Project Plan and Kickoff Meeting (MSc)

The project plan is your first serious deliverable. At IEM, it is typically the first three chapters of your thesis: introduction, context analysis, and literature review. The goal is not perfection—it is alignment: a clear problem, a defensible scope, and a plan you can actually execute.

Once the project plan has been approved, we set up a kickoff meeting with the supervisory team (supervisor, examiner, and company supervisor). This meeting is your chance to present the plan and align early on the problem framing, scope, and evaluation direction—so you can incorporate feedback before the greenlight phase.

To prepare for this meeting, create a presentation that covers the key points of your project plan:

  1. Introduction: Introduce the company (briefly) and the problem you aim to address. Explain why this problem is important and how your study will contribute to the field.
  2. Research Question: Clearly define the core problem you aim to address in your research. This question should be specific, concrete, and focused to guide your investigation effectively.
  3. Context Analysis: Provide a diagnosis of the context in which the problem exists. Support your analysis with relevant data, visuals, and examples to illustrate the significance of the issue.
  4. Literature review: Summarize the most relevant work in a literature table. Clearly identify similarities, differences, and gaps to justify the need for your study. Consider using PRISMA-style reporting if you are doing a systematic review.
  5. Project Plan: Outline the timeline and milestones for your research project. Include a Gantt chart that visualizes the planning and progress of your work. You can also hint at the methodology and experimental design.

For structure expectations, see Report Sections (Project Plan).

TipProject Duration

Please note that the 20-week thesis period starts after the project plan is approved. In practice, the timeline looks like this:

  1. Project plan preparation (often ~2–3 months)
  2. Thesis period (20 weeks)

This is why company contracts often span ~6–8 months: there is usually a “planning phase” before the official thesis clock starts.