITLE A title should indicate: The systems you are working on The problems you are solving Your achievements Your methodology General Title: General Final Project (Thesis) Title: More specific Paper’s Title: Very specific

THE IMPORTANCE OF ISSUES LAYER The more detail the layers, the less the assumption, the better Every time there is a jump between the layers, an assumption is made (thus, a justification is required) One can choose any way he/she likes to arrange the sequence of layers However, Issues of the same theme should be in the same layer The Issues Layers indicate - The scope of critical reviews (what to get from the papers) - The focused issues (designation of issues) - The rationale in choosing issues to study (to move from one level to the next) - The Problem Statement

THE IMPORTANCE OF METHODOLOGY LAYER To define the specific methods adopted To designate which methods are of higher priorities To avoid ambiguities in the approach taken To reduce assumptions

THE IMPORTANCE OF METHODOLOGY LAYER The Results Layers help in: Identifying the expected results, and how many of them Setting the priorities and designation of results Identifying the possible analyses e.g. comparative studies Organizing reports/thesis/papers Designating sub-projects

With A K-Chart, let’s try to answer these questions again …. What is the specific title of study How wide/deep is the study? How much is the literature review? What do I look for in reading reference papers ? How do I choose between two (or more) options How do I decide to move to the next level of study? How do I develop the objectives of study What is the methodology (Theory, Simulation, Experiment, Observation, Survey) ? How many results (# curves, graphs, charts) can be obtained Which results to be focused on? How to arrange the results How many comparisons can be made? How to cluster for sub-projects Who to do what?

and more … How to plan for publication ? How to construct articles’ titles ? How to organize the report structure ? How to plan for a graduate thesis writing? How to integrate with new ideas ? How to re-align the area of research when the original plan does not work ?

CONCLUSION The requirement for a research planning tool is obvious Existing tools are either too specific or too broad K Chart provides a more comprehensive micro-level planning

WASSALAM Thank You