A little intro to design methodology
With this little introduction I propose to explain the processes and tools I used in my portfolio.
I hope that with this I can help to understand better the processes I have used in my projects along the diploma.
I hope that with this I can help to understand better the processes I have used in my projects along the diploma.
Key words for Process Design
In permaculture acronyms are used, which are words created to more easily memorize the steps of a macro-design process, also sometimes used to design sub-processes. These provide the designer with a global support to act consistently.
Three of the most used acronyms for a design process are the words OBREDIMET, SADIMET and CEAP.
Three of the most used acronyms for a design process are the words OBREDIMET, SADIMET and CEAP.
OBREDIMET
This is one of the more common used acronyms for permaculture designers that is adopted from industrial engineering.
Observations
Here is where it explains what it is and what happens (what, when, where, how and by whom) in the project before you begin. What we see and feel with no personal judgments, including the positive and negative. In my portfolio you can find some observations I made about how I am at the beginning of my diploma. You can find them by following the links below. Life review C.V Skill flex Needs
We can also take a look of our needs, and make a list:
Goals |
At birth an idea for a project, we have to think what we want and which are the needs to cover. This will give us a exhibition of which are the most important points to focus our energy on at short or long term, and help us to make a list, clearly articulating which are the goals we want to achieve after completion.
These are some of the Goals Articulated for my diploma:
Goals:
Learn Gain experience Keep in the PC way Sharing information ... |
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To see the list of my Diploma Goals Articulation click (here).
SMART is a common acronym used to define and categorize our goals.
To read more about SMART, click (here).
To read more about SMART, click (here).
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-based
Boundaries
How far can we go?
Being aware of our margins helps us to have more realistic expectations within our means and increases the chances of success, reaching progressively to accomplish our most distant goals in a more staggered way and adapted to the moment in which we find ourselves.
These are some of the margins that make my job a challenge, which I hope to expand during my work along this three years:
Language
Support (tutors...)
Money budget
Being aware of our margins helps us to have more realistic expectations within our means and increases the chances of success, reaching progressively to accomplish our most distant goals in a more staggered way and adapted to the moment in which we find ourselves.
These are some of the margins that make my job a challenge, which I hope to expand during my work along this three years:
Language
Support (tutors...)
Money budget
Resources
Analyze the resources you have at your fingertips right now, at all levels, both physical, mental, or spiritual.
Think of your resume related to the job at hand, your skills, experience, tools, money ..., and new things that can be accessed, as aid, information, internet ...
Simple things like using recycled materials, local, without cost-shifting..., before venturing into a new project will be crucial to see where your boundaries are and will help you to make smaller budgets, getting more performance with less effort.
Some of my resources
Environmental education knowledge
Life in Panya project
My life partner is also a permaculture diploma student
Flexibility
Time
Books
Documentaries
Internet
Other diploma students online projects
Motivation
Think of your resume related to the job at hand, your skills, experience, tools, money ..., and new things that can be accessed, as aid, information, internet ...
Simple things like using recycled materials, local, without cost-shifting..., before venturing into a new project will be crucial to see where your boundaries are and will help you to make smaller budgets, getting more performance with less effort.
Some of my resources
Environmental education knowledge
Life in Panya project
My life partner is also a permaculture diploma student
Flexibility
Time
Books
Documentaries
Internet
Other diploma students online projects
Motivation
Evaluation
In the previous steps we have accumulated a number of useful and valuable information to evaluate, this is the time to show our skills as a designer, with a variety of tools to clear as much as possible the idea of what we have in hand.
We can understand this part of the process as the Analysis
I´ll use methods such as zoning, sector analysis, input-output, resources, boundaries, and many more that will gather the necessary information to obtain the best performance by putting the minimum effort in our designs.
The principles and ethics that are usually present in the analysis help us to meet the criteria required in the way of permaculture.
We can understand this part of the process as the Analysis
I´ll use methods such as zoning, sector analysis, input-output, resources, boundaries, and many more that will gather the necessary information to obtain the best performance by putting the minimum effort in our designs.
The principles and ethics that are usually present in the analysis help us to meet the criteria required in the way of permaculture.
Design
This is where our most creative part begins, with all the information accumulated and analyzed. If we see that our project is viable we begin to create a design.
We will present a definite work to do for our problems to become solutions, we will post information of what is our design about, what it consists of, what it does and how to use it.
We can show drawings, photographs or other visual media and physical elements, such as designing a garden or a specific tool, and we´ll explain the functioning of our non physical designs, such education systems or mental steps, so these can be understood by others.
We will present a definite work to do for our problems to become solutions, we will post information of what is our design about, what it consists of, what it does and how to use it.
We can show drawings, photographs or other visual media and physical elements, such as designing a garden or a specific tool, and we´ll explain the functioning of our non physical designs, such education systems or mental steps, so these can be understood by others.
Implement
According to PC Diploma accreditation Criteria, not all projects need to be implemented, but it is recommended that the majority of them are.
In my case I intend to carry out the designs of my projects, trying to set out them using different techniques and communication tools to reach more people in a more pleasant understanding, and in a multifunctional way, pushing my margins towards creativity.
In my case I intend to carry out the designs of my projects, trying to set out them using different techniques and communication tools to reach more people in a more pleasant understanding, and in a multifunctional way, pushing my margins towards creativity.
MaintenanceWhen we speak of maintaining a garden site, it is easier for us to see the in-puts and out-puts that this generates for its own function and performance, but can be a little more complicated to maintain a non-physical design, and you have to see the way this does not fail over time.
This will be crucial for future evaluations, where we will see if our design is sustainable and profitable in our situation. On the right you can see the four questions, which can be used at various stages of a macro process. These are very useful to do the right evaluation, learning from the past and improving our implementation in the present and future. |
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This is an acronym ideal to use in this part of the process, with which we can review:
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Evaluation
That is the last step of a big pattern, in this we will examine how our design has run and if this was effective for us. If we want to continue this we can revisit our macroprocess and make corrections if necessary, returning to repeat the pattern of our acronym as often as we want, to improve our design and get more yield whilst spending less effort each time.
If we have a negative evaluation, we can revisit the part of our process that must be corrected in order to define our design in the way of success.
Maybe at this point, it's a good time to review our objectives again using the acronym SMART.
In most of the evaluations I included the reviews related to each project, and depending of the project if this didn't feed with the design web, I added an Appendix page to show these reviews.
Reviews as:
Maybe at this point, it's a good time to review our objectives again using the acronym SMART.
In most of the evaluations I included the reviews related to each project, and depending of the project if this didn't feed with the design web, I added an Appendix page to show these reviews.
Reviews as:
- Project
- Personal
- Professional
- Time-based
Tweaks
After the evaluation, its useful to make a short list of tweaks that will help both ourselves and others who want to learn through our permaculture project experiences.
SADIMET
This acronym start with Survey which could be compared with the observations and detail characteristic of the subject being treated in the project.
The rest ADIMET is more of the same like in OBREDIMET.
The rest ADIMET is more of the same like in OBREDIMET.
SADIMET (explained by Chris Evans).
CEAP
Collect site information
Evaluate the information
Apply permaculture principles
Plan a schedule of implementation, maintenance, evaluation and tweaking
Evaluate the information
Apply permaculture principles
Plan a schedule of implementation, maintenance, evaluation and tweaking
CEAP is a permaculture term. Again, it’s just a different way of saying the same thing.
- Collect site information is the same as Survey.
- Evaluate…see above.
- Apply permaculture principles I actually like better than ‘Design’. It’s more precise.
- Plan a schedule of implementation, maintenance, evaluation and tweaking is obviously just grouping the remaining four steps into one.
Other processes from the big permaculturist I used are:
Patrick Whitefield
Patrick Whitefield design methods and tools are very useful to do a land or site project, you can find a detailed explanation of how to apply them in his book The Earth Care Manual.
His design process
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- Base Maps is where all the collected information can be given in the maps. In the book you can find tips to make maps easier to understand with the necessary information.
- Site Survey is where all the relevant site information is collected, you can see above in section SADIMET a more detailed explanation of Survey.
- Questionnaire is the section where you enter the information about the people involved in the project. Here we can reflect in detail the vision, wants, goals ...
- Evaluation could be understood as the Analysis, using tools as inputs/outputs, sectors, zones...
- Design Proposals could be understood as Design.
- Re-evaluation could be understood as Maintenance, Evaluation and Tweaks
Looby Macnamara
Looby Macnamara is a recognized permaculturist that has focused much more on the social and personal aspect of permaculture. Her methodology helps us to work with those non physical projects that can not be seen with the naked eye as processes to find solutions to personal problems, family, community or society, which are sometimes more difficult to show other people without getting lost in abstraction.
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To practice and understand better other ways to think in Permaculture, I'll use the processes and methods from her book People & Permaculture, with which I hope to draw clearer conclusions and a design that can be understood by my tutor.
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Making my own acronym
OGADIMETI think it's good to start using acronyms that can be found in permaculture or industrial design books, but with experience it is good that we think and create our own, by adapting the words to the type of design undertaken, allowing more flexibility to create our processes.
In my case at the beginning of my diploma I started using the acronym OGADIMET like a design process base, and I modified depending of the project needs. Being very new and little known yet, it may be that the first projects are not as complete and gradually as I got deeper into the subject, the following project processes were enriching. |
Apendix
At the end of my process in some projects, I add an appendix to explain my reviews and show other project elements that do not fit within the design process, such as magazine articles or web pages related to the project.
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Reviews as:
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