Download Download

Download a glossary of terms used in this course.

Once your project is underway, ongoing reflective practice can help you to consider your progress and will underpin continuing improvement in your work. One excellent example of reflective practice is keeping a lessons learned log. This may be an extension of an activity log (see the screen 'Daily management of your project' in the module Detailed project planning), with a greater focus on identifying what works well and what should be improved upon as the project progresses.

You can also draw on a lessons learned log for end-of-project reporting activities and for reflecting on how you might summarise the lessons you have learned if you are asked to address this in your viva voce or oral exam (if you have one).

 Useful information

More about lessons learned logs

Useful information

A lessons learned log could include the following sections (Rowland, 2017):

  • Name and date: It is important to note who entered the record and when, especially for collaborative work
  • Activity or practice: This should be a concise statement of the issue that the entry is about. It might be focused on better practice, rather than a problem
  • Impact: How does your lesson impact the issue? Can an activity be made quicker, cheaper or more accurate?
  • Lesson or action: What have you learned that could improve the way you work in the future?
  • Reference: Noting any relevant references to your research notes or lab book can help you and others track down evidence and further information to support your lesson learned.

For team projects, each participant can keep a personal log of lessons learned, or there may be a central location where they can be recorded for all team members, in digital or paper format. All can benefit from each other's lessons learned.

If you are working individually, keeping a log will help you track best practices in your work so that you can refer back to them.

You can download a template lessons learned log here and a completed example here.

Select each file in the project folder below to find out more about different types of end-of-project reports.

Continue on to find out more about different types of end-of-project reports.

 End-of-project reports Funding body

You may have received funding from one source for the whole project or you may have several grants covering different aspects of your work (for example, a travel grant). The final reports to your funding bodies will account for the expenditure of your work and typically include both research outcomes and budget summaries. The structure and guidelines for the final report are generally provided by the funding body, particularly if the work generated intellectual property and/or was funded by private-sector stakeholders.

 University

As a postgraduate researcher, you will usually be assessed on the progress of your academic project, both periodically and on completion of your overall project, dissertation or thesis.

 Submission for assessment

Whether you are writing a report, dissertation or thesis, it is important to make sure you adhere to the guidelines relating to format, length and content. Supervisors will give ongoing feedback on completed sections or early drafts of writing and at the final stage, will probably provide feedback on part or the whole of your draft. It is essential that you give yourself time to digest these comments and make any necessary corrections or revisions.

 Project

If you are expected to produce a report about your management of the project, it should summarise the overall project outcomes from start to finish, emphasising the deliverables that have been achieved. Talk to your supervisors about what else should be included. Depending on the nature of your research, you may be expected to outline all data or sources and where they can be located, as well as details of where stocks are stored and links to lab books or field notes. You may also need to include lessons learned and links to key protocols.

 Ethics and safety

If your project required ethics and/or safety approvals, final reports to these committees may be required when you complete your project.

 Useful information Useful information

The following are some tasks you may need to do when you are finishing your project:

  • Tie up loose ends: Finalise your submissions and any conference or publication plans. Ensure that any equipment or resources are returned and that your working area or office space is cleared. If appropriate, thank stakeholders and participants
  • Ensure all reports are delivered: All reports to your university, funding bodies, ethics committees and project stakeholders need to be completed when drawing your project to a close
  • Store records and data: All records and data should be backed up. Shared project databases (e.g. protocols) and team platforms can be discontinued or carried over to new projects
  • Store resources and products of the finished project: Reagents, tools, specimens, survey or interview data, recordings, videos, artefacts and other project products should be stored appropriately or reallocated to future or alternative projects
  • Identify new research directions stemming from the project: The outcomes of your research project will possibly lead to new research questions and potential future projects. Draw upon your activity log and project notes to build new project briefs or proposals for future research directions.

To help ensure that all necessary tasks are completed at the end of your research, you may consider using a project completion checklist, which will be unique for each individual project. You can download an example checklist here (Rowland, 2017) and adapt it for your own projects.

Just as your report, dissertation or thesis may conclude with an outline of future directions of research, your research may lead into a new project that represents a natural progression of the work. You may be transitioning from a Master's research project to a Ph.D., or handing over to new colleagues and it is important to provide a clear overview for future researchers who may continue on from your work or utilise materials stemming from it.

Consider the following conversation between a researcher and his supervisor. Then make a note of your answer to the question. Keep your answer saved so that you can refer back to it during your research.

Consider the following conversation between a researcher and his supervisor. Then make a note of your answer to the question. Keep your answer saved so that you can refer back to it during your research.

Identifying limitations to your project is key to addressing them in future work.

Researcher: I've started working on the end-of-project reports.

Supervisor: Great! Don't forget to write up the issues that we encountered with your project.

Research projects inevitably result in new ideas, which can be expanded upon in future research.

Researcher: Yes, I'll do that. I also have lots of ideas for what we could do next. Maybe the study cohort could be increased. We could research new or larger populations in the future.

Supervisor: Those are good suggestions. I think it's most important to expand on the model that you developed during your project.

The theories, models and protocols that were developed in your project can be explored and tested more extensively in future investigations.

Supervisor: Remember to include ideas for future directions in the last chapter of your thesis. This will also help us create funding applications for future projects.

How might your project evolve, either within or outside an academic context, following your planned work for your research degree? Make a note of some ideas to consider towards the end of your project.

There are many ways in which your project may continue to evolve. Whether you aim to continue in academia or seek employment in other sectors, you are likely to draw on the knowledge and skills gained throughout your research degree. You might have considered disseminating your findings through conferences, events and publications or maybe you will engage in outreach activities. Your research may also lead to patents and industrial deliverables or you could be exploring routes to the commercialisation of your data, outputs or findings.

Throughout the project it is essential to keep records and maximise professional efficiency by considering lessons learned over the course of the work and sharing that knowledge with your team or other researchers. Similarly, the project should be completed in such a way that future researchers can easily source the materials or findings that you have left or developed.