The document outlines the work plan and budget for a research project at Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, emphasizing the importance of a structured work plan for project management. It details activities involved, responsibilities, timelines, and resource requirements necessary for the successful execution of the project. Additionally, it highlights the need for a comprehensive budget, including justification for costs and a breakdown of personnel, transport, and supplies expenses.

1. Rajarata University of Sri Lanka
P.B. Dharmasena
0777-613234, 0717-613234
dharmasenapb@ymail.com, dharmasenapb@gmail.com
9. Work Plan and Budget
Rajarata University of Sri Lanka
P.B. Dharmasena
0777-613234, 0717-613234
dharmasenapb@ymail.com, dharmasenapb@gmail.com
https://independent.academia.edu/PunchiBandageDharmasena
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Punchi_Bandage_Dharmasena/contributions
http://www.slideshare.net/DharmasenaPb
LESSON
NINE
EMGT 3172 (1:15)
B.A. (Special) Degree Program
Monday 10.30 am – 12.30 pm
Hall: EML

2. Work Plan and Budget
Lesson-9
A WORK PLAN is a schedule, chart or graph that
summarizes the different components of a
research project and how they will be
implemented in a coherent way within a specific
time span.
LESSON
NINE

3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Learning objectives
1.Explain how to prepare a
work plan to summarize
different components of a
research project
2.Describe and understand
why we need to prepare a
budget for a research project
and how should a budget be
prepared
Lesson-9
LESSON
NINE
WORK PLAN AND BUDGET

4. A Work Plan includes:
• The tasks to be performed;
• When and where the tasks will be performed; and
• Who will perform the tasks and the time each person will
spend on them.
Work plan could be presented in different forms, such as Work
Schedule, GANTT chart, Action Plan etc.
A GANTT chart is a planning tool that depicts graphically the order
in which various tasks must be completed and the duration of each
activity. The length of each task is shown by a bar that extends
over the number of days, weeks or months the task is expected to
take.
Lesson-9
Work Plan and Budget

5. A work plan can serve as:
1. A tool for planning the details of the project activities and
drafting a budget.
2. A visual outline or illustration of the sequence of project
operations. It can facilitate presentations and negotiations
concerning the project with government authorities and other
funding agencies.
3. A management tool for the Team Leader and members of the
research team, showing what tasks and activities are planned,
their timing, and when various staff members will be involved in
various tasks.
4. A tool for monitoring and evaluation, when the current status of
the project is compared to what had been foreseen in the work
plan.
Lesson-9
Work Plan and Budget

6. Lesson-9
No. Activity responsibility Month-
1
Month-
2
Month-
3
Month-
4
Month-
5
01 Prepare proposal and submit to
donors
PI
02 Obtain fund and discuss
arrangement with local
government
PI
03 Preparation of study tool PI
04 Prepare for field work
05 Travel to data collection site PI
06 Select data collectors and research
assistants
PI
07 Conducting training for data
collectors and supervisors
PI
08 Pre-testing of the survey
instrument
PI+RA+DC
09 Data collection PI+RA+DC
10 Data entry and cleaning PI+RA+DEO
11 Data analysis and write up PI
12 Prepare workshop on findings PI+RA
13 Hold workshop PI+RA
Pi – Principal Investigator, RA- Research Assistant, DC- Data Collector, DEO- Data Entry Operator

7. Budget:
1. A detailed budget will help you to identify which resources
are already locally available and which additional resources
may be required.
2. The process of budget design will encourage you to
consider aspects of the work plan you have not thought
about before and will serve as a useful reminder of
activities planned, as your research gets underway.
3. It is necessary to use the work plan as a starting point.
Specify, for each activity in the work plan, what resources
are required. Determine for each resource needed the unit
cost and the total cost.
4. The budget for the fieldwork component of the work plan
will include funds for personnel, transport and supplies.
Lesson-9
Work Plan and Budget

8. Budget Justification:
It is not sufficient to present a budget without
explanation. The budget justification follows the
budget as an explanatory note justifying briefly, in
the context of the proposal, why the various items in
the budget are required. Make sure you give clear
explanations concerning why items that may seem
questionable or that are particularly costly are
needed and discuss how complicated expenses have
been calculated. If a strong budget justification has
been prepared, it is less likely that essential items
will be cut during proposal review.
Lesson-9
Work Plan and Budget

9. Budget Category Unit Unit cost
(Rs.)
Qty. Cost (Rs.)
Personnel
01 Principal Investigator Man days 1000 15 15,000
02 Supervisors Man days 800 15 x 2 24,000
03 Data collectors Man days 600 10 x 15 90,000
04 Data entry operator Man days 500 30 15,000
Transport
05 Van km 30 2,000 75,000
06 Motor Cycle Km 10 1,000 10,000
Supplies
Stationary 6,500
07 Questionnaire duplication No. 50 800 40,000
08 Printing and binding No. 500 8 4,000
Training
09 Hall rent days 500 4 2,000
10 Food No. 250 15 x 4 15,000
Contingencies 25,000
Total cost 321,500