Develop a project proposal and project management plan, including identifying the need, writing the design brief and criteria, and planning time, finance and resources for the Major Design Project

What this dot point is asking

NESA wants you to develop the first section of the Major Design Project folio, the project proposal and project management. This is where you prove the need is real, define what success looks like, and show a workable plan for time, money and resources. It is a marked section of the folio and sets up everything that follows.

The answer

Identifying and exploring the need

The proposal begins by establishing a genuine need or opportunity. You explore it through observation, user research, surveys and analysis of existing products, then state clearly who the user is and what problem you are solving. The depth of this exploration matters; markers reward a need that is investigated and justified rather than asserted. A well explored need also gives you a strong basis for later evaluation.

The design brief

The need is formalised in a design brief, a concise statement of the problem, the intended user, the purpose, and the main constraints and requirements. The brief should be specific enough to guide design decisions but open enough to allow creative solutions. It is the reference point for the whole project.

Criteria to evaluate success

From the brief you derive criteria to evaluate success, a measurable checklist covering function, aesthetics, ergonomics, cost, safety, sustainability and durability among others. These criteria are the single thread that connects the proposal to the final evaluation, because every later decision and the finished solution are judged against them. Writing them now, at the proposal stage, is essential.

Project management: planning time

Project management is what keeps a year long project on track. The central tool is the action plan, often presented as a Gantt chart, which lists tasks against a timeline and shows key milestones and deadlines. A good schedule sequences research, development, production and evaluation realistically, allows contingency time, and is revisited and updated as the project progresses. Markers look for evidence that the plan was used, not just drawn once.

Project management: finance and resources

The proposal also plans the project's resources:

• Finance plan. A realistic budget listing expected costs of materials, components, finishes and services, kept within the means available.
• Resource list. The materials, tools, equipment and external services needed, with availability and lead times considered.
• Risk and safety planning. An early consideration of work health and safety, which is developed further in production.

Planning resources early prevents the common failure of a project stalling because a material is unavailable or the budget runs out.

How NESA marks this section

The Major Design Project folio is organised into three marked sections: project proposal and management, project development and realisation, and project evaluation. The proposal and management section carries its own share of the project marks, so a clearly explored need, a sharp brief, measurable criteria and an evidenced management plan directly earn marks. Confirm the current mark allocations against NESA project advice for your year.

Why this matters in the HSC

This section is the foundation of the whole project. A weak proposal with a vague need and no measurable criteria undermines every later section, while a strong one gives the development and evaluation sections something concrete to build on and refer back to. Continuous, dated documentation of planning across the year is what distinguishes a genuine management record from one reconstructed at the end.