Project Guidelines

Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning Project Guidelines for Post Graduate Programs and Certificate courses 1. Understanding the significance of a Project Report Many learners underestimate the significance of a project report and make a mistake of thinking that excellent marks can be scored by simply producing a good lay-out. This is fundamentally not the case as many projects are graded well below their potential because of an indifferent or poor write-up. In order to acquire the right balance, a learner should consider the aim behind making a good project. It provides the opportunity for a learner to demonstrate independence and originality, to plan and organize the project work, and to put into practice some of the techniques a learner has been taught throughout the program. 2. Meaning of a Project The word project actually means something that comes before anything else is done. A project can be defined as a temporary endeavour undertaken to achieve a particular aim or it is a study of factual information for comprehending and applying the various concepts of the course into practice. In simple words, a project can be understood as mentioned under:
It is a practice of verification or demonstration of concepts or hypotheses or processes learnt.
It is also a technique of self-learning, learning by doing. It has a practical value.
The purpose of project is not to generalize but to study the situation with a practical orientation. 3. Application of Research Methodology to Project Work SCDL allows learners to take up any topic of their interest and choice for project work. However, learners should bear in mind that project topic should be relevant in their area of specialization. For example, the learners of PGDBA (Marketing) should carry out their project work only in the functional areas of Marketing or PGDIT learners should select topics from their area of choice. Although an illustrative list of the topics is being given at the end in order to give an idea about project topics or titles of the project, learners are nevertheless advised not to restrict themselves only to the topics specified. SCDL gives liberty to choose any topic relevant to a learner’s specialization. Steps in Research Process Defining the problem and Project Objectives Designing Project Plan Collecting Data Analysis of Data Interpretation and reporting the findings

4.Project Supervisor(Guide) Projects can be guided by any Post Graduate degree holder with/without a Doctorate Degree working in an academic institution (preferably teaching MBA /Management course) or a person working in the managerial cadre in any industrial/business /IT organization. Learners must take advice and suggestions from their guides from time to time. 5. Project Proposal Once the learner decides the Project topic, he/she should prepare a proposal as per the format given in the next page. This format should be considered as ANNEXURE 1 of the Project report by the learners. The Proposal should not be more than 5 to 6 pages. In other words, the project proposal need not be sent separately. 6.Format of Proposal Name of theLearner……………………………………......... Registration No. …………………………………………..... Program Name………………………………………………… Address…………………………………………………......... ......………………………………………………….................. Proposal must carry the following information
Title of the Project
Objectives
Need for the topic
Methodology and Procedure of Work
Statistical Techniques to be used(If any)
Chapterisation
Detailed Information of Guide: Name, Address, Qualification, Designation, Special Field of Work, Experience, Any Other Important Information 7. Technical specifications of the project report
Paper : A4 size Bond Paper only(11"x 8.5")
Fonts : Times New Roman , 12 font size, ‘1.5’ spacing
Margin : Left 35 mm , Right 20mm , Top 35mm , Bottom 20mm
Binding : Rexin Black Bound or Plastic & spiral bound
First (preliminary)page should have the following information: i) Top : The Title in BLOCK CAPITALS ii) Centre : Full name of the student in Capital letters and Registration Number iii) Bottom : Name of the Institute(i.e. SCDL), in Block Capitals, and the Academic year 8. Instructions for the preparation of hard copy of the project report Learners should note the following important points regarding project work:
The title of the project-report should not be the same as the objectives, as there can be more than one objective for a particular study.
Each objective will have at least one or more findings and suggestions.
Each objective must have relevant questions in the questionnaire and/or interview schedule.
Learner must ensure adequate coverage of the topic in general and objectives in particular.
Coloured figures/diagrams/graphs/tables will add value to the presentation of the report. Every table and diagrammatic representation should have a serial number and a caption.
All Project reports are to be sent by post or delivered personally at the address of SCDL main campus.Learners should submit thedraft of the project report to the Project Guide




before the final submission and make the necessary changes, corrections as suggested by the guide. Project Report should be of minimum 65 pages for all two year programs and of 30 pages for all one year programs.(Not applicable for PGDIT/PGDID) Learners have to strictly follow the deadline for submission of the project report. Project reports received after the deadline will not be evaluated.

Important Note (a) For two year programs, the Project report must be submitted within three months after completion of the fourth semester. As far as PGDIT program is concerned, Part A of the project report should be submitted within three months after completion of the third semester and Part B of the project report within three months after completion of the fourth semester. For one year programs, the project report must be submitted within three months after completion of the second semester. As far as CPED (which is only a one semester) program is concerned, the project report should be submitted within two months after completion of the semester. (b) While sending the project report to Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL), please mention (on the top of the envelope) “PROJECT REPORT for program………..”. (c) In addition to these general guidelines, learners of PGDIT and PGDID must also refer to the guidelines specific to their programs as given in Annexures ‘A’ and ‘B’. 9.No Objection Certificate If the project is carried out in an organization, a certificate of the CEO or any other authorized person of the organization is necessary, mentioning that the organization has no objection in publishing the findings of the project study. The certificate should bear the name of the authority with signature and company stamp. Alternatively, the certificate should be given on the company’s letterhead and signed by the company’s authorized person. 9(a) FOR EMPLOYED LEARNERS SPECIMEN NO OBJECTION CERTIFICATE This is to certify that ………..(learner’s name) is an employee of this institute/organization for the past ………… We have no objection for him/her to carry out a project work titled “…………………” in our organization and for submitting the same to the Director, SCDL as a part of fulfilment of the……………..Program. We wish him/her all the success. Seal of the company

Place: Date:

Signature of the competent authority of the Institute / Organization

9 (b) FOR NON EMPLOYED LEARNERS SPECIMEN NO OBJECTION CERTIFICATE This is to certify that ………..(learner’s name) is permitted to use relevant data/information of this organization for his/her project in fulfilment of the ……………..Program. We wish him/her all the success. Seal of the company

Signature of the competent authority of the Institute / Organization

Place: Date: CERTIFICATE/DECLARATION REGARDING ORIGINALITY This is to be given by the learner and the supervisor (guide) indicating that this project work is original and submitted for the first time. SPECIMEN 9(c) DECLARATION BY THE LEARNER This is to declare that I have carried out this project work myself in part fulfilment of the …………..Program of SCDL. The work is original, has not been copied from anywhere else and has not been submitted to any other University/Institute for an award of any degree/diploma.

Date:

Signature:

Place:

Name:

SPECIMEN 9(d) CERTIFICATE OF SUPERVISOR(GUIDE) Certified that the work incorporated in this Project Report……………..(Title) submitted by ……………..(Learner’s name) is his/her original work and completed under my supervision. Material obtained from other sources has been duly acknowledged in the Project Report

Date: Place:

Signature of Guide:

10. Chapterisation (For Programs other than PGDIT/PGDID) i) No Objection Certificate ii) Declaration By The Learner iii) Certificate By The Supervisor Chapters Page Nos. 1. Introduction………………………………………………… 2. Objectives and Scope……………………………………… 3. Limitations …………………………………………………. 4. Theoretical Perspective…………………… 5. Methodology and Procedure of Work ………… 6. Analysis of Data……………………………………………. 7. Findings, Inferences and Recommendations………………… 8. Conclusion…………………………………………………… 9. Summary of the Project Report ANNEXURES I) II) III) IV)

Proposal References List of Figures, Charts, Diagrams…………………………… List of Tables ………………………………………………

(Note: The “No Objection” Certificate and the Declaration Certificate of the learner and the supervisor will be a part of the hard bound Project Report.) 11. Scheme of Assessment and Evaluation of Project Sr. No. Item of Assessment 1. Area and topic selected for the project work 2. Need of the project topic and statement of objectives of the project work 3. Methodology and procedure of the project work 4. Tools of data collection 5. Presentation of collected data tabulation, diagrams, graphs etc.in a concise form 6. Analysis of data 7. Use of statistical techniques for analyzing of data 8. Findings, inferences, their educational implications and recommendations. 9. Preliminary pages of the project report , typing, binding and get-up of the report 10 Overall impression about the project work and its presentation in the report form 11 If the project has any relevance to the existing job profile, a learner has to furnish a feedback from his/her immediate superior as to why/how the particular topic has been chosen by the concerned learner and what value it would add in general or in particular. 12. Selection of Project Topic







The project can be selected in various ways like Select a company / organization / institute concerned Discuss with concerned persons, your specific requirements and select the subject/topic in their consultation. Discuss with your faculty concerned, before making a choice of your subject/topic. Consult experts in the field to make a right choice of the subject. Study various articles / news items etc. appearing in dailies, weekly, monthly magazines to look for a desired topic. Discussions with the relevant firm may help select a proper topic.




A critical eye can help you spot the right topic for your project.

13. Suggested List of Topics for Project Work Marketing Management The brand loyalty of the carbonated drinks The taste and preferences of the hostel food The preferred brand of vodka Emerging trends in retailing Effective brand management Service industry in India Reasons for brand failure Analysis of sales promotion and advertising strategies CRM in India Psychology of Indian consumer Survey on Consumer Choices of different brands of two-wheelers in Pune Market Potential for Logistics Business in Pune city Brand Equity in select FMGC products in Mumbai city Service Quality and Consumer satisfaction of Maruti Service Centres A Study on Marketing Strategies of HLL in South India (A Case Study) Impulse Buying Behaviour of Customers in Delhi Human Resource Management Philosophy and Management of Human Resources in select large sized Indian Industries Leadership styles – A comparison of Indian and Foreign Banks in Pune Job satisfaction and Job involvement of employees in select Textile Mills in Gujarat Status of Industrial Relations and Implementation of Labour Welfare Measures in select Oil Mines HR Practices and Organizational Strategies in select IT companies in India 360 degree appraisal in ABC Corporation Potential appraisal in Maruti Udyog Strikes and lockouts in ABC Cross cultural issues in HR Industrial conflict Transfer and Promotional Strategies Financial Management Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management Securities, Markets and Financial Institutions Capital Markets, Financial Intermediation, and Investment Analysis Corporate Financial Problems Field Study in Insurance sector Portfolio Management for Governmental and Non-Profit Organizations in India Debt Management and Capital Financing in ABC Mergers & Acquisitions Investment Feasibility study Future of derivatives in India Study of growth prospects of Mutual Funds in India Banking Sector - PSUs are here to stay

Stock exchange related issues Production /Operations Management Comparison between Product Layout and Process Layout in an organisation Cost Analysis of Layout To study and analyse systematic layout procedure in a plant Study of Production, Planning and Control in an organisation An analysis of Demand and Capacity A study of Planning Strategies in public sector A study of JIT in a government organization JIT Manufacturing JIT Purchasing KANBAN-An Integrated JIT System in a Japanese company Six sigma applications CRM Developing an analytical CRM model for a wholesale dealer CRM plan at an electronic shop a study Identifying weaknesses in a CRM system in a super-market in Pune. Strength and weakness of an FMCG company Scope for strengthening a CRM program in a computer training institute. Marketing the effectiveness of a CRM system of an IT company A study of CRM system in international banking organization Factors that will strengthen the CRM system in the public sector Insurance company The CRM system in an organization India company – a detailed analysis How to make awareness about the requirement of a useful CRM system in service sector International Business Management Impact of Sep 11 on World Trade Centre Disequilibrium in Balance Of Payments in Trade Organization and Structure of Foreign Exchange market India’s Foreign Trade with MNC International trade of cosmetics Export of tea Export marketing Impact of FDI on Indian organization Chinese products in Indian market Prospects of exporting dry fruit in international market Insurance Management Term plan of Kotak Mahendra Life insurance for accidents Retirement solution of ICICI and planning Cargo insurance in India Motor vehicle insurance and its impact on people Benefits of “Home and family protector insurance policy Personal Accident Claim

Gramin Personal Accident Insurance Passenger Flight Insurance Rajrajeshwari Mahila Kalyan Bima Yojna Bhagyashree Vima Yojna Rasta Appatti Kavach Yojna Fire insurance of Properties & Scope of Fire Insurance Retail Management To identify significance of CRM in retail sector A study of automotive retail management structure in an organization To find out the role of SCM in an organization To understand retail store operations in ABC To evaluate retail strategies of a mall To understand role of applied retail research in an organization To analyse visual merchandising and space planning in a mall To analyse promotional tactics in retail sector A detailed study of relation between location and retailing Supply Chain Management Deploying SAP-Managing Master Data to maximize value of SCM From Logistics to Supply Chain Management with SAP at Pepsi Supply Chain Management in the Manufacturing Industry Inventory management across the Supply Chain Supply Chain performance measures at Parle JIT perspective on inventory Management in ABC Corporation Managing Information Technologies across Supply Chain in GATI Diagnosing and improving Supply Chain information flows in Blue Dart Supply Chain Challenges at malls Sales and Operations Planning at malls Product Customization within the Supply Chain Strategies for Business Process Improvement

Annexure A

Guidelines specific to PGDIT Learners 1. Learners have to carry out computerization / automation of any business process as a part of this project. They may choose any manual system or may carry modification to the existing applications. 2. Learners are required to complete the project in two parts, part A and B. Part A (Semester III) Analysis and Design, covers the following phases:




Survey Phase / Study Analysis Design

3.

Learners have to send survey phase (soft copy) document by August 12, 2007 to SCDL with their name, title of the project, course name, registration number clearly marked on it .SCDL will approve the document and intimate the learners. Learners are then required to submit Analysis and Design (i.e. the remaining part of Part A of the project) for approval before the end of the semester.

4.

Based on the feedback, a learner has to modify the design and develop the project. Learners should submit a softcopy in MS-office format (Word Document, PPT-diagram) at [email protected]

Part B (Semester IV) covers the code design, Implementation and Evaluation 5.

After the completion of the entire project of (Semester III and Semester IV) every learner has to submit a hard copy of the complete project report in a combined form to SCDL main campus address. Similarly, a soft copy has to be sent on the e-mail ID mentioned above.

BODY OF TEXT Part A (Semester III) a. Survey Phase/ Study:
Existing system: - Explains the functionality (of existing system)
Drawbacks
System Requirements:- features desired in new system b. Analysis:
Context Diagram
Data flow Diagram (Level I, II, III)
Functional decomposition c. Design (System design):
ER Diagram
Data Dictionary
Table Design
Input forms Design
Report Layouts Part B (Semester IV)

7. The code design and implementation Learners have to develop the code for the forms and reports designed during Semester III. They will be assessed on the basis of
Quality of code
Input data validations
Quality of report Note: Learners of PGDIT are requested to retain a soft copy of the project prepared in Semester III as it will be required for pursuing further project work for Semester IV. 8. CHAPTERISATION (Project I - Semester III) Chapter 1: Introduction




Existing system Scope of project Model, if any

Chapter 2: Survey




Sources of Data Collection Methods of Data Collection System Requirements

Chapter 3: Analysis




Context diagram Data flow diagram (Level I, II, III) Functional decomposition

Chapter 4: Design






ER diagram Data dictionary Table design Input forms design Report layouts

Chapter 5: Implementation (Project II - Semester IV)



Data Validation Sample Code

Chapter 6: Future Enhancement A. B. C.

Annexure Survey Input Screens Sample Reports Bibliography

9.Suggested list of topics for the Project Report Information &Technology





Student Information System such as enrolment process, fee status, assignment status, exams status, degree/diploma processing. Online examination system such as generation of question bank, question paper, score card etc. IT in HR application such as payroll system, performance appraisal, recruitment, leave management etc. E-commerce ERP in Logistics/Transportation Management MIS in Traffic Management Data processing in Warehouse Management Design/Development of novel IT system EDI Knowledge Management and IT Role of IT in Project Management SAP System/Vendor Selection Security and role of IT IT Maintenance/Troubleshooting

Annexure B

Guidelines specific to PGDID Learners 1. Objective of PGDID Project To develop skills, insights, and understandings of the basics to instructional design concepts, models, theories and principles combined with creativity, with emphasis on development of instructionally sound storyboards / scripts. 2. All learners of PGDID program have to submit two projects, one in Semester I and the other in Semester II SCDL allows learners to take –up any topic of their interest and choice for Project 1. However, learners should bear in mind that the project topic should be relevant to Instructional Designing. Although an illustrative list of the topics is given in order to give an idea about project topics or titles of the project, learners are nevertheless advised not to restrict themselves only to the topics mentioned here for Project Work as SCDL gives liberty to choose any topic relevant to Instructional Design. 3. List of Topics for Project (1) Work (First Semester) 1. Teaching Computer Basics to (a)adult (b)child 2. Teaching Environmental Science (a) Global Warming (b) Pollution (c) Contagious Disease (d) Green House Effect 3. Induction And Training Program for Top Management, Middle Management and Lower Management 4. Needs Analysis for Call Centre/Training and Development Company 5. Teaching Basics of Grammar to Primary, Middle and Senior Class 6. Interview Basics 7. Stress Management Note: As Project 1, every learner is supposed to write a detailed note (15-20 pages) on any one of the above topics or any other topic relevant to the application of Instructional Design 4. As far as Project 2 (second semester) is concerned, raw contents on three topics for creating storyboard/script is provided by SCDL on website www.scdl.net. Learners need to select any one topic to create a storyboard/script. Learner may choose to create either a storyboard or a script on any one of the topic. Both formats serve the same purpose, and include the same descriptive elements, but vary in their layout and treatment of graphics. Sample storyboard and sample script is provided in Lesson 12: Visualization & Storyboarding of SLMS is also online in the topic chosen . a) Storyboards use rough sketches or clip art to visually depict required art elements. b) Scripts use verbal descriptions of on-screen graphical items. 5. Creating Storyboard c) Learner is supposed to create the storyboard using PowerPoint application (ppt file) Naming the file: Learners should use their registration number to name the file. e.g. 200500002.ppt d) Alternatively learner can submit a hand-written storyboard, for which they need to follow the format provided in the Self learning material (Annexure B, Page 169). In this format, the page is divided into two parts. Learners may show the placement of text, graphics, instructional text etc. at the initial part of their project and they can write the instructions

meant for the graphic artist and the programmer at the end of their project. The learners may also write additional text or the text that needs to appear on navigations like click, rollover, drag and drop, etc. 6. Creating Script e) Learner is supposed to create the storyboard using MS-Word application (doc file). Naming the file: Learners should use their registration number to name the file.e.g. 200500002.doc. f ) Alternatively, a learner can submit a hand-written script, but they need to follow the format provided in Annexure A (Page 157) of the SLM. 7.Project Submission g) Softcopies of Project 1 and 2 are to be submitted at [email protected] to SCDL. Apart from soft copy, after the completion of the entire project of (Semester III and Semester IV) every learner has to submit a hard copy of the complete project report in a combined form to SCDL main campus address. Please note that the name of the file should be learner’s registration number. e.g.: 200500002.doc h) Learners are required to retain one copy of the project with them.