Planning is a key element of good research practice

Planning is a key element of good research practice and needs to be done in a very formal

and comprehensive manner. Planning helps to formulate a project from a collection of

thoughts, anticipate potential problems, and continuously focus the project towards its aim. To

do this requires a clear understanding of:

• what the project is trying to achieve (the AIM);

• what needs to be done to achieve it (the OBJECTIVES);

• how the objectives should be tackled (the METHODOLOGY);