Page 154 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

© J.Auer.The success of an archaeological project relies completely on teamwork, but this extends far beyond any diving team. It also includes fundraisers, bookkeepers and all those that make the work of scientists and heritage managers possible.
(c) The order in which a project’s activities should be carried out:
In an archaeological project, certain activities have to be carried out before others. Therefore, in order to create a project timetable, the relation between different tasks and activities and the sequence in which they are executed has to be properly determined.
team-work: Drawing up a timetable for an archaeological project is not a job to be done solely by the project director. It should be a colla- borative act that involves the senior specialists in charge of the different aspects of the project. Therefore, before creating a project timetable, the project director should adequately consult with the key members responsible for the excavation, geophysical investigation, conservation, finds handling, photography, administration and other relevant activities associated with the project. For example, if the project involves diving, consideration should be given to health and safety regulations and the limitations of diving operations. Failure to collaborate with the relevant specialists could result in the establishment of an unrealistic timetable and cause many hours to be wasted in trying to solve problems that could have been avoided with proper planning.
The success of an archaeological project relies completely on teamwork. Therefore, it is important for each member of the team to become familiar with the project timetable. Once the timetable is compiled, and prior to the start of the project, each team member should have a clear understanding of his/her role in the project, of the timetable and of the order in which their tasks are to be undertaken, and ideally completed.
Visual representation
The best way for making the timetable accessible and clearly understandable to those who are involved in the project is by presenting it in a clear and simple graphic format.
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Project duration – timetable