Project Planning and Evaluating a Craft Outcome

Planning before you make

Once you understand a brief, the next job is to plan how you will answer it. A project plan is a written map of the whole job: what you will need, how long each part will take, and what it will cost. It turns a good idea into a set of steps you can actually follow, so you do not run out of time, materials or money halfway through. When the making is finished, the plan does one more job: it gives you something to look back on, so you can judge how well the piece met the brief and what you would change. This module covers the two written parts of Component 2 that you can revise: building a clear project plan, and writing a strong evaluation of the outcome. The making of the piece itself is marked separately in the examination.

Planning and evaluation words

Learn these terms before the plan parts are matched up. They name the ideas used in this topic.

Match each plan part to what it covers

A clear plan against no plan

It helps to see what a good project plan gives you by comparing a maker who plans with one who dives straight in.

What does a project plan include?

A maker is writing a project plan for a craft outcome. Which set of things belongs in it?

• The resources needed, the timescale and the costings
• The final grades of other students
• The full history of the craft
• A list of shops in the town

Keep your plan realistic

The best plan is one you can actually keep to. It is tempting to promise a finished piece far too soon, or to imagine every stage going perfectly, but real making is slower and messier than that. Leave some slack in the schedule for mistakes, drying time and days when nothing goes right. Set each deadline a little earlier than you truly need, so a delay does not sink the whole job. Be honest about how much money you can spend and check the sums before you buy. A plan that is too tight simply falls apart on the first bad day, while a realistic one carries you through to a finished outcome you can be proud of.

Pick what belongs in a project plan

Select every item that belongs in a project plan for a craft outcome.

• The materials and tools the piece will need
• A timescale with deadlines for each stage
• An estimate of what it will all cost
• The weather forecast for next year
• Gossip about other makers

Order the stages of planning a project

Put the stages of building a project plan into a sensible order.

• List the resources the outcome will need
• Work out a timescale with deadlines
• Cost the materials and time
• Make the outcome, reviewing as you go
• Write an evaluation of the finished piece

Complete the planning facts

A list of everything a project needs, from materials to tools, is called its _____. A point in the plan where one stage should be finished is a _____. Working out what the materials and time will cost is called _____. Looking back at the finished piece to judge how well it met the brief is the _____.

Tap the two parts of an evaluation

An evaluation looks back at the finished work. Tap the TWO things that belong in a good evaluation.

• how well the piece met the brief
• what you would change next time
• what you ate for lunch
• the weather that week

Planning a long road trip

Building a project plan is a lot like planning a long road trip. Before you set off you decide the route, jot down what to pack so nothing is forgotten, and mark the towns you want to reach by a certain time each day. You also set aside some money for fuel and food, and you build in a little extra in case of a hold-up. Then you drive, checking the map as you go and adjusting when a road is closed. At the end of the journey you think back over how it went: what worked, what you would do differently, and whether you arrived when you meant to. A craft project runs the same way, from the first list to the final look back.

Work out the material cost

A maker needs 3 metres of fabric that costs 8 pounds for each metre. Work out the total cost of the fabric. Give the number only.

Advise on the project plan

Read each situation and choose the best advice.

• A maker has three weeks but has planned no deadlines for the stages. What should they add?
• A maker has not worked out what the materials will cost. What should they do?
• The finished piece is complete. What should the maker write?

Build a planning point

Choose the word for each gap to complete one point about project planning.

Explain how to plan and evaluate

A friend is about to start a craft project for a brief. Using what you have learned, explain how to plan it and how to evaluate the outcome.

• Explain what a project plan is and why it helps
• Explain what resources, a timescale and costings cover
• Explain why milestones and realistic deadlines matter
• Explain what a written evaluation should include
• Explain how the evaluation links back to the brief