Page 163 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage

plan. This allows for the original plan to be adapted in order to accommodate all changes. As a result, contingency planning requires prediction and early detection of activities that are more likely to face interruptions during a project. These activities might then be given a more flexible timetable or more resources might be allocated towards them to compensate for the possible disruption.
For example, it could be that some team members might not be familiar with new techniques or equip- ment used in fieldwork. Accordingly, a contingency fieldwork plan should be made to compensate for the disturbance and delays resulting from training the team members in those techniques. This might include rescheduling some of the activities or reallocating some of the team members to different tasks.
As the main priority in any archaeological project is safeguarding the site and the data it contains, the priority in case of sudden or unexpected interruption in the project plan lies with the preservation and stabilization of the archaeological material, both the excavated and in situ materials. For example, if an unexpected cut in the project budget occurs during fieldwork, resulting in a funding shortage that does not allow for the completion of the originally- planned fieldwork and post-fieldwork activities, the contingency plan should include the termination of fieldwork and redirection of the remaining funds to the conservation of the already-excavated material and to other post-fieldwork activities such as analyses, data processing and reporting. Close and continuous review of the project plan and activities helps in the identification of any unexpected disruptions and hence the quick creation of a contingency plan that takes into account the new circumstances and ensures the well-being of underwater cultural heritage.
Planning for an archaeological project is a multi- faceted endeavour that requires consideration of the particularities and specifics of each project. It should also allow for the project to be modified, improved, extended and, if necessary, handed over without difficulty to other researchers at any point during the project’s duration.
• Use a timetable to plan
• Use the timetable to
monitor progress
• Use a graphic format
• Develop the timetable
together with team and
partners
• Make sure that
everyone understands
the timetable
• Plan for contingencies
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Project duration – timetable