PROJECTPLANNING 35
Previous work: This should include a précis of previ-
ous work conducted on the site, including the location of
existing site archives (if any) and the extent to which they
have been consulted. This section should also detail the
results of any previous work in such a way that they are
easily accessible to the current project.
Project details: This should include information about
the legal status of the site (if the site is protected or con-
trolled by any form of legislation) and what permissions
are in place, or are required, to allow the work to take place.
It should detail the project timescales, dates, any arrange-
ments for access agreed with landowners and site occu-
piers (if required) and the proposed reinstatement of the
site (after any excavation).
Archive deposition: It is vital that consideration is
given to the ultimate location and curation of the project
archive (see chapter 19) at the project planning stage. Details
of recipients of finds and records, curatorial arrange-
ments and associated information should be included in
the project design.
Justification for the project: This section will explain
why the project should take place. It should detail what
research questions the project aims to answer and balance
the destruction of the archaeological record with the
added knowledge the project will bring to our under-
standing of the past. Where work is prompted by an
external threat to the archaeological record, such as
coastal erosion, or development, this section should pro-
vide an assessment of the nature and scale of the threat
(short- and long-term) and detail how the proposed
archaeological work will mitigate this.
Publication and presentation: This section will sum-
marize the likely format of the published report (e.g.
monograph, article or note), the intended place of pub-
lication and any arrangements made for display and public
access to the site archive.
Methods statement: This section should explain what
work is to occur on site and how the data required to
answer the research questions will be collected and re-
corded. It should justify why these are the best methods
for the task in hand and, if the methods are experimental,
why it is considered that they will work in this case.
The following should be considered in the formulation
of a methods statement:
- the components of a site which will be investigated
and those which will not; - the different types of data-gathering methods to be
used;- the recovery and recording strategies to be used;
- any discard policies (these should be related to the
different classes of data anticipated from the site –
e.g. structural elements, artefacts or environmental
material); - the necessity for developmental work (for those
cases where a suitable methodology does not
appear to exist); - estimated post-fieldwork activity (although this
will almost inevitably alter once fieldwork has been
completed).
Resources and programming: This section should
detail the structure and size of the project team and the
levels of expertise represented by its members. It should
match the team’s expertise to the needs detailed in the
methods statement and identify whether any further
training is required prior to work taking place. Whether
professionals or volunteers, each team member should have
a clear understanding of exactly what his/her role is in the
project and be competent to carry it out. Prior to the start
of the project, each team member must have read and
understood the project design. They should know where
their role fits within the entire process. In a discipline that
is completely reliant on teamwork and where the rewards
are often more intellectual than material, it is important
that each individual gains as much from the process as
can reasonably be expected. For each team member, due
credit and a sense of ownership is essential.
Details of the materials and equipment needed to
undertake the work are required. This includes materials
and equipment necessary to ensure that the archaeolo-
gical data collected is appropriately stored and curated.
It may be appropriate for this section to be compiled in
association with a conservator and relevant museum
professional (see chapter 16).
If the project involves diving operations, these will
have to be conducted from a platform of some descrip-
tion. Careful thought should be put into what kind of
platform is used. The final choice will probably depend
on a combination of what is required and what is avail-
able to the project. The ideal platform for any project
is one that has the space and shelter on board to achieve
all of the project’s tasks in comfort and be sufficiently
seaworthy to travel to the site and stay on station in all
likely sea conditions. It should also meet any relevant local
and national safety regulations. The exact needs of every
project differ: some sites are easily reached from the shore,
some may be approachable from small inflatable boats
while others may require a large diving support-vessel
or barge. It should be remembered that the bigger the
platform, the larger and often more complex the moor-
ing operations required to keep it on station. Experience
has shown that a suitable mooring system that can be left