How to Solve Large Problems

Learning outcomes:

• Deconstruct a large assignment into actionable tasks
• Create a realistic timeline with milestones and build internal check-ins before final deadlines
• Apply basic project management strategies to academic work

Key Takeaways:

• If a task still feels overwhelming, it's still too large; keep breaking it down until each piece could be done in a single session
• Work backward from the due date to build a timeline, and add buffer days before the deadline, not after
• Build check-ins into your schedule before the final deadline, with specific questions to evaluate at each one
• Identifying potential roadblocks before you start is part of planning, not pessimism
• The difference between a professional and a student approach to a large project is usually just the presence or absence of a written plan

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• Read the Assignment/Project
  • Consider how you process information best
    • Would it help to have someone read it out loud?
    • Would it help to take notes or highlight?
    • Can you identify what your teacher/professor/supervisor is trying to have you learn or create?
  • Read through the assignment and any auxiliary materials
• Start the Break down – What to look for
  • Reverse-engineer the assignment. Highlight required deliverables, rubric, criteria, formatting requirements, citation rules, and deadlines.
  • Ask yourself:
    • What must exist at submission for full credit?
    • What is the goal for this problem?
    • What are some potential roadblocks or issues you see?
• Identify Deliverables
  • Identify visible deliverables.
  • Break the assignment into measurable outputs
  • Examples might include:
    • Outline
    • Draft
    • Prototype
    • Report
    • Something else?
• Create micro-tasks
  • Convert deliverables into micro-tasks
  • If a task feels overwhelming, it is still too large
  • Be honest about your time, availability, and attention span
  • Consider having tasks with different needs, for example you could have heavier thinking tasks, easy tasks, tasks that require research, or tasks that you can do without assistance
  • Atlassian: Epics, Stories, and Themes. An explanation of how professional teams break large goals into smaller units of work. Note: Atlassian is a for-profit company and a popular tool in industry, but not the only option.
• Timeline
  • Create a timeline using backward planning from the due date and add 1–2 buffer days.
  • Add timeline to your calendar
  • Make reminders
  • Identify what other tools, resources or reminders might be helpful for you
    • For example, do you need external deadlines? Ask a friend to check in with you
    • Do you have a device that's always with you that you could use for reminders?
  • Psychology Today: Procrastination. Overview of why people delay starting large tasks and what research says about overcoming it
• Check ins
  • Build structured check-ins at approximately 30%, 60%, and 90% completion
  • Check-ins could be just you for 5 minutes reviewing your project
  • A check in could be with another student or team member
  • A check in could be with a friend to have some accountability
  • Check-ins should be on the calendar
  • Have a plan for if the check in is missed, or the expected materials weren't completed, make it specific! Don't just say you'll work harder or do better, have specific changes you'll make
• Example 1 – Research Paper
  • Assignment: Write an 8–10 page research paper due in 2 months
  • Deliverables: Topic approval, annotated bibliography (6 sources), outline, full draft, final paper
• Example 1 Breakdowns
  • Micro-task breakdown example:
    • Choose topic
      • Find 6 sources
      • Annotate sources
      • Draft introduction
      • Draft body section 1
      • Check Draft/Revise
      • Body section 2
      • Draft conclusion
      • Edit for clarity and do your revisions
      • Read the entire paper out loud
      • Format citations
• Example 1 – Timeline and Check-ins
  • Timeline Example:
    • March 25 – Topic approval
    • April 2 – Annotated bibliography complete
    • April 5 – Detailed outline
    • April 7 – Draft body section 1
    • April 8 – Draft body section 2
    • April 9 – Combine into Full draft complete
    • April 11 – Peer review
    • April 13 – Final edits
    • April 15 – Submit final paper
  • Check-ins:
    • Source quality review
    • Rubric alignment review
    • Formatting and citation check
• Example 2 – Website or Application
  • Assignment: Design and build a functional app with user input, data storage, and at least three core features. Due May 1
  • Deliverables: Project proposal, feature list, wireframes/mockups, technical design plan, working prototype, deployed application, documentation (README/report), presentation/demo
• First Breakdown
  • Proposal tasks: Define app purpose; Identify target users; List required features; Submit short description
  • Design tasks: Sketch wireframes; Define user flow; Choose tech stack; Design database schema
  • Development tasks per feature: Create database table; Build UI components; Implement backend logic; Validate inputs; Test features independently
  • Testing tasks: Test edge cases; Validate inputs; Check responsiveness; Review logs; Fix integration errors
  • Documentation tasks: Write README; Add installation steps; Include screenshots; Describe features; List known limitations
• Example 2 Timeline Breakdown
  • April 5 – Proposal approved
  • April 8 – Wireframes complete
  • April 12 – Database schema finalized
  • April 16 – Feature 1 complete
  • April 20 – Feature 2 complete
  • April 23 – Feature 3 complete
  • April 25 – Full integration testing
  • April 27 – Documentation written
  • April 29 – Final bug fixes
  • May 1 – Submission
  • Check-ins: Does design support all features? Do features work independently? Does full system function without errors? Does documentation match the product?
• Project Management Suggestions
  • Use visible tracking tools (checklists, calendars, Kanban boards)
  • Define 'minimum viable progress' for low-energy days (small task completion)
  • Separate creation from editing/debugging to maintain momentum
  • Use structured time blocks (25-minute focused sessions if that is how you work well).
  • Avoid single-point failure by spreading work across multiple days
  • For programming projects: Develop one feature fully before starting another and commit frequently using version control
  • Notion. An all-in-one workspace for notes, tasks, and project tracking. Note: Notion is a for-profit company with a free tier for individual use.
  • Atlassian: Kanban Boards. Explains how Kanban boards work and how to use them to track progress visually. Note: Atlassian is a for-profit company with a particular agenda around its own tools, but the core concepts apply broadly.
  • UC Berkeley TPO Toolkit. Project management resources and templates from UC Berkeley's Technology Project Office

Suggested Activities and Discussion Topics:

• Activity: Go through This AI generated study guide, what do you think? Did it capture the week materials well? How did you do on the self quiz? Do you know all the vocab used?
• Activity: Go through this AI-generated key terms list for this module. How many of the terms did you already know? Were there any definitions you would update or expand based on the lecture notes? Did the AI miss any important terms? This should take about 10–15 minutes.
• Activity: Take a current assignment or project and break it into at least 5 specific, actionable tasks. For each task, estimate how long it will take and assign it a due date that builds toward the final deadline. Then build a simple timeline (this can be a list, a table, or a calendar) and identify at least two points where you would check in on your own progress before the final deadline. Share your timeline with a partner and give each other feedback: Are the tasks specific enough? Are the deadlines realistic? Did anything get missed? This should take about 30–45 minutes.
• Activity: Think back to a large assignment or project that did not go as well as you hoped. Write a short post-mortem (a reflection on what happened). Use this post-mortem guide to structure your reflection, and read this example of a completed post-mortem to see what a good one looks like. Your reflection should address: What was the original plan? Where did things go off track? What would you do differently using the strategies from this module? What is one concrete change you will make for your next large project? This should take about 30–45 minutes.
• Discussion: What makes a large problem feel overwhelming, and what strategies (from this module or from your own experience) have actually helped you get started? Share a specific example of a time you had to tackle something that felt too big, and describe what worked, what didn't, and what you would try differently now.
• Discussion: Project management tools and techniques are used in industry for the same reasons we use them in school: to keep work organized, on track, and delivered on time. Research one project management methodology used in the tech industry, such as Agile, Scrum, or Kanban, and discuss how its core ideas compare to the strategies covered in this module. What carries over? What is different about using these methods professionally versus academically?
• Activity: Choose an AI tool of your choice such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude. Describe a large project you are currently working on or make up a realistic one (for example, building a small website, writing a research paper, or planning a community event) and ask the AI to break it into at least 5 specific tasks with a rough time estimate for each. Read through what it produces and evaluate it: Did it miss any obvious steps? Are the time estimates realistic? Did it identify any dependencies between tasks (things that must be done before other things can start)? What would you add or change? This should take about 5–10 minutes.
• Activity: Take the micro-task breakdown approach from this module and apply it to something you are currently avoiding, such as a project, assignment, or personal goal that feels too big to start. Break it into at least 8 specific, actionable tasks that each take 30 minutes or less. If any task still feels vague or overwhelming, break it down further. Estimate a time for each and put them in a realistic order. Does having a visible task list change how you feel about starting? What was the most useful part of the process? This should take about 20–30 minutes.
• Activity: Work through a planning simulation. Imagine you have been assigned this project: design and build a simple web application that lets users keep a personal reading list, with the ability to add books, mark them as read, and leave short notes. You have 3 weeks. Using the framework from this module, write out the complete plan: deliverables, micro-tasks, a timeline with internal deadlines, and at least two check-in points with specific questions to evaluate at each. Do not write any code; focus entirely on the planning and breakdown. This should take about 30–45 minutes.
• Activity: Compare the two project examples from this module, the research paper and the web application. Identify which planning steps are the same regardless of project type and which differ. Based on your comparison, write a brief universal project planning checklist of 8–10 items that could be applied to any large project, whether it is a writing assignment, a technical build, or something else entirely. Explain why you included each item. This should take about 20–30 minutes.
• Activity: Interview someone who regularly manages large or complex projects, such as a developer, project manager, researcher, event planner, or anyone whose work involves multi-part coordination. Ask them at least three questions: How do you decide where to start on a large project? What do you do when a deadline starts to slip? What is the biggest planning mistake you see people make? Write up what you learned and compare their approach to the strategies in this module: What carries over? What surprised you? This should take about 30–45 minutes for the interview plus reflection.
• Activity: Find a tech product or software project you have heard of that has a publicly documented history. Look for engineering blog posts, GitHub histories, interviews with founders or developers, or case studies. Try to identify how the team broke down the problem at the start, what their early milestones were, and what changed along the way. What would you have done differently using the strategies from this module? Be specific about at least two decisions they made and how you would have approached them. This should take about 30–45 minutes.

Related modules you might find useful:

• Time Management
• How to Collaborate as a Team
• How to Use Version Control

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