Created: July 19, 2021
Modified: June 25, 2022

writing a project proposal

This page is from my personal notes, and has not been specifically reviewed for public consumption. It might be incomplete, wrong, outdated, or stupid. Caveat lector.

What is the philosophy of the project? What principles is it betting on?
- Example from Ben's Ads doc: iterating on an end-to-end pipeline will yield results beyond optimizing individual components.
What choices is the project making? What is it not trying to do?
What is the 'lighthouse on the horizon' goal? If everything works out amazingly, what will we accomplish?
Milestones: what are the 'phases' of the project? For each one: who will do it, how long will it take, how certain are we about this estimate, what are the risks and consequences of failure, where are the opportunities to deliver intermediate value?
What are the risks and challenges? If the project fails, how and why will it fail?

An alternative formulation is the Heilmeier Catechism for research projects:

What are you trying to do? Articulate your objectives using absolutely no jargon.
How is it done today, and what are the limits of current practice?
What is new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful?
Who cares? If you are successful, what difference will it make?
What are the risks?
How much will it cost?
How long will it take?
What are the mid-term and final “exams” to check for success?

writing a project proposal

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