When I successfully defend my proposal by answering their questions, my committee chair then uploads my PowerPoint, my proposal, and IRB Form C (which is 11 pages with a layout of 21 inches by 8 inches) to the Internal Review Board who evaluates my materials for any ethical concerns that my research project might raise. If there are any, I get the opportunity to clarify and respond. That process then continues until the IRB is satisfied with my answers. I'm really hoping to get that through on the first try, but one of my classmates had to go through multiple revisions before hers was accepted.
At that point (after opening another Dinobot), I can then request permission from the district to begin my research. Once I have been given approval, I can then send out the consent forms and hopefully start receiving questionnaire responses to choose my interview candidates. It would be quite tight to get all of the data collected before winter break, but that is my hope so that I could then begin my thematic coding and recording my results.
Once I have my results, I can finalize my dissertation and go through the revision process until my committee feels my research is ready for URR review. That process may go back and forth until the URR approves my doctoral capstone as being sufficient to meet doctoral level standards (open a Dinobot). I must then formally defend my entire study. At that point, my capstone will be reviewed by the Chief Academic Officer for final approval (and then possible publication and opening a Dinobot). My hope is that approval will some this summer, and I will be formally robed as a doctor (and will open the final Dinobot).