MSDM Culminating Experience Project (aka Capstone Project)
Tips for Maximizing Value for Your Career Development through the Capstone Project
1 Introduction
1.1 Culminating Experience Project Overview
The MSDM Culminating Experience Project (CEP), often referred to as the Capstone Project, represents the culmination of the MSDM learning experience, giving students the opportunity to apply their skills to real-world digital marketing challenges.
The CEP spans one academic year and typically begins in the fall semester of the second year for students following the two-year completion roadmap. Students on the one-year accelerated pathway begin the CEP in their first fall semester.
Through hands-on problem solving, data analysis, and strategic thinking, students generate actionable insights, develop a digital marketing plan, and execute that plan. This page outlines what to expect, how to prepare, and how the capstone strengthens your professional portfolio and career readiness.
1.2 Essential Documents for the Capstone Project
Below are important documents that students and faculty leads should review before the project proposal stage. Further, these documents will be helpful throughout the project lifecycle.
1.2.1 Primarily for Students
MSDM Culminating Experience Project Guide: This comprehensive guide provides detailed instructions, expectations, and grading criteria for the capstone project. It covers all aspects of the project, from proposal to final presentation.
MSDM Culminating Experience Project Content & Format Template: This template offers a structured format for organizing your project report, including sections for the introduction, literature review, methods, data analysis, results, and data-informed marketing strategy and conclusion. It ensures that your report meets the academic standards expected for the capstone project.
1.2.2 Primarily for Faculty Leads and Instructors
- MSDM Culminating Experience Project - Responsibilities for All Parties: This document outlines the specific responsibilities and expectations for students, faculty leads, and instructors involved in the capstone project. It serves as a reference to ensure that all parties understand their roles and contribute effectively to the project’s success.
1.3 MSDM Student Learning Outcomes (SLO’s)
MSDM program has established Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) that all students are expected to achieve upon completion of the program.
SLO 1: Formulation of Analytics Objectives
Translate a marketing problem into research questions or hypotheses that will drive the research project.SLO 2: Evaluation of Consumer Psychology
Evaluate known principles of consumer psychology and behaviors appropriate to address the marketing problems.SLO 3: Model Development
Build a model appropriate for addressing the analytics objectives.SLO 4a: Data Analysis and Interpretation
Make data-informed recommendations on marketing strategy.SLO 4b: Data-Informed Marketing Strategy Development
Develop an effective digital marketing plan based on data insights.SLO 5a: Oral Communication
Effectively communicate various components orally.SLO 5b: Written Communication
Effectively communicate various components in writing.
1.4 Assessment Rubrics
Since the MSDM Culminating Experience Project (CEP) runs for one academic year in the second year of the program for 2-year completion roadmap, we are using the MSDM CEP to assess these learning outcomes. The following rubrics will be used to evaluate your capstone project. Familiarize yourself with these criteria to understand how your work will be assessed and to guide your efforts throughout the project.
- MSDM Student Learning Outcomes (SLO’s) Rubric: This rubric evaluates how well your performance meets the defined student learning outcomes.
2 Expectations on Collaboration with Group Members, Faculty Lead, and Client
Successful capstone projects depend not only on analytical skills, but also on effective collaboration, professional communication, and disciplined project management. The following recommendations apply throughout the entire project lifecycle—from Fall through Summer.
2.1 How to Work with Your Group Members
Use a Shared Cloud Folder.
ImportantTake an actionCreate a shared cloud folder (e.g., OneDrive or Google Drive) and grant edit access to all team members.
Cal Poly Pomona supports OneDrive, so it is the preferred cloud platform.
Meet Regularly
Hold a group meeting before your weekly meeting with your faculty lead to align internally.
Since faculty meetings typically occur once a week, meeting as a group once a week is recommended.
To reduce scheduling challenges, consider using class time in CEP-hosting courses (IBM 6200, IBM 6800, IBM 6950) for group meetings.
Use Student-Only Meetings Effectively
TipSmart ActionDiscuss tasks to be completed.
Assign responsibilities to team members.
Identify and refine questions to ask your faculty lead or client
2.2 How to Work with Your Faculty Lead
Share Your Entire Project Folder
Share your entire cloud project folder with your faculty lead—not just selected files—even if they have not explicitly requested access.
This enables efficient feedback and reduces unnecessary back-and-forth.
Ensure Transparency and Accountability
ImportantCreate subfolders labeled with each team member’s name to document individual contributions.
Transparency helps teams self-regulate contributions and reduces conflicts related to free-riding, which is common in group projects.
Meet Weekly—with Purpose
Teams are expected to meet with their faculty lead once a week, unless there is no agenda for that week.
- Typically faculty project leads need at least one hour a week to work with you in reviewing your work and providing technical guidance. Faculty guidance will be most needed when you collect data and analyze the data.
Share agenda prior to the meeting especially if you want the faculty lead to prepare for the discussion.
If you do not have topics to discuss, you may skip the meeting—but regular, purposeful meetings are essential for project success.
- Consider sending a brief update email to your faculty lead if you do not meet.
Conduct Meetings Professionally
TipUse your email program’s calendar and scheduling features to organize meetings.
Always send a calendar invitation to all attendees.
- This is standard professional practice and helps prevent missed meetings, double booking, and miscommunication.
Effective use of scheduling tools reflects professionalism and respect for others’ time.
2.3 How to Work with Your Client
Faculty–Client Joint Meetings
Inviting the client to your regular weekly meeting with your faculty lead is most efficient approach in the beginning of the project when you are still defining the project scope and objectives and seek out client’s internal information and resources you need for the project.
However, be Selective About Client Participation
WarningBe Strategic:Invite your client to these meetings only when you need their input or feedback for the following reasons.
Your clients are extremely busy. They are not interested in being an observer if you spend most of the time engaging with your professor, not your client.
Your faculty needs sufficient time to engage with you for a weekly meeting. The presence of client can often limit the time your faculty can spend with you.
Your client does not need to see the internal “working process” of our advising sessions.
Your client may not be aware of the specific challenges you are facing, and involving them in every discussion may not be productive.
Note that this is a consulting project, not an internship. This means that you should showcase the best of your abilities.
- Document all decisions and action items clearly, and share meeting notes with all participants afterward.
Meetings Without Faculty
Scheduling separate meetings with the client can be challenging if faculty are unavailable.
- Keep in mind that your faculty lead are not obligated to meet outside of the regular weekly meeting.
If you must meet with the client without your faculty lead present, update the faculty afterward with key takeaways and decisions.
How Often Should You Meet with the Client?
CautionClient meetings are typically less frequent than faculty meetings.
Invite the client when your agenda includes questions or decisions that only the client can address, such as:
Company background or marketing strategy not publicly available
Internal data required for the project
All major MSDM-required presentations (one in Fall, two in Spring, and two in Summer)
Requests for approval, resources, or cooperation (e.g., executing a digital marketing plan)
2.4 Best Scheduling Practices
Use a recurring calendar invite for weekly meetings.
Include the meeting agenda in the calendar invite whenever possible.
Manage Agendas Wisely for Recurring Meetings
ImportantDetailsIf you have already sent a long-term recurring invite, use one shared cloud document to store all future agendas.
Update the document before each meeting so everyone arrives prepared.
Recommended Tools
- In Google Docs:
Use tabs, with each tab labeled by meeting date. - In Microsoft Word:
Turn on View → Navigation Pane and use heading styles (Title, Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) to organize agendas hierarchically.
- In Google Docs:
Exercise a Proper Rescheduling or Canceling a Meeting Incident
WarningCancel or reschedule only the specific meeting instance, not the entire series.
Always notify all participants via the calendar system.
2.5 Use a Project Management Tool
To plan activities, track milestones, and coordinate tasks effectively, use a project management tool that keeps everything in one place.
If your team already uses a tool, continue using it.
If not, Notion is highly recommended.
For a detailed comparison of project management tools and guidance on how to choose one, see Project Management Tools.
3 Project Milestones and Timelines
The following table outlines key milestones and deadlines for the MSDM Culminating Experience Project over the one-year timeline.
| Week / Date | Task |
| Su W01 (6/01) | Call for Project Proposal |
| Su W06 (7/06) | MSDM CEP Informational Session |
| FA W00 (8/17) | Proposal Deadline |
| FA W01 (8/24) | Feedback provided to the proposers |
| FA W02 (8/31) | Project forum will be held in both IBM 6200 and IBM 6500
|
| FA W03 (9/08) | Project-Group Assignment Completed |
| FA W04 (9/15) |
|
| FA W09 (10/20) | Initial Proposal Presentation (W09)
|
| FA W10 (10/27) | Data Collection Preparation
|
| FA W12 (11/10) |
|
| FA W15 (12/02) | Final Proposal Defense Presentation (W15)
|
| FA W16 (12/9) | Faculty Formal Feedback to Student Groups |
| Winter Break (12/15 - 1/18) |
|
| SP W01 (1/19) |
|
| SP W06 (2/26) | Data Analysis and Results Presentation (W06)
|
| SP W13 (4/23) | Final Data Analysis and Recommendations Presentation (W13)
|
| SP W16 (5/14) | Digital Marketing Plan Creation and Obtaining Approval from Client
|
| SU W01 (6/01) | Digital Marketing Plan execution continues |
| SU W05 (7/02) | Digital Marketing Plan & Execution Progress Presentation
|
| SU W09 (7/30) | Final presentation — DM performance assessment and reflection
|
| SU W10 (8/06) | Final Edits & Post-Presentation Activities, including
|
| SU W11 (8/13) |
|
4 Call for Project Proposals
4.1 Introduction
During the first week of summer, there will be a call for project proposals from faculty and students. This is an opportunity for faculty to propose projects they are interested in, and for students to bring in their ideas. Students are encouraged to draw on their work experience and industry connections to propose projects that are relevant and meaningful to them.
The call for proposals will be announced via email, but all the details are provided here to facilitate your preparation. We welcome challenging marketing projects involving primary or secondary data, large datasets, structured and unstructured data, etc.
If you are interested in advising students with your project, kindly submit a project description (no more than 2 pages) to the Program Coordinator by the deadline.
For details, continue to read the following sections.
4.2 What Topics Can Be Proposed?
The MSDM program encourages a wide range of topics related to data-driven marketing, including but not limited to:
- Social media campaign analysis
- Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Customer lifetime value modeling
- Marketing budget allocation and optimization
- Customer segmentation and targeting
- Product development and management
- Pricing strategy and optimization
- Online and offline channel optimization
- Integrated marketing communications
- Consumer behavior analysis
- Retail strategy and ecommerce
- Sales performance evaluation
- Customer service and experience management
4.3 Requirements for All Projects
All projects must have:
Data (primary or secondary)
Successful proposals should specify that the data will be available by Week 14 at the latest in the fall semester. Successful procurement of data in the fall will allow students to immerse themselves in the analysis in the spring semester.
For projects involving a client, the data should ideally come from the client company’s Google Analytics, Google Ads, sales, or CRM systems.
For projects with no client, the data can come from team’s efforts for collect through surveys, public datasets, or other sources that are relevant to the project objectives.
For projects involving GA4 data, the project proposal should confirm that the project team has access to the relevant GA4 property and can obtain the necessary data for the proposed Analytics Objectives (AOs) by the end of fall semester. This process involves performing a comprehensive audit to ensure that all metrics and variables proposed for the AOs are available in the GA4 property.
For projects involving survey research, the project proposal should include a timeline for IRB application, the type of participants (students or consumer panel), and a plan to collect the data by the end of fall semester.
For more details about data collection and verification efforts during the fall semester, see Data Collection for the Above AOs.
Digital marketing plan creation and execution
For the most part of the spring, students will analyze the data to address their Analytics Objectives and make recommendations based on the results of the analysis. Based on the insights from the data, students will work on creating and executing digital marketing plans that will solve the identified clients’ business problems, starting Week 14 of the spring semester. such activities is required to support MSDM’s student learning outcome of data-driven digital marketing strategy.
Thus, all projects must include a digital marketing plan creation and execution component.
For projects involving a client, the digital marketing plan should be designed to address the client’s business goals and challenges and should be naturally follow from the analysis and recommendations.
Even for projects with no client, the digital marketing plan should be designed similary to support the student’s learning objectives and the overall goals of the MSDM program.
For more details about the digital marketing plan creation and execution, see Digital Marketing Plan Creation and Execution as well as Overview of the summer semester.
A faculty lead
The faculty lead will oversee the project for its entire duration, spanning three semesters (fall, spring, and summer), and ensure that it meets the academic standards of the program. The faculty lead will serve as committee chair of a two-person committee, with the instructor of IBM 6950 serving as the committee member. As such, the faculty lead will work closely with the course instructors in whose courses the project is hosted, guiding the project and ensuring that it meets the academic standards of the program..
While faculty project leads are primarily responsible for guiding students in domain knowledge and research methods, course instructors are primarily responsible for ensuring that students meet the academic requirements of the course. Both faculty project leads and course instructors will collaborate to ensure that students are well-supported in all aspects of the project, including domain knowledge, research methods, and data-driven digital marketing strategy.
The faculty lead is responsible for providing feedback and guidance to students throughout the project, as well as evaluating their performance at each major milestone across all three semesters. Course instructors will use the evaluations when determining student grades.
For student-initiated projects, the faculty lead may not have sufficient expertise in the project topic or methods. In such cases, the faculty lead will work with the student to identify and engage additional faculty members or industry experts who can provide the necessary guidance and support.
For more details about the role of faculty lead, see MSDM Culminating Experience Project - Responsibilities for All Parties.
4.4 Who Can Propose a Project?
Both faculty and students can propose projects. Faculty members may propose projects that align with their research interests or industry connections, while students may propose projects that are of interest to their employer. For student-initiated projects, a faculty lead must be identified and committed to overseeing the project.
Businesses and organizations on- and off-campus can also be involved as clients for the projects, but the proposal must be submitted by a faculty member or a student with a faculty lead.
4.5 Project Categories
MSDM CEP may fall into one of the following categories:
- Faculty-initiated, applied project for a client.
- Faculty-initiated, applied project.
- Student-initiated project for a client.
We prefer to have projects that involve a client, but we also welcome projects that do not involve a client as long as they meet the other requirements specified above.
4.6 Proposal Content
Proposals should include the following information in no more than 2 pages:
Project title
- The title should be concise and descriptive, reflecting the main focus of the project.
Project description and Scope
- This should include a brief overview of the project, the client and their needs, the problem statement, and the significance of the project. It should also specify the scope of the project, including any limitations or constraints.
Proposed project objectives
These should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). They should also be clearly linked to the student learning outcomes of the MSDM program.
For projects involving a client, the project objectives should be aligned with the client’s business goals and challenges.
- Students will be asked to translate the project objectives into Analytics Objectives (AOs) during the project kickoff day in the fall semester, so it is important to have clear and well-defined project objectives from the beginning.
For student-initiated projects, the project objectives should be aligned with the student’s career goals and interests, as well as the learning outcomes of the MSDM program. In addition, the project objectives should be feasible and realistic given the resources and time available for the project.
Data (Secondary or Primary Data).
For primary data involving human subjects, provide a timeline for IRB application, the type of participants (students or consumer panel), and your plan to collect the data by the end of fall semester.
For secondary data, specify the type of data, the source of the data, and the expected date for obtaining the data.
- If the project involves GA4 data, please confirm that you have access to the relevant GA4 property and that you can obtain the necessary data for your proposed Analytics Objectives (AOs) by the end of fall semester. This process involves performing a comprehensive audit to ensure that all metrics and variables proposed for the AOs are available in the GA4 property.
Methods
- Provide a brief overview of the research design, data collection methods, and analytical approaches you plan to use to address the project objectives. This should include any specific techniques or tools you intend to use for data analysis.
Marketing Plan and Implementation
- Provide a brief overview of the digital marketing plan/campaign you intend to create and execute towards the end of spring and summer semester. This should include the channels you plan to use, the type of content you plan to create, and how you plan to measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaign.
Proposed timeline
Provide a timeline for the project, including key milestones and deliverables. The timeline should be realistic and take into account the time required for data collection, analysis, planning and implementing marketing campaign, and report writing. Refer to the project milestones and timelines for guidance on the expected timeline for the project.
For projects involving a client, the timeline should also consider the client’s availability and any deadlines they may have.
Expected Major Skills to Gain from the Project
- Describe the major skills that students are expected to gain from working on this project. This could include technical skills (e.g., data analysis, digital marketing tools), soft skills (e.g., communication, teamwork), or industry-specific knowledge (e.g., retail analytics, social media marketing).
Targeted Job Roles
- Specify the types of job roles that students working on this project would be well-prepared for. This could include roles such as Content & Creative Roles, Technical & Performance Roles, Marketing Data and Analytics Roles, Strategy & Leadership Roles. This information can help students choose projects that align with their career goals and interests.
Preferred skills for student group members (4-6 students in each group)
- Specify any preferred skills or qualifications for students who will be working on this project. This could include specific technical skills (e.g., proficiency in R/Python, experience with Google Analytics), soft skills (e.g., strong communication skills, ability to work in a team), or industry-specific knowledge (e.g., experience in retail analytics, familiarity with social media marketing). This information can help students determine whether they are a good fit for the project and can also help ensure that the project team has the necessary skills to successfully complete the project.
Confirmation of any additional funding received from other sources (professional leave, internal or external grants, etc.)
- If the project has received any additional funding from other sources, please provide details about the funding source, the amount of funding received, and how the funding will be used to support the project. This information can help ensure transparency and accountability in the use of resources for the project.
4.7 Selection Criteria
The project proposals will be reviewed by the MSDM faculty, and a selection will be made based on the following criteria:
- Alignment with MSDM student learning outcomes
- Feasibility of the project within the given timeline and resources
- Relevance to current marketing challenges and trends
- Potential for students to gain valuable skills and experience
If your proposal is selected, you will be invited to present it in the MSDM Project Forum during Week 2, Fall 2026, where students will have the opportunity to ask questions and express their interest in working on the project. The final project-group assignment will be completed by Week 3, Fall 2026.
4.8 Contact for Questions
If you have project ideas that you would like to discuss before submission, please don’t hesitate to contact the MSDM Project Coordinator. I eagerly await your proposals and am available to address any queries you may have.
5 Informational Session
In the sixth week of summer, there will be an informational session about the capstone project. This session will provide an overview of the project, expectations, and how to prepare for it. It is highly recommended that all students attend this session to get a clear understanding of what the project entails.
6 Fall Semester
6.1 Introduction
The MSDM CEP begins in the fall semester with matching projects to student groups. Activities during this phase center on developing the project proposal — specifically, the first three of five chapters required to complete the project. During this phase, you will work on understanding your client, project, industry, and target customers, and collect data that addresses your Analytics Objectives (AOs). The proposal consists of the following three chapters:
Chapter 1: Introduction
This chapter provides an overview of the project, including the background, problem statement, and Analytics Objectives (e.g., research questions or hypotheses). It sets the stage for the entire project by establishing the context and significance of the research.Chapter 2: Literature Review
This chapter reviews relevant academic and industry literature related to the project topic. It synthesizes existing knowledge, identifies gaps, and establishes a theoretical framework for the research. It also helps to justify the research approach and methodology that will be used in the project.Chapter 3: Methodology
This chapter outlines the research design, data collection methods, and analytical approaches used to address the Analytics Objectives (e.g., research questions or hypotheses). It details how the data will be collected, processed, and analyzed to ensure that the research is rigorous and valid.
There are three major milestones during the fall semester: (1) Project Kickoff Day (Week 04), (2) Initial Proposal Presentation (Week 09), and (3) Final Proposal Defense Presentation (Week 15). The first two milestones are especially critical, as they lay the foundation for the entire project. The third milestone is also important, as it ensures that you are on the right track before you start data analysis in the spring semester.
The first milestone is the Project Kickoff Day in Week 04, where you will meet with your faculty lead and client to discuss the project scope, resources (e.g., data souirces, tools, digital marketng infrastructure) and plan for the semester.
During this meeting, you will also discuss the project objectives and how to translate them into analytics objectives, as well as the data collection plan.
For students with survey research, you will start working on the research design and survey instrument during this phase.
For students with GA4 data, you will start working on the infrastructure setting (GA4, GTM, UTM) and verification during this phase.
The second one is the Initial Proposal Presentation in Week 09, where you will demonstrate that you understand the project by crafting your initial project proposal (Ch1, Ch2, and Ch3) to your client and faculty lead for feedback.
You must ensure that you have appropriately translated the Project Objectives (POs) into Analytics Objectives (AOs) and have a solid plan to collect data to address those AOs.
Deliverables for this milestone include a written report covering Chapters 1, 2, and 3, as well as a PowerPoint presentation.
If your project involves survey research, you will also need to prepare a survey instrument for this presentation.
If your project involves GA4 data, you will need to confirm the integrity of the data for your AO’s during this presentation. This process involves gaining access to the relevant data and digital marketing platforms and performing a comprehensive audit to ensure that all metrics and variables proposed for the AOs are available.
- You should prepaer a data dictionary that lists all the metrics and variables you plan to use for your AOs, along with their definitions and sources.
The third milestone is the Final Proposal Defense Presentation in Week 15, where you will demonstrate that your work is well-aligned with the Project Objectives, that your AOs are designed to achieve those POs, and that you have a sound methodology to address the AOs.
Successful presentations will feature solid data (primary or secondary) and will clearly articulate the specific variables to be used in addressing the AOs.
Deliverables for this presentation include: a written report (Chapters 1, 2, and 3), a PowerPoint presentation, an IRB Approval Letter (for survey research), and a link to data saved in the shared cloud storage such as OneDrive.
Students who do not meet these milestones successfully are at risk of not being able to complete the project successfully. Therefore, studnets who fail to pass the final proposal defense presentation will not receive a letter grade from the hosting course (IBM 6500) for the fall semester, and will be required to do the remedial tasks during the winter break to get ready for spring semester.
6.2 How to Choose a Project
To get the best out of MSDM Culminating Experience, consider multiple factors and make an informed decision.
6.2.1 Nature of the Project (Basic research vs. Applied Research)
Consider whether your project aims to generate new conceptual insights or solve a practical marketing problem. Basic research emphasizes theory-building, while applied research focuses on actionable solutions for real organizations. Choose the approach that best supports your learning goals and showcases your strengths. The two types differ the most in Chapter 2 and Chapter 5.
For basic research, Chapter 2 will primarily focus on the literature review and hypothesis development, while Chapter 5 will discuss implications for theory advancement and provide recommendations for marketing practitioners. For applied research, on the other hand, Chapter 2 will combine business-related information with a brief literature review, while Chapter 5 will focus on marketing plans, their implementation, evaluation of the implemented plans, and reflections.
6.2.2 Characteristics of Project Sponsor (Faculty vs. Students)
Projects led by faculty sponsors often provide structured guidance and defined expectations, while student-initiated projects allow greater autonomy and creativity. There will be faculty advisor assigned to the approved sudent-iniated projects, the faculty advisor may not have sufficient expertise. Thus, reflect on the level of support you prefer and the working style that helps you perform at your best. The sponsor’s expertise can also shape the project’s direction and rigor.
6.2.3 Project’s Alignment with your Career Objective (Digital Marketing Strategy vs. Marketing Science)
Select a project that builds the competencies most relevant to your intended career path. Strategy-focused students may benefit from work involving planning, content creation, and campaign execution, while analytics-oriented students may prefer modeling, testing, and data-driven decision-making. The capstone should strengthen your portfolio in the direction you want to pursue.
6.2.4 Availability of Data
Strong projects rely on access to meaningful, timely, and sufficient data. Before committing, ensure that data can be obtained without legal, logistical, or ethical barriers. Reliable data availability will determine the project’s feasibility and depth of analysis. Availability of data will be more important for students with marketing analytics emphasis than digital marketing strategy emphasis.
Existing data (secondary data) may come from the client company’s Google Analytics, Google Ads, sales, or CRM systems. If your objectives involve digital marketing planning and execution—typically conducted in late spring and summer—you should confirm the integrity of the data during the fall semester as part of your project proposal presentation. This process involves gaining access to the relevant data and digital marketing platforms and performing a comprehensive audit. Ensure that all metrics and variables proposed for the AOs are available.
6.2.5 Type of Data: Primary data vs. Secondary Data
Primary data collection allows for customized insights but may require more time, planning, and resources. Secondary data—such as existing company datasets, public sources, or digital platforms—offers convenience and faster analysis. Select the data type that fits your timeline, skills, and research objectives.
Not necessarily. Each has its pros and cons. Primary data allows you to tailor the data collection process to your specific research questions, ensuring relevance and accuracy. However, it can be time-consuming and costly to gather. Secondary data is often more readily available and cost-effective, but it may not perfectly align with your research needs and could have limitations in terms of quality or completeness. Consider your project’s requirements, timeline, and resources when choosing between primary and secondary data.
If you are dealing with secondary data, it is important that you have access to the data during the fall semester so that you can assess its suitability for your project. Furthermore, if you are collecting primary data, ensure that your data collection plan is feasible within the project timeline. You should have at a minimum a solid data collection plan by the end of the fall semester. The solid plan should include the data collection method, target population, sampling strategy, data collection instruments, IRB approval if human subjects are involved.
Keep in mind that data must be ready at the onset of the spring semester for analysis, regardless of whether the data are primary or secondary.
6.2.6 Sophistication of Data
Evaluate the complexity of the dataset you will work with, including structure, volume, and required analytical techniques. Simpler datasets support descriptive or exploratory analysis, while more complex data allows for modeling, segmentation, or predictive insights. Choose a level of sophistication that challenges you without overwhelming your capacity. Students who want to have career in marketing analytics would benefit more by working with sophisticated data, while students pursuing a digital marketing strategy can be okay with less sophisticated data.
6.2.7 Nature of Analytics Objective: Exploratory vs. Confirmatory
Exploratory projects focus on discovering patterns, while confirmatory projects test predefined assumptions, hypotheses, or models. Each requires different methods, skills, and planning. Identify which analytical approach fits your topic and aligns with your preferred style of inquiry. Basic research tends to be confirmatory, while applied research tends to be exploratory.
6.2.8 Whether Objectives are Expressed as Project Objectives or Analytics Objectives
Clients often have expectations and deliverables that do not fully align with MSDM CEP requirements. Their analytics objectives could be businesses objectives.
POs are term used from business’s perspective and often include broader marketing or business outcomes—such as creating marketing content (e.g., designing a website or social media posts) or increasing conversions (e.g., customers, leads, sales). These are the goals of digital marketing activities from manager’s perspective.
AOs, in contrast, are from researcher’s perspective and therefore must be directly tied to data, because analytics objectives guide the analysis you will present in the report.
For this reason, it is important for you to distinguish clearly between project objectives (PO) and analytics objectives (AO) from the onset of the CEP process. To learn more reasons for the distinction, please refer to the section titled Interest in the Project Objectives below.
6.2.9 Interest in the Topic
Selecting a topic that genuinely interests you will sustain your motivation over three semesters. Passion for the subject enhances creativity, persistence, and the quality of your final deliverables. Choose a topic that excites you and aligns with your curiosity.
6.2.10 Interest in the Project Objectives
Beyond the topic itself, consider whether the project’s goals energize you—whether it involves building a strategy, creating digital marketing contents, conducting deep analytics, or designing experiments. Project objectives (PO) are goals (business objectives or marketing objectives) expressed from the perspectives of the client company. Your engagement with the objectives will influence the depth and enthusiasm you bring to the work. A strong personal connection to the project’s purpose leads to stronger outcomes.
Yes, PO sounds more exciting and doesn’t hint you what will go under the hood, while AO sounds harder as it implies analytical needs and data analysis when the reality is that both involves the same data and analytical rigor as well as exciting marketing plans and activities. Thus, students who cannot tell the difference will not make an informed decisions that they may regret later.
Let’s suppose one of the objectives is stated as follows.
- “Design an effective website that will promote the new service and generate leads.”
One way to identify whether an objective is a PO or AO is to ask:
Is there data associated with this objective?
Is the same dataset used for other analytics objectives relevant here?
If the answer is no, you are likely dealing with a project objective, not an analytics objective.
Another way is to ask yourself what method (descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, predictive analytics) you would use to address the objective in Chapter 3 (Methods). Thus, you ask this question:
- Is there any statistical method required to design a website?
The answer is no—because designing a website is a project activity, not an analytics task. This means that you are dealing with PO, not AO.
To learn about how to convert PO to AO, please refer to the section titled How to Convert PO to AO below.
6.2.11 Existence of Digital Marketing Planning and Implementation in the Project Objectives
Consider whether the project provides opportunities to develop and execute a digital marketing plan, as this experience is central to the MSDM skillset—especially for students pursuing careers in digital marketing strategy or Content creator. Projects that involve strategic planning, channel selection, content development, and campaign implementation allow you to demonstrate both creative and analytical competencies. Choosing a project with clear digital execution components can strengthen your portfolio and better prepare you for real-world marketing roles.
However, the absence of marketing planning and implementation expectations is not a concern for students aiming to become marketing data scientists or analysts. For those paths, access to sophisticated data that supports modeling and the generation of actionable insights is sufficient. In such cases, not being able to follow through on recommendations with full campaign execution is not critically important.
6.3 Project Kickoff Day (Week 04)
Have project kickoff day with your faculty lead and client as early as you can.
By the fourth week into the fall, invite your faculty lead and client to a project kickoff day event.
Prepare agenda, including short-term (fall seemester) and long-term (spring and summer) plan.
Use the Project Milestones and Timelines section for your planning. Share your plan.
Understand expectations on collaboration with group members, faculty lead, and client.
Meeting frequency
Secure recurring meeting schedule and send a calendar invite
Decide on a project management tool
6.4 Preparing for Initial Proposal Presentation
6.4.1 Secure Feedback From Your Faculty Project Lead
Share your written project report with your faculty lead even if it still needs improvement. They can give you preliminary feedback early on, giving you time to revise before the final submission for grading. Remember that your faculty lead’s assessment will influence the grade you receive for IBM 6200.
6.4.2 Project Objectives (PO) vs. Analytics Objectives (AO)
Clients often have expectations and deliverables that do not fully align with MSDM CEP requirements. For this reason, it is important to distinguish clearly between project objectives (PO) and analytics objectives (AO).
POs often include broader marketing or business outcomes—such as creating marketing content (e.g., designing a website or social media posts) or increasing conversions (e.g., customers, leads, sales). These are the goals of digital marketing activities.
AOs, in contrast, must be directly tied to data, because analytics objectives guide the analysis you will present in the report.
One way to identify whether an objective is a PO or AO is to ask:
Is there data associated with this objective?
Is the same dataset used for other analytics objectives relevant here?
If the answer is no, you are likely dealing with a project objective, not an analytics objective.
Another way is to ask yourself what method (descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, predictive analytics) you would describe in Chapter 3 (Methods).
For example: Is there any statistical method required to design a website?
- The answer is no—because designing a website is a project activity, not an analytics task.
6.4.3 How to Convert PO to AO
When an objective is not related to data or methods, you will have little to write about in Chapter 4 (Analysis and Results). Therefore, you must translate marketing or business objectives into analytics objectives.
A useful guiding question is:
What information do I need, and where can I find it, in order to achieve the project objectives?
Suppose the PO is to design a website to engage potential clients and increase conversion rates. For the website to be effective, it must follow UX principles, conversion-centric design, and SEO best practices.
To evaluate performance, you can collect visitor behavior metrics from Google Analytics 4 (GA4), such as:
bounce rate
session duration
conversion rate
number of visitors
These metrics allow you to identify the website’s strengths and weaknesses.
Once you know what data you need and where it comes from, you can determine which analytical methods to apply. The next question becomes:
What should I do with the data to generate insights that will help improve website performance?
You may also have expectations about relationships among metrics.
For example:
- High bounce rate on landing pages → likely low conversion rate
(a negative relationship)
You should also consider what counts as an acceptable bounce rate, session duration, or conversion rate. Comparing your metrics with industry benchmarks will help you identify areas for improvement.
Following the logic shown in the example, you can lead to the following conclusion.
PO1: Design a website to communicate results and engage potential client brands.
AO1a: Explore ways in which the website can be optimized for potential customers.
Of course, AO above could have been expressed in different ways.
AO1b: Generate insights from the GA4 and Google Ads data for website optimization
AO1c: Generate insights from the GA4 and Google Ads data to increase visitor engagement and conversions.
Consider multiple options and settle with one that your team likes the best. A few criteria to consider are the clarity and concreteness of the statement.
Using these criteria, you may choose AO1C as your formal AO1.
6.4.4 Build Technical Skills
Strengthen any technical skills required for your project, such as:
Google Analytics
Google Ads
Google BigQuery
R or Python
SQL
Even modest skill-building during the break can greatly improve efficiency in the Spring.
I also have virtual classroom offered by Data Camp for most tools you need for analytics. If you want to utilize the free certification courses, please contact me. Some MSDM students are in the program already. For more information refer to DataCamp Virtual Classroom.
For other resources, see the relevant sections of the Skills, Tools, and Courses Alignment page.
6.5 Initial Proposal Presentation (Week 09)
In this presentation, you are telling your client and your faculty project lead that you know enough about the client, project, industry, and customers and present your plan to collect data to address Analytics Objectives (AO’s).
Deliverables for the presentation include:
MSDM CEP written report (Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Appendix, References) / PPT
Survey instrument for survey research (if applicable)
Ensure consistent format across all sections
Check for grammar and style
Appendix should include:
(1) Link to data stored in secure shared drive.
(2) Link to data dictionary (lists of variables, their definitions, and sources)
(3) Link to survey instrument (if applicable)
(4) Link to the literature review folder
After the presentation, you will be asked to plan to address feedback you received from the audience (i.e., client, faculty, and students). For the next six weeks, you will not only address the feedback but also complete whatever more steps and processes, and tasks needed to get you ready for the Final Proposal Defense Presentation (Week 09).
6.6 Data Collection for the Above AO
6.6.1 Collection Preparation for Owned Media
To address this AO, you need to collect KPIs through GA4. If no website exists, you must:
create one,
connect it to GA4,
link Google Search Console to GA4, and
use UTM parameters to track email and social media traffic.
If this preparation has not been completed, it should be done as part of Chapter 3 (Methods). At a minimum, you should complete this as soon as possible so you have at least one month of accumulated GA4 data before the final proposal defense presentation.
Be sure to describe your digital marketing infrastructure and details about the collected data (e.g., sampling, sample characteristics, measures, etc.) in Chapter 3.
6.6.1.1 Set Up Platforms and Access
Set up required digital marketing platforms (e.g., Google Analytics, Google Ads) and confirm they are properly configured to collect data if you have not done so already.
- For detailed discussion, refer to Preparation: Owned Media section.
If your client already uses these platforms:
Ensure you have appropriate access
Verify data integrity and historical availability of the secondary data
6.6.2 Data Collection - Primary and Other Secondary Data
If you need to conduct a survey research (i.e., primary data), you must design survey instrument, secure IRB approval, administer the survey, and finish data collection before the final proposal defense proposal.
If you are using secondary data, you must review data and report some preliminary findings about the sample, ensuring that the secondary data has relevant variables needed to address the analytics objectives.
Securing data by the end of fall semester is probably the most important milestone that determines the success of your project. The entire spring semester will be devoted to data analysis and generanting insights.
Without the data, you will be under a lot of stress. Therefore, ask your faculty lead and client about data early, secure them in your hands, store them in safe OneDrive, set up GiHub Repository, and collaborate in analysis.
At a minimum, you must confirm that the dataset has all the features/variables you need to address your analytics objectives.
Secondary data is usually not perfect for AO’s. Explore ways to obtain additional data. Talk to your faculty lead and client for assistance.
6.6.3 ETL Tools for GA4 and Google Ads Data
During the winter, you should set up the necessary own media (website, social media, email, Google Ads) and connect them to GA4.
Once GA4 and Google Ads are operational, you will have data for spring analysis.
During the spring, you can:
use GA4/Google Ads dashboards for descriptive statistics, or
import GA4/Google Ads data into Google BigQuery for greater data control, inferential analysis, and predictive modeling.
Inside BigQuery, you can also use Google Looker Studio for custom visualizations and Gemini AI for modeling. If you prefer working in R/RStudio, R can connect directly to BigQuery. Packages like bigrquery allow your dplyr syntax to be translated into SQL automatically.
bigrquery provides a database backend that dplyr can talk to using the dbplyr translation engine.
You never write SQL—dbplyr generates and sends the SQL for you.
Below is an illustration of codes.
library(bigrquery)
library(dplyr)
con <- dbConnect(
bigquery(),
project = "your-project-id",
dataset = "your_dataset"
)
tbl(con, "your_table") |>
filter(bounce_rate > 0.5) |>
group_by(device_category) |>
summarize(avg_session = mean(session_duration))6.7 Presentation Rehearsal
The CCIDM advisory board has generously offered to help you with your presentation. If you would like feedback, you may record your rehearsal and send it to me, and I will forward it to the board.
The board members are very busy, but they are eager to support you—presentation skills are essential in any organization. One board member is even looking to hire interns, so this could be a valuable opportunity.
6.8 Final Proposal Defense Presentation (Week 15)
In this presentation, you will demonstrate that you understand the project, identified AO’s (one AO per person in your group), have a solid method to address the AO’s.
Succesful presentations would have solid data (primary or secondary) and articulate specific variables in the data that would be used for addressing AO’s. Deliverables for the presentation include:
MSDM CEP written report (Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Appendix, References) and PPT
Ensure consistent format across all sections
Check for grammar and style
Appendix should include:
(1) Link to data stored in secure shared drive.
(2) Link to data dictionary (lists of variables, their definitions, and sources)
(3) Link to data analysis folder with coding scripts
(4) Link to survey instrument (if applicable)
(5) Link to literature review folder
Students whose projects do not have solid data by this time will be given a temporary grade (e.g, I or RP) and will be required to complete data collection during the winter break. Note, however, that winter breaks goes quickly, as most people would take a break during early part of the winter break (Mid December to early January). Do not expect to make serious work done during the break.
7 Winter Break
7.1 Introduction
After completing the Fall semester, you may be wondering how best to use the Winter Break to prepare for the Spring semester. The answer depends on your project type, data availability, and the feedback you received during and after your project proposal presentation—whether that feedback was formal or informal, written or verbal.
While Winter Break is not a formal instructional period, using it strategically can help you catch up with missed tasks and significantly reduce pressure during the Spring semester.
Important note: You are not expected to complete all of the activities below during Winter Break. The goal is to make meaningful progress where possible, not to treat the break as a full academic term.
7.2 Suggested Activities During Winter Break
Below are recommended activities to consider, depending on your project’s status.
7.2.1 Implement Feedback
Carefully review feedback received during your project proposal presentation and subsequent discussions.
Revise your project plan, objectives, scope, or methodology as needed.
7.2.2 Prepare and Clean Data (Optional)
If datasets are already available, use the break to clean, preprocess, and organize your data.
This preparation will save substantial time once analysis begins.
7.2.3 Continue Literature Review (if applicable)
If you have deficiencies identified on literature review, the winter break is a good time to catch up. Often times, literature review is a prerqeuisite for data collection.
Review relevant academic and industry literature to deepen your understanding of the problem context.
Refine research questions, hypotheses, or analytical frameworks as needed.
7.2.4 Plan Ahead for Spring
Outline a preliminary project timeline for the Spring semester.
Set key milestones to ensure steady progress and avoid last-minute bottlenecks.
7.3 Alignment with the Spring Semester (IBM 6800 / CEP)
The Spring semester—hosted in IBM 6800 (MSDM Capstone Experience Project)—moves quickly and assumes that teams are ready to make tangible progress early in the term.
Any preparatory work completed during Winter Break (e.g., feedback incorporation, data readiness, platform setup) will allow your team to:
Engage more productively with your faculty lead
Move faster into analysis and execution
Reduce time pressure later in the semester
7.4 Looking Ahead
By the first week of the Spring semester, teams must be ready:
Have a revised and clarified project proposal
Secure data
Be ready to discuss next steps with their faculty lead
Without the data, your Spring capstone experience will be seriously negatively influenced.
8 Spring Semester
8.1 Introduction
The CEP continues in IBM 6800 (Data-Driven Digital Marketing Strategy I) during the spring semester. The focus of this semester is on analyzing data and making data-informed recommendations. There will be two presentations as described in the Project Milestones and Timelines section.
The first presentation in Week 6 gives students an opportunity to share their preliminary data analysis and findings.
The second presentation in Week 13 gives students an opportunity to share their final data analysis and recommendations. The second presentation carries more weight than the first, as it is the last opportunity to present your data analysis and recommendations before launching the digital marketing campaign in the summer.
In IBM 6800, students complete not only Chapter 4 (Data Analysis and Results) but also the recommendations section, which is part of Chapter 5 — the final chapter. Chapter 5 consists of the recommendations as well as additional components that will be completed during the summer in IBM 6950.
The recommendations presented in the Week 13 final presentation are expected to be high-level ideas rather than a concrete plan (e.g., specific campaigns or action items).
For example, if your recommendation is to create a website, you are not expected to design the website during the spring semester. Instead, you are expected to make a recommendation such as “create a website” and provide a rationale for the recommendation based on your data analysis.
You will then develop the concrete plan (e.g., designing the website) between Week 13 and Week 16, and present the concrete plan to the client in Week 16.
To avoid wasting time and resources, students will proceed to crafting the concrete digital marketing plan only after the client has agreed with the recommendations.
The digital marketing plan may include, among others, a series of social media posts, a landing page design, and an email marketing plan. Student groups will present their digital marketing plans to the client in or before Week 16.
Failure to complete data analysis and write up Chapter 4 and recommendations by Week 13 will result in a temporary grade (e.g., I or RP) for IBM 6800, as students cannot proceed to the next phase without completing the required work.
8.2 Data Analysis Starts in Day 1 (W01)
You started looking at the data already in the fall semester with the goal of confirming the integrity of data. In this early phase of semester, your immediate goal is to wrangle and visualize data and address your analytics objective as much as possible so that you can have an easier time later after first presentation.
- Recall that you must finish data analysis and write up your findings in Chapter 4 and also the recommendations section in Chapter 5 by Week 13.
Your activities include:
Setting up GitHub Repository (if you haven’t done so already)
Exploratory analysis with data wrangling and visualization
Descriptive statistics
Inferential statistics
Predictive analytics (if you have time)
Writing Ch4 (Data analysis & results)
Updating Ch3: Revise sample characteristics and other areas if needed.
8.3 Data Analysis and Results Presentation (W06)
In Week 6, you will make presentations about analysis and findings to the faculty and client. Deliverables are cumulative written report and PPT, including:
Data analysis & results (Chapter 4)
MSDM CEP written report (Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Ch4, Appendix, and References) and PPT
Ensure consistent format across all sections
Check for grammar and style
Appendix should include:
(1) Link to data stored in secure shared drive.
(2) Link to data dictionary (lists of variables, their definitions, and sources)
(3) Link to data analysis folder with coding scripts
(4) Link to survey instrument (if applicable)
(5) Link to literature review folder
Note that your report is cumulative. It should have all the previous work in the written report, including Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, and Ch4.
Based on the feedback, you will continue to work to repare for the next presentation by adjusting your research efforts and complete the rest of the planned data analyses to address your analytics objectives.
8.4 Final Data Analysis and Recommendations Presentation (W13)
In Week 13, you will wrap up data analysis by updating the faculty and client on the final findings of the analysis.
Since there is no more opportunity to analyze the data, students must finish all the planned analysis and make recommendations by this time.
Deliverables are entire cumulative written report and PPT, including:
Final version of Data analysis & results (Chapter 4)
Part of Chapter 5:
MSDM CEP written report (Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Ch4, Ch5, Appendix, and References) and PPT
Ensure consistent format across all sections
Check for grammar and style
Appendix should include:
(1) Link to data stored in secure shared drive.
(2) Link to data dictionary (lists of variables, their definitions, and sources)
(3) Link to data analysis folder with coding scripts
(4) Link to survey instrument (if applicable)
(5) Link to literature review folder
Note that your report is cumulative. It should have all the previous work in the written report, including Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Ch4, and Ch5.
Failure to complete data analysis and write up Chapter 4 and recommendations will result in a temporary grade (e.g., I or RP) for IBM 6800, as students cannot proceed to the next phase — Crafting Digital Marketing Plan — without completing the required work.
Students with temporary grade will be required to complete the data analysis and recommendations before the start of the summer semester, which is not ideal because the intersession is short (two weeks) and most people would take a break.
Plan accordingly to ensure you have sufficient time to complete the required work by Week 13.
The temporary grade will be changed to a final grade (e.g., A, B, C, D, or F) after the required work is completed and approved by the faculty lead and the instructor of the course.
The delay in completing the required work will also delay the start of the digital marketing campaign, which is a critical component of the project and a key requirement for successful completion of the MSDM CEP and graduation in time.
Therefore, it is important to plan ahead and ensure that you have sufficient time to complete all necessary steps for graduation.
Take a look at the Overview section of the Summer Semester for more information about the importance of completing the data analysis and recommendations by Week 13.
8.5 Digital Marketing Plan Presentation and Start the Campaign Immediately (W16)
Right after the second presentation, you should start creating a digital marketing plan and present it to the client during the finals week as stated on the Project Milestones and Timelines section.
If client accepts your plan, you can proceed with implementing the digital marketing plan.
If there is any concerns on your plan, you must address it and and secure approval prior to the first week of the summer.
9 Summer Semester
9.1 Introduction
The summer semester is short — only 10 weeks — which is why you must begin your digital marketing campaign on Day 1, or preferably toward the end of the spring semester. Successfully completing the CEP makes you eligible to graduate at the end of the summer.
The summer semester is hosted in IBM 6950 (Data-Driven Digital Marketing Strategy II). The focus of this semester is completing the implementation of the digital marketing plan developed during the spring semester. You are expected to complete the digital marketing campaign by Week 5 at the latest and evaluate its performance, and reflect on the results during the second half of the semester, with reflections due by Week 9.
There will be two presentations during the summer semester.
The first presentation is during Week 5 and focuses on providing a progress update on your digital marketing campaign.
The second presentation is during Week 9 and focuses on sharing the campaign’s performance results along with your reflections on what worked, what did not work, and what you would do differently in the future.
The performance data collected after the campaign is completed will likely differ from the data described in Chapter 3 and analyzed in Chapter 4. The performance data will be KPIs such as conversion rates, click-through rates, and engagement metrics. It is possible that such KPIs were used for our Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, in which case, your data metrics will be the same.
You will report campaign performance KPIs in Chapter 5; however, sophisticated statistical analysis is not required. Industry-standard KPIs gathered after the marketing implementation are sufficient.
To meaningfully assess the effectiveness of the campaign, you will need either pre-campaign data or industry benchmarks in addition to your post-campaign data.
If KPIs from both before and after the campaign are available, that is the preferred approach. If not, industry benchmarks may serve as an acceptable alternative in some situations. The key is to present your campaign performance and reflect on the results in a meaningful way that showcases the value of your work to your client.
Completing the second presentation by Week 9 is a critical requirement for graduation. Failure to complete this presentation will result in an inability to graduate at the end of the summer. Plan accordingly and ensure that all milestones are met on time.
Even after completing the second presentation, you will still need to finalize your written report, reflecting any final feedback, add front-end sections (Title Page, signature page, acknowledgment, abstract, individual contribution statements, Table of Contents, List of Figures, List of Tables) and submit the required paperwork to the university during Week 10 and Finals Week.
Your project committee must sign off on your final report.
Plan ahead to ensure you have sufficient time to complete all necessary steps for graduation.
9.2 Digital Marketing Plan Execution Continues (W01)
You will continue implementing your planned digital marketing strategy. Your activities include:
Complete planned digital marketing strategy
Update your project written report by adding digital marketing plan and other components in Ch5.
Preparing for the presentation in W05.
9.3 Digital Marketing Plan & Execution Progress Presentation (W05)
The first presentation will be during Week 5, one month after summer started. In the presentation, you need to share the approved digital marketing plan and current state of the implementation.
Deliverables are entire cumulative written report and PPT, including:
Chapter 5 Update — written report / PPT due
MSDM CEP written report (Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Ch4, Ch5, Appendix, and References) and PPT
Ensure consistent format across all sections
Check for grammar and style
Appendix should include:
(1) Link to data stored in secure shared drive.
(2) Link to data dictionary (lists of variables, their definitions, and sources)
(3) Link to data analysis folder with coding scripts
(4) Link to survey instrument (if applicable)
(5) Link to literature review folder
Note that your report is cumulative. It should have all the previous work in the written report, including Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Ch4, and Ch5.
9.4 Final Presentation — DM performance assessment and reflection (W09)
The second presentation will be held in Week 9, one month after your first presentation.
This is your final presentation with a focus on sharing the effectiveness of your execution of the digital marketing plan. You should compare KPI’s before and after the execution of the plans.
You are encouraged to invite your client to this final presentation.
Your oral and written communication skills will be assessed for AACSB assessment purpose.
Deliverables are entire cumulative written report and PPT, including:
Complete Chapter 5 - Written report and PPT
Front-end sections of the written report (Title Page, signature page, acknowledgment, abstract, individual contribution statements, Table of Contents, List of Figures, List of Tables)
MSDM CEP written report (Frontend Sections, Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Ch4, Ch5, Appendix, andReferences) and PPT
Ensure consistent format across all sections
Check for grammar and style
Appendix should include:
(1) Link to data stored in secure shared drive.
(2) Link to data dictionary (lists of variables, their definitions, and sources)
(3) Link to data analysis folder with coding scripts
(4) Link to survey instrument (if applicable)
(5) Link to literature review folder
In addition, you should work on front-end sections of your written report, including Title Page, Signature Page, Acknowledgement, Abstract, Individual Contribution Statements, Table of Contents, List of Figures, and List of Tables. You will finalize these sections by Week 10.
Title Page
Signature Page
The signature page in your written report should include the names of your project committee members, but it does not need to include their signatures.
Leave the signature lines blank. Your will be asked to obtain electronic signatures from your project committee members (Chair/Reader) via Adobe Docu Process later.
Do not worry about the signatures for now. Focus on completing the rest of the report.
Acknowledgement (Optional)
Abstract
Individual Contribution Statement (ICS)
9.5 Final Edits (W10)
In Week 10, you should finalize your written report by editing the report for grammar, style, and formatting. You should also edit the front-end sections reflecting the feedback you received from your faculty lead and client. You should also ensure that the formatting is consistent across all sections of the report.
In addition, your instructor will provide guidance on the final edits. Follow the instructions from your IBM 6950 instructor.
Deliverables are entire cumulative written report, including:
- Complete MSDM CEP written report (Title Page, Signature Page, (Acknowledgement), Abstract, ICS, TOC, Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Ch4, Ch5, Appendix, and References)
Edit front end sections before Ch1.
Ensure consistent format across all sections
Check for grammar and style
Appendix should include:
(1) Link to data stored in secure shared drive.
(2) Link to data dictionary (lists of variables, their definitions, and sources)
(3) Link to data analysis folder with coding scripts
(4) Link to survey instrument (if applicable)
(5) Link to literature review folder
- Obtain Electronic Signatures from Commitee Members for CEP (Step 7 in Steps Towards Completing Your Project or Thesis)
Once you completed your project written report and received final approval, inform your committee members of your intent to obtain electronic signatures and ask if they would be ready to sign.
Do not initiate the process without informing your committee members. You may think they are fine with your final written report, but they may feel differently or have questions about the process before formally signing off on it.
If they refuse to sign off on the document, you will have to address their concerns and make necessary revisions to your report before they can sign off on it. Therefore, it’s important to communicate with your committee members before initiating the signature process to ensure that everyone is on the same page and that there are no surprises.
It is your responsibility to initiate the process to obtain electronic signatures from your project committee members (Chair/Reader) via Adobe Docu Process explained on the PROCEDURE TO OBTAIN FINAL PROJECT, THESIS, or DISSERTATION COMMITTEE SIGNATURES.
- Each group member should initiate the process individually by filling out the form separately and attaching the same final written report to the form and submitting the form.
In the form, fill out your faculty project lead (Committee Chair) first, followed by the instructor of the course, IBM 6950 (Committee Member). This is because, the Adobe Docu Process will send the document to the faculty project lead first for signature, and then to the instructor for signature.
If you fill out the form in reverse order, the document will be sent to the instructor first, which may cause confusion and delay in the process. That’s because the committee member won’t sign off on the document until the committee chair has signed it.
So, if the document is sent to the committee member first, they will be waiting for the committee chair to sign it before they can sign it, which may cause unnecessary delays. Therefore, it’s important to fill out the form in the correct order to ensure a smooth and efficient signature process.
Once both committee chair and member signed off on the Adobe Docu form, you will receive a confirmation via email. You should save this document in your secure shared drive and also submit it to your course instructor as part of the class requirements.
9.6 Paperwork (W11)
In Finals week, you should submit necessary documents to different offices in the university, including the university graduate office, library, and MSDM office. Follow the instructions from your IBM 6950 instructor.
Have your Committee CHAIR Submit Youir Report of Culminating Experience (RCE) (Step 9 in Steps Towards Completing Your Project or Thesis) by Faculty Project Lead.
Students must provide their Official name and Bronco ID to the faculty project lead.
The faculty lead must submit RCE for each student individually.
Submit Approved Project Abstract with Individual Contribution Statement to Bronco Scholarworks (Step 10 in Steps Towards Completing Your Project or Thesis)
- One person from the group could submit one form on behalf of the group.
Submit Approved Complete Project Written Report to the instructor via Canvas..
- The instructor will compile all the project written report and PPT to the MSDM program director.
Submitting all required documents on time is crucial for several reasons:
Graduation Eligibility: Timely submission of documents is often a requirement for graduation. Failure to submit on time can delay your graduation, which may have financial and career implications.
Academic Record: Submitting documents on time ensures that your academic record accurately reflects your achievements and progress. Late submissions may lead to incomplete records or the need for additional administrative work to update your records.
Professionalism: Meeting deadlines demonstrates professionalism and respect for the academic process. It reflects your commitment to your education and can positively impact your relationships with faculty and peers.