How is a proposal roadmap different from the one in the final thesis?

At proposal stage nothing has been done yet, so the figure describes intentions: methods, steps, expected outcomes and a timeline. In the finished thesis the figure describes what was actually done: interim results become real results and the timeline disappears. This template is written for the proposal; the general thesis roadmap is written for the final version, and the two share a structure so you can edit the text later rather than redraw.

A phase has too many steps for one row

A subgraph can hold two rows: split the steps into two chains and write the second chain separately (for example M[x] --> N[y]); the layout engine stacks the chains. You can also reduce node spacing under "Layout" in the editor, or switch the whole diagram to flowchart LR so phases run left to right and steps stack.

The figure looks blurry in Word

The Word (docx) file from this page or the editor embeds a 3x PNG, which stays sharp at normal zoom. If your department requires vector figures, export SVG and insert it into Word (2016 or later), or export PDF.

Research Proposal Roadmap Template

Previewed in the “Ink Teal” theme; you can switch themes in the editor

When to use it

The "research design" or "methodology" figure in a final-year project proposal, a master's or PhD proposal, or a confirmation report. The four phases mirror the order of the document itself: why (rationale, state of the art, key problems) → what and how (content, methods, feasibility) → in which steps (collection, implementation, interim results) → what comes out and when (expected outcomes, timeline). A reviewer reading down the figure is reading down your table of contents.

Making it yours

Phase names sit in the square brackets after each subgraph; keep them identical to your section headings.
Replace "Methods and techniques" with what you will actually use: "survey + regression", "finite-element simulation", "deep learning model". If one box is not enough, split it into two joined by -->.
Connect phases by their group ids (K1 --> K2); linking nodes across phases makes Mermaid drop direction LR and stack the steps vertically.
If the timeline needs month-by-month detail, draw it as a separate thesis schedule Gantt chart and keep a single box here.
Switch to the Light theme before exporting for black-and-white printing; Ink Teal works for the defence slides.

Mermaid code

proposal-technical-roadmap.mmd

flowchart TB
    subgraph K1[Topic and groundwork]
        direction LR
        A[Rationale and significance] --> B[State of the art] --> C[Key problems to solve]
    end
    subgraph K2[Research content and design]
        direction LR
        D[Content and objectives] --> E[Methods and techniques] --> F[Feasibility]
    end
    subgraph K3[Implementation steps]
        direction LR
        G[Data and material collection] --> H[Implementation and adjustment] --> I[Interim results]
    end
    subgraph K4[Outcomes and schedule]
        direction LR
        J[Expected outcomes] --> K[Timeline] --> L(Proposal submitted)
    end
    K1 --> K2 --> K3 --> K4

Ask an AI for one with this structure

Send the prompt below to ChatGPT or Claude, then paste the whole reply into the editor; the code inside is detected automatically.

prompt.txt

Draw a research proposal roadmap in Mermaid flowchart TB syntax for the topic [your topic]. Use four subgraph phases with the phase name in square brackets and direction LR inside each: Topic and groundwork (rationale and significance → state of the art → key problems to solve); Research content and design (content and objectives → methods and techniques [replace with my methods: …] → feasibility); Implementation steps (data and material collection → implementation and adjustment → interim results); Outcomes and schedule (expected outcomes → timeline → proposal submitted, the last node rounded). Connect the phases by their subgraph ids (K1 --> K2). Output only the mermaid code block.

FAQ

How is a proposal roadmap different from the one in the final thesis?: At proposal stage nothing has been done yet, so the figure describes intentions: methods, steps, expected outcomes and a timeline. In the finished thesis the figure describes what was actually done: interim results become real results and the timeline disappears. This template is written for the proposal; the general thesis roadmap is written for the final version, and the two share a structure so you can edit the text later rather than redraw.
A phase has too many steps for one row: A subgraph can hold two rows: split the steps into two chains and write the second chain separately (for example M[x] --> N[y]); the layout engine stacks the chains. You can also reduce node spacing under "Layout" in the editor, or switch the whole diagram to flowchart LR so phases run left to right and steps stack.
The figure looks blurry in Word: The Word (docx) file from this page or the editor embeds a 3x PNG, which stays sharp at normal zoom. If your department requires vector figures, export SVG and insert it into Word (2016 or later), or export PDF.

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Updated 2026-09-22