What is the SMART method?

The SMART method includes five components that you must consider when formulating goals. The word SMART in this case does not only mean clever, but stands for specific, measurable, attractive, realistic, and time-bound. These are the criteria with which you can define your goals so that you can actually achieve them.

How does the SMART method work?

Formulate your goals using the SMART criteria:

• Specific (meaning concrete): Make sure the wording is clear and unambiguous. Also formulate your goal in such a way that it depends only on you to achieve it.
• Measurable: Quantify your goal, e.g. in pages or hours. Ask yourself: “How will I know that I have achieved my goal?”
• Attractive: Your goal should be so attractive and meaningful to you that it is truly worth investing time and energy in it.
• Realistic: Formulate your goal so that it is a challenge for you but still remains achievable.
• Time-bound: When formulating your goal, make sure to set a clear deadline by which the goal should be achieved. Sometimes it also makes sense to define when you will start working towards the goal.

Formulation examples

Frequently asked questions

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What is a concept?

Concepts exist not only in academic fields but also in companies. Behind every good project is a detailed concept, that is, a precise plan. Developing a concept is necessary for taking an intentional approach to planning, justifying, or changing a project.

How do I develop my concept?

At the beginning, you should always clarify the purpose and objective of the concept i.e. the project. Additionally, you should consider the goals, target group, and framework conditions.

The method and planning of the specific activity are also important. You must also decide on how to measure – i.e. evaluate – the extent to which the planned actions will help you achieve your goals. Finally, it’s important to assess how your concept serves its communicative function.

What should my concept consist of?

When developing a concept, you should address the following key points:

• Purpose of the concept: Why is it needed?
• Goals and target group: Who is the audience and what is the objective?
• Framework conditions, e.g. legal or social-spatial: What is the initial situation?
• Method, procedure, approach, and implementation of the concept: How can the planned actions be justified theoretically and professionally?
• Planning the specific activity: How will the concept work? How can the goals be achieved?
• Required personnel, financial, and material resources: Which resources are realistic and feasible?
• Quality management and evaluation: How can I measure the extent to which the planned actions will achieve the desired goals?
• Communicative function of the concept internally and externally: Who will read the concept? Is it necessary to adapt the information to the reader, e.g. for parents, organization sponsors, decision-makers, staff?

Frequently asked questions

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• Divide upcoming tasks into 25-minute segments, called pomodori.
• During a pomodoro, you must do nothing but focus on this task – no getting up, making phone calls, eating, drinking, checking emails etc.
• After successfully working through 25 minutes, a pomodoro is “done”. As a reward, you get five minutes of free time. After four pomodori, you can take a longer break.

This method of tricking yourself with virtual rewards is surprisingly effective.

Especially for tasks that do not immediately yield visible results, the completed pomodori illustrate just how much work you have actually done and help keep you motivated – for example, when reading, thinking, revising etc.

The technique can also help you keep rising panic under control: simply focus on checking off one pomodoro after another.

Preparation

Here’s what you need for this technique:

• A kitchen timer, stopwatch, or your phone
• Weekly plan, to-do list, or schedule – in other words, work tasks arranged by priority and the time required
• Pen and paper

There are also freeware and apps available for the Pomodoro Technique.

Let’s get started!

1. Set the timer to 25 minutes.
2. Work with focus on the chosen task (do not get distracted; briefly note any distracting thoughts).
3. When the timer rings, mark the spot you have reached – for example, with an X or a tomato.
4. Five minutes break: relax, switch off, do some light physical exercise – then repeat the pomodoro three more times.
5. After four pomodori (= 2 hours), take a long break of 15 to 30 minutes. You can now allow thoughts that have nothing to do with your work; ideally, leave your workspace.

Literature: Cirillo, Francesco (n.d.): The Pomodoro Technique. http://pomodorotechnique.com (28.09.21)

Frequently asked questions

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The stages in the writing process

The individual phases are interconnected and overlap. Writing is a recursive and reiterative process. You may frequently have to revisit and revise previous drafts, or restructure certain sections.

You should be familiar with the individual stages and plan enough time by creating time and work schedules. Please refer to our article: Planning Writing Time

Here is an overview of the individual writing phases:

1. Pre-writing: Topic, research question
2. Collecting material: Research, literature
3. Structure: Interaction between collecting and processing material
4. Draft: First text
5. Revising: Writing for the target audience
6. Editing: Checking, proofreading, designing layout

The individual writing phases in detail

Techniques for this: Freewriting, clustering, mind-mapping, limitation table, brainstorming.

Techniques for this: Freewriting, clustering, mind-mapping, brainstorming, mini-exposé, using a reference management program, e.g. Zotero.

Techniques for this: Mind-map, overview by writing, planning pentagon.

Techniques for this: Freewriting, writing multiple drafts, dictating to yourself, marking unfinished parts

Look at the following in more detail: Consider headings and topic sentences, check topics against your line of argument, overview the overall context.

Useful tools: Word processing programs offer useful functions such as headers, page breaks etc. – it is best to set these from the outset. It can also help to print the text, leave it to one side, and have others proofread it.

Literature: Grieshammer, Ella; Liebetanz, Franziska; Peters, Nora; Zegenhagen, Jana (2013): Zukunftsmodell Schreibberatung. Schreibberatung lohnt sich. Eine Anleitung zur Begleitung von Schreibenden im Studium. Baltmannsweiler: Schneider Verlag Hohengehren.

Frequently asked questions

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When should I write a research proposal?

Once you start exploring various topics for your academic work, certain topics and questions will emerge that you are genuinely interested in. This is the time to start taking a more systematic approach towards deciding on your topic and specific research question.

Even if you have already decided what to write about, the research proposal is a useful tool for ordering your thoughts and planning your work.

The proposal serves as a roadmap for your writing project.

You will quickly notice

• • what really interests you,
  • what you already know,
  • what is feasible,

• where you need to narrow your ideas down more, and
• which aspects still require research.

How do I write a proposal?

Answer the following questions for yourself – in writing and as specifically and in as much detail as possible. Also note any uncertainties, open questions, or doubts. Your answers will form your proposal.

• Topic: What will the title (and possibly subtitle) of your work be?
• Question: Which question do you want to answer with your work?
• Goal: What goal should your work achieve?
• Initial situation: What problem will your work address?
• State of research: What is the current state of research on your topic?
• Theory: Which theories might you refer to?
• Approach/method: How will you proceed to answer your question or solve the problem?
• Outline: What is your likely outline?
• Literature: Which are the most important sources you will probably use for your work?
• Timeline: How will you plan your work leading up to the submission date?

What do I do with a proposal?

After you have written your proposal, you should ask a supportive person for feedback – for example, lecturers, fellow students, tutors, friends, or relatives. Ask the following questions:

• Does the proposal clearly communicate the focus of the work or its thesis?
• Does the proposal show a clear structure?
• Are the different parts clearly related to the main argument or the research question?

Writing a proposal also helps you prepare for meetings with your supervisor. You show that you have engaged with the key parameters of your writing project and can ask focused questions. This will also make it easier for your supervisor to give you feedback or provide help.

Further reading: University of California: Writing a research proposal.

Frequently asked questions

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How much time should I plan for?

Generally speaking, you will be expected to complete work on your Bachelor’s thesis within a period of six months, with the actual workload expected to correspond to about three to four months (after all, you still have to do a few other things at the same time). If you would like to submit your thesis earlier you can.

Around the submission time – typically one month before or after submission – you will also be expected to hold a presentation on your thesis.

Regarding this: Arrange the date for the presentation after consulting with your supervisors. Please make an appointment directly with the secretary’s office.

When should I start?

For many students, the date for starting work on their thesis is a critical issue – but generally speaking, there is no need to squeeze a thesis into a rigid semester calendar. To avoid extending your studies, it can make sense to submit a thesis so that it is completed within the semester rather than waiting for the end of the semester.

For legal reasons, a thesis must be submitted at the latest eight weeks before the end of the semester (mid January or early August) in order to be corrected in time.

If these eight weeks are no longer fully available, definitely talk to your supervisors. Also note that the seminars for the thesis either do not take place at all or only very irregularly during the lecture-free period and can be overcrowded.

If you do not have such time restrictions, you make it significantly easier for yourself and your supervisor.

Submission of the Bachelor’s thesis

As a rule, the Bachelor’s thesis must be completed no later than in the 9th semester.

The submission deadline is calculated according to the registration date. If your submission deadline exceeds the limit of the 9th semester, you should definitely submit an application for an extension to the examination board.

Students affected by the Covid pandemic have an “extended individual standard period of study”, namely by the number of Covid semesters they experienced during their studies (maximum 3). Thus, the latest possible submission date is also postponed without them having to submit an application to the examination board.

Time management

It is advisable to create a schedule for planning the time available for the individual tasks, i.e., to roughly divide the available time before starting the project. Here you should:

• estimate how much time each task will take,
• consider which external and personal factors could influence your work,
• and record all these considerations in a schedule.

If this is your first major scientific work, writing will probably take longer than expected, so:

Plan at least one month just for writing up the text.

“Regularly monitor compliance with the schedule. You will probably have to adjust the schedule to reflect actual progress.”

– Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kornnagel

People involved in an engineering thesis

An engineering thesis is not written alone – in the truest sense of the word. Besides yourself, quite a number of other people are involved.

Who is involved in a thesis?

• Primary examiners supervise and grade the thesis
• Secondary examiners or lecturers help with supervision and grade the thesis
• External supervisors, e.g. from companies, do not grade the thesis but issue an independent reference and ideally stay in contact with university supervisors
• Technical staff support the work (if you’re lucky)
• Writers – that is, yourself
• Fellow students, friends, family members, and the writing center can support you and give feedback: Finding Support During the Writing Process.

Frequently asked questions

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