📋 Phase 1: Planning & Research¶
"My synopsis got rejected three times. The third time, I realized nobody had actually read my literature survey—they just looked at the references section and said 'not enough papers.'"
— A survivor.
Phase 1 is deceptively dangerous. There's no coding, so it feels easy. But this is where you build (or destroy) the foundation of your entire Main Project.
1. 🧠 Problem Identification¶
Don't just pick a "project name." Define a Problem Statement.
Weak Problem Statement
"We are building a Health App."
Strong Problem Statement
"Rural health workers lack access to dermatologists. We propose an automated skin lesion classification system using CNNs to provide preliminary diagnoses, reducing referral delays by an estimated 40%."
See the difference? The second one sounds like it belongs in a research paper. That's the energy you need.
2. 📚 Literature Survey (The Most Ignored Step)¶
This is where you prove you've done your homework. And yes, evaluators do check.
Where to Find Papers:¶
- Google Scholar (start here)
- IEEE Xplore (your college probably has access)
- ResearchGate (for free versions of paywalled papers)
- Papers with Code (for ML projects, find papers with their code)
The Magic Table:¶
Create a "Literature Survey Table" in your report. It's a cheat code for marks.
| Author & Year | Methodology | Pros | Cons (This is where YOUR project fits!) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharma et al. (2023) | CNN + SVM | High accuracy (92%) | Requires large dataset, no real-time inference. |
| ... | ... | ... | ... |
List at least 10-15 papers. Your project should address a "gap" in the existing work.
3. 📄 The Synopsis (Your Proposal)¶
This is the 5-10 page document you submit for approval. It's your pitch.
Include: 1. Project Title 2. Introduction & Background 3. Problem Statement 4. Objectives (bullet points) 5. Proposed Methodology (how you'll solve the problem) 6. Hardware & Software Requirements 7. References (use IEEE format!)
The Rejection Loop
Your synopsis might get rejected. That's normal. The key is to ask your guide why it was rejected and fix the specific issues. Don't just resubmit the same thing.
4. 📐 Design Diagrams¶
By the end of Phase 1, you should have a folder full of diagrams.
- UML Diagrams: Use Case, Class, Sequence, Activity, State.
- Architecture Diagram: The "Big Picture" showing Frontend ↔ Backend ↔ Database ↔ APIs.
- ER/DFD: For data-heavy or system-level projects.
Diagram Tools
Use Draw.io (free), Lucidchart, or Figma. Do NOT use MS Paint.
🎤 The Phase 1 Viva¶
Common questions you'll face: 1. "What gap in the existing literature does your project address?" 2. "Why did you choose [X technology] over [Y technology]?" 3. "What is the expected outcome?"
If you can answer these confidently, you've already passed Phase 1.
Phase 1 Done?
Time to build. Head to Phase 2: Execution.