T-0.7050:
Introduction to Post-Graduate Studies
in Computer Science
Research Plan
2.2.2009
Marjo Kauppinen & Marko Nieminen
Software Business and Engineering Institute
Helsinki University of Technology
t07050@soberit.hut.fi

Cornerstones of the Post-graduate Studies
Research topic => research problem
Research plan
The existing literature related to your research topic
Research methods
Marjo Kauppinen & Marko Nieminen

Why do you need a research plan?
What should a good research plan contain?
Marjo Kauppinen & Marko Nieminen

Making a Doctoral Thesis Demands
Passion and motivation
Perseverance and patience
Working systematically and independently
Research Plan can be used for
clarifying your research topic and problem
following up your own progress
getting feedback from your supervisor and instructor
getting funding
Marjo Kauppinen & Marko Nieminen

Contents of a good research plan
Introduction (background)
Motivation why your research topic/problem is important
Based on the existing literature
Based on key references
Research problem and questions
Research methods
Preliminary/key results
Publication plan & schedule
Funding
Graduate schools: SoSE, HeCSE, GEBSI
Academy of Finland
References
Marjo Kauppinen & Marko Nieminen

From research topic to research problem and
questions: An example
Research topic
Requirements engineering
Research problem (high-level research question)
How can organisations improve their requirements engineering (RE) practices?
Research questions
• What do organisations need to know to be able to improve their RE practices?
• What should organisations do to be able to improve their RE practices?
• How can organisations monitor the impact of the RE improvement actions?
Marjo Kauppinen & Marko Nieminen

What are characteristics of a good research question?
Relevant
Not too broad
Easy to understand - simple and not too long
Clear (unambiguous)
All the concepts used in the question are carefully considered.
All the key concepts are defined in the thesis.
It is possible to find an answer.
Try to imagine in advance what answers could be
Marjo Kauppinen & Marko Nieminen

Analysis of the research questions
Question Possible answer
What do organisations need to know • Status of existing practices
to be able to improve their RE • Organisational needs
practices? • Existing RE technologies
What should organisations do to be
able to improve their RE practices? • Improvement plan
How can organisations monitor the
impact of the improvement actions? • Set of appropriate metrics
Marjo Kauppinen & Marko Nieminen

Analysis of the research questions
Question Possible answer
What do organisations need to know • Status of existing practices
to be able to improve their RE • Organisational needs
practices? • Existing RE technologies
What should organisations do to be
able to improve their RE practices? • Improvement plan
How can organisations monitor the
impact of the improvement actions? • Set of appropriate metrics
Relevant, but too broad Too ambiguous
Relevant, but too difficult
Marjo Kauppinen & Marko Nieminen

From research topic to research problem and
questions: An example
Research topic
Improvement of requirements engineering (RE) processes
Research problem (high-level research question)
How can organisations introduce RE into product development?
Research questions
• How does the REGPG* help organizations in RE process improvement?
• Which practices support systematic user requirements definition?
• What are the potential success factors that support the introduction of RE into product development?
• Which challenges do organizations face when they introduce RE into product development?
* Requirements Engineering Good Practice Guide (Sommerville & Sawyers, 1997)
Marjo Kauppinen & Marko Nieminen

Research Plan: Hints
Research problem and questions are the most
fundamental part of the research plan.
Update the research plan at least once a year
Keep the research plan short (4-6 pages)
Try to present it as many times as possible
Marjo Kauppinen & Marko Nieminen

Research Plan: Hints
Research plan
Introduction
Research problem and questions
Research methods Your research plan
Preliminary/key results forms an excellent basis
Publication plan & schedule for your doctoral thesis.
Funding
References
Dissertation
Introduction
Related work (Literature review)
Research problem and questions
Research approach and methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusions
References
Marjo Kauppinen & Marko Nieminen

What is the status of your research plan?
How can you improve it?

References
Sommerville and Sawyer (1997) Requirements
Engineering: Good Practice Guide, John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Marjo Kauppinen & Marko Nieminen