Getting into a topic one is barely familiar with? Intro

For an upcoming project I have to get into a new topic of research which is not similar to anything I have worked so far. Furthermore, this project requires learning new programming language(s) and simulation environments. And in the end a software implementation and a final report has to be written

About the topic

The whole topic is about wireless mobile communication, the basics of communication technologies which are used in this topic are the same with the usual mobile wireless technologies I've learned before. However, the dynamics of the mobility are fairly different. The clustering algorithms used are not typical.

The essential question

How do I tackle such a situation, where multiple new things have to be learned before the final results are delivered. I separate the things I have to learn into 


Prerequisites: programming languages, simulation environment, relation between them and the topic basics
Main work: learning the essential elements of the topic and becoming fluent in them


Past experiences

In the past I have usually worked on research topics which I have fulfilled the prerequisites for. So, I would tackle the topic following these steps:


Read broader literature: Surveys
Read literature about the specific problem
Implement if there is something to be done 
Write final report


In this case I am a bit lost. I don't know where should I start from. That's why I need help from more experienced researchers. Compared to the list I provided above, step 3 is quite more complicated in this case, as I am not familiar with the programming language.

What I plan to do

I want to follow the following steps in order to get into this topic


Fulfill the prerequisites: get familiar with the required programming languages and simulation environments. Coupling between them etc. Do some exercises until I feel confident.
Start reading broad literature: Surveys
Focus on the specific problem: Read specific literature
Start implementation
Write the final report


I am not quite sure if these steps are OK. Sometimes I get confused and I want to move 4 -&gt; 2, 2 -&gt; 3, 3 -&gt; 4 and maybe parallelize something there with step 5.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I feel so overwhelmed by this topic and need urgent help :(.
While your concern is perfectly valid (been there myself more than a few times), you should probably consider and accept that this is the way you are going to learn new things for most professional endeavors. This is how things work out of college; e.g. think about this: are you able to foresee what technologies and concepts are going to be required for your next project? And even if you could name them, could you set aside enough time for mastering them to be prepared for the next assignment?

As I see it, you already have a sound plan, I would stick to it. I would, however, recommend that you not get too engaged in just familiarizing yourself with the new environment. Sure, take some time to get some grip on it, but once you are got the basics, I suggest proceeding with your plan. One major asset of your assignment is going to be your new acquired skills, but that mastery will come in small portions along the whole road of the project. I find it unlikely (for students and professionals alike) to be able to learn a new paradigm in a reasonable time, without some means to guide the effort, e.g. class projects, so, instead of trying to get to the bottom immediately, get the basics and learn the rest along the way.

Other than that, as I said before, your plan is sound, just don't let the fear of the unknown overwhelm you into panic.