Description
Book SynopsisThe project management approaches, which are used by millions of people internationally, are often too detailed or constraining to be applied to research. In this handbook, project management expert P. Alison Paprica presents guidance specifically developed to help with the planning, management, and leadership of research.
Research Project Management and Leadership provides simplified versions of globally utilized project management tools, such as the work breakdown structure to visualize scope, and offers guidance on processes, including a five-step process to identify and respond to risks. The complementary leadership guidance in the handbook is presented in the form of interview write-ups with 19 Canadian and international research leaders, each of whom describes a situation where leadership skills were important, how they responded, and what they learned. The accessible language and practical guidance in the handbook make it a valuable resource for everyone from
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations List of Tables List of Boxes List of Leadership Advice Crosswalks Section 1: Overview of Research Project Management and Leadership 1.1 Research Requires Both Vision and Planning 1.3 The Origin and Content of This Handbook 1.4 Summary of Project Management Tools and Processes for Research 1.4.1 Distinguishing Projects from Operations 1.4.2 Project Management Tools and Processes 1.4.3 Overview of the Research Project Management Tools Presented in This Handbook 1.5 Main Themes from Research Leader Interviews 1.6 How to Use This Handbook Section 2: Scoping and Planning Research Projects 2.1 Scope and the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) 2.1.1 The Project Management Mindset of DEFINE Then DELIVER 2.1.2 The WBS as a Tool to Articulate Project Scope 2.1.3 Deliverable-Based Scoping Drives Activities to the Point That They Produce Something Tangible 2.1.4 Common Workstreams and Deliverables for Research Projects 2.1.5 Using the WBS to Establish a Shared Understanding of Research Project Scope 2.2 The Deliverable-Based Schedule 2.2.1 Using the WBS Deliverables to Create a Schedule That Covers the Entire Project Scope 2.2.2 The Benefits of a Schedule 2.2.3. Steps for Developing a Deliverable-Based Gantt Chart Research Project Schedule 2.2.4 Schedule Compression 2.2.5 Avoiding Unnecessary Multitasking 2.3 The Deliverable-Based Budget 2.3.1 The Budget as a Tool to Ensure Sufficient Funding for All Deliverables 2.3.2 Estimating the Costs for Common Research Budget Lines 2.3.3 Steps for Developing a Deliverable-Based Research Project Budget 2.4 Involving Stakeholders in Project Planning 2.5 The Triple Constraint of Scope, Schedule, and Budget Section 3: Transitioning from Research Project Planning to Implementation 3.1 Progressive and Iterative Elaboration of Project Details 3.2 Processes to Identify and Manage Risks 3.2.1 Distinguishing Risks from Issues and Opportunities 3.2.2 Identifying, Prioritising, and Responding to Negative Risks for Research 3.2.3 Positive Risk Management 3.2.4 The Research Project Risk Management Plan 3.3 Roles and Responsibilities 3.3.1 The Importance of Understanding Who Will Do What on the Research Project Team 3.3.2 The WBS with Lead Initials as a Tool for Identifying Workstream and Deliverable Leads 3.3.3 The Intertwined Roles of the Principal Investigator and the Academic Research Project Manager 3.3.4 The Core Team 3.3.5 The RACI as a Tool to Define Multiple Roles 3.3.6 Building Capacity across the Research Project Team 3.4 Decision Making, Governance, and Oversight 3.4.1 Research Project Governance 3.4.2 Decision-Making Processes 3.4.3 Bringing Governance and Management Together 3.5 Using Project Management to Strengthen Grant Applications Section 4: Implementing and Closing Research Projects 4.1 Project Kickoff 4.2 The Tracking Sheet as a Tool to Monitor and Drive Research Project Progress 4.3 Communications and Stakeholder Involvement During Implementation 4.3.1 Communications Planning 4.3.2 Status Reports 4.3.3 Stakeholder Engagement 4.4 Preventing and Addressing Common Problems 4.5 Closing the Project and Capturing Lessons Learned Section 5: Research Operations and Cross-Cutting Topics 5.1 Running Effective Meetings 5.1.1 The Value of Meetings 5.1.2 The Role and Responsibilities of the Meeting Chair 5.1.3 Research Meeting Agendas 5.1.3 Facilitation Techniques and Processes 5.2 Adapting Project Management Tools and Processes for Research Programs, Operations, and Portfolios 5.3 Agile Approaches and Research Project Management 5.4 Adapting Research Project Management and Leadership Skills to Your Environment 5.4.1 Modifying Academic Research Project Management Skills for Other Sectors 5.4.2 Adapting the Guidance in This Handbook to Your Environment Section 6: Interviews With Research Leaders 6.1 Elspeth Brown: Starting a New Leadership Role With a Listening Tour 6.2 Steini Brown: Research Leadership Should Focus on the Team, Not the Leader 6.3 Beth Coleman: Starting Up the University of Toronto Black Research Network 6.4 Aled Edwards: Learning Your Partners’ Culture Through Immersion 6.5 Steve Farber: Leadership to Advance a Concept Into a Co-Developed Research Agenda 6.6 Colleen Flood: Forward Thinking and Scenario Planning for Policies Related to Vaccination 6.7 Lorna MacDonald: Creating and Leading Two Productions of a Historically-Based Opera 6.8 Kim McGrail: Launching a New Pan-Canadian Network 6.9 Michael Schull: When a Clinician Scientist Is the CEO of a Research Institute With More Than 200 Staff 6.10 Barbara Sherwood Lollar: Understanding That Research Operations Are Fundamentally Entrepreneurial 6.11 Molly Shoichet: Supporting Students in Learning Their Own Lessons 6.12 Ajrumand Siddiqi: Contributing as a Researcher When You’re Not Certain That You’re Right 6.13 Zaïna Soré: Working With Partners to Take Research Into Practice 6.14 Sharon Straus: Using Research Skills and Methods to Achieve Change 6.15 Mohamad Tavakoli-Targhi: Creating Vibrant Research Communities in the Humanities 6.16 Jutta Treviranus: Shifting the Culture of Research Funding to More Inclusive Approaches 6.17 David Wolfe: Distinct Leadership Requirements for Large Research Grants With Business Partners 6.18 Stefaan Verhulst: Research Entrepreneurship to Mobilize a New International Network 6.19 Rich Zemel: Working With Industry to Create a New Machine Learning Research Institute Appendices: Examples of Light-Touch Project Management Documents for Fictional and Generic Research Projects Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D: Three Pages for Planning and Managing the Evaluation of Seniors’ Health Clinics Background Information About the Project Appendix E: Five-Page Plan for Pollution Monitoring Research Background Information About Pollution Monitoring Research Project Appendix F: Example Full Project Plan for a Fictional Natural Sciences Research Project That Is Part of a Multidisciplinary Program Background and Context Assumptions Constraints Scope Roles, Responsibilities, and Governance Schedule Budget Risk Management Plan Communications Plan Stakeholder Engagement Plan WBS Dictionary References Index About the Author
