research project management assignment

Project Management for Research

The tools you need to make your research project a success.

This toolkit includes a variety of tools for managing your research projects including recommendations for general project management software and tools to help you and your team manage activities from grant writing to implementation and project closeout.

Explore the toolkit below:

Grant Writing + Project Development

A Gantt Chart is a popular project management tool; it is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project’s schedule. The chart allows for organizing and viewing project activities and tasks against pre-established timeframes.

Gantt Chart Template Gantt Chart Instructions Gantt Chart Example

Graphic display of the flow or sequence of events that a product or service follows; it shows all activities, decision points, rework loops and handoffs.

Process maps allow the team to visualize the process and come to agreement on the steps of a process as well as examine which activities are duplicated. Process maps are used to:

• Capture current and new process information
• Identify the flow of a process
• Identify responsibility of different business functions
• Clearly show hand-off between functions
• Identify value added and non-value added activities
• Train team members in new process

Process Map Template Process Mapping Guide Process Map Example 1 Process Map Example 2

The Data Management Plan (DMP) defines the responsibilities related to the entry, ownership, sharing, validation, editing and storage of primary research data.

A data management plan must not only reflect the requirements of the protocol/project but also comply with applicable institutional, state and federal guidelines and regulations. The DMP Tool details your agencies expectations, has suggested language for REDCap and exports a properly formatted plan.

DMP Tool NIH Data Management & Sharing (DMS) Policy

The Project Charter's purpose is to define at a high level what the Project Team will deliver, what resources are needed and why it is justified.

The Project Charter also represents a commitment to dedicate the necessary time and resources to the project. It can be especially useful when organizing a multi-disciplinary, internally funded team. The document should be brief (up to three pages maximum).   

Project Charter Template Project Charter Instructions Project Charter Example

Milestones are an effective way to track major progress in your research project.

A Gantt Chart is an effective tool for setting and tracking milestones and deliverables. It is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project’s schedule.  

The proposal budget should be derived directly from the project description.

The proposal budget should follow the format specified by the sponsor. The Office of Sponsored Programs Budget Preparation webpages provide descriptions of the standard budget categories, lists of typical components of those categories, Ohio State rates where appropriate and other details to help ensure your budget is complete. Budget Preparation Resources from Office of Research The 398 grant form from the NIH is a template that includes standard categories required for an NIH grant (and many others) that you can use to develop a preliminary budget.

PHS 398 Forms PHS 398 Budget form for Initial Project Period Template PHS 398 Budget Form for Entire Proposal Project Template

The Risk Assessment and Mitigation Plan first assists the research team in anticipating risk that may occur during the research project before it happens.

The plan then specifies when to act to mitigate risk by defining thresholds and establishing action plans to follow. As a fundamental ethical requirement research risks are to be minimized to the greatest extent possible for all research endeavors. This includes not only prompt identification measures but also response, reporting and resolution. Risk Assessment and Mitigation Plan Template Risk Assessment and Mitigation Plan Example

The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) organizes the research project work into manageable components.

It is represented in a hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the research project team. It visually defines the scope into manageable chunks that the team can understand.  WBS Instructions and Template WBS Structure Example

Implementation

A Gantt Chart is a popular project management tool; it is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project’s schedule.

The chart allows for organizing and viewing project activities and tasks against pre-established timeframes. A Gantt Chart can also be used for tracking milestones and major progresses within your research project.

The purpose is to define at a high level what the Project Team will deliver, what resources are needed and why it is justified.   

It is represented in a hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the research project team. It visually defines the scope into manageable chunks that the team can understand.  WBS Instructions + Template WBS Structure Example

A communications plan facilitates effective and efficient dissemination of information to the research team members and major stakeholders in the research project.

It describes how the communications will occur; the content, security, and privacy of those communications; along with the method of dissemination and frequency.

Communications Plan Template Communications Plan Example

The Data Management Plan (DMP) defines the responsibilities related to the entry, ownership, sharing, validation, editing, and storage of primary research data.

A data management plan must not only reflect the requirements of the protocol/project but also comply with applicable institutional, state, and federal guidelines and regulations. The DMP Tool details your agencies expectations, has suggested language for REDCap, and exports a properly formatted plan.

DMP Tool DMP Tool Instructions Ohio State Research Guide: Data

The chart allows for organizing and viewing project activities and tasks against pre-established timeframes. Gantt Chart Template Gantt Chart Instructions Gantt Chart Example

This tool helps you capture details of issues that arise so that the project team can quickly see the status and who is responsible for resolving it.

Further, the Issue Management Tool guides you through a management process that gives you a robust way to evaluate issues, assess their impact, and decide on a plan for resolution.

Issue Management Tool Template Issue Management Tool Instructions Issue Management Example

A Pareto Chart is a graphical tool that helps break down a problem into its parts so that managers can identify the most frequent, and thus most important, problems.

It depicts in descending order (from left to right) the frequency of events being studied. It is based on the Pareto Principle or “80/20 Rule”, which says that roughly 80% of problems are caused by 20% of contributors. With the Pareto Principle Project Managers solve problems by identifying and focusing on the “vital few” problems. Managers should avoid focusing on “people” problems. Problems are usually the result of processes, not people.

Pareto Chart Template Pareto Chart Instructions Pareto Chart Example

Closeout, Transfer + Application

Completing a project means more than finishing the research. 

There remain financial, personnel, reporting, and other responsibilities. These tasks typically need to be completed within a timeline that begins 60 to 90 days before the project end date and 90 days after. Specifics will vary depending on the project and the funding source. The Office of Sponsored Programs “Project Closeout” webpage provides a description closeout issues, a list of PI Responsibilities and other details to help ensure your project is in fact complete.  Project Closeout Checklist Project Closeout Resources from Office of Research

A communications plan facilitates effective and efficient dissemination of information to the research team members and major stakeholders in the research project. 

It describes how the communications will occur; the content, security and privacy of those communications; along with the method of dissemination and frequency.

Project Management Software

An open-source project management software similar to Microsoft Project.

OpenProject  has tools to create dashboards, Gantt Charts, budgets, and status reports. Activities can be assigned to team members and progress monitored. OpenProject also has a tool for Agile Project Management. While the software is free, OpenProject must be installed and maintained on a local server and there will probably be costs associated with this. Talk to your departmental or college IT staff.

A secure, web-based project management system.

Basecamp  offers an intuitive suite of tools at a minimal cost: ~$20/month or free for teachers. Basecamp facilitates collaboration between research team members with features such as to-do lists, messaging, file sharing, assignment of tasks, milestones, due dates and time tracking.  

A project management tool that organizes tasks, activities, responsibilities and people on projects.

Trello can help manage research projects by keeping everyone on time and on task. It uses a distinctive interface based on cards and lists and may be especially useful for smaller projects.

If you have a disability and experience difficulty accessing this content, please submit an email to [email protected] for assistance.

• How-to Guides

Tips for Students: Writing Project Management Assignments

by MyMG Team · Published March 23, 2020 · Updated February 7, 2024

Is it confusing for you to kickstart the writing process for your project management assignment? Does all that jargon like sustainability strategies, project feasibility, or risk mitigation make you feel stressed?

What is the best way to highlight your challenging project management topic acceptably?

‘Phew, what a challenging paper! How can I find a professional writer to deal with these boring assignments?”

Ok, we hear you. You can do it online in a matter of minutes. In fact, assignment writing help services can take all your project management paper worries away and deliver you a custom essay or even a 5-star dissertation without any hassle for you.

Sounds fantastic? That’s exactly what they do.

“Ok, cool. Is this a reliable way to deal with my papers?” Sure. Unless you are super lazy and want to turn them in without any modifications.

“What do you mean?” If you want to avoid any troubles in your college or university and have no time/desire to write your assignment on your own, you can look for expert help online.

However, once you get a well-written paper on your topic from the expert writer in that subject area, you need to rewrite it and modify it to some extent.

If you do this, nobody will ever accuse you of cheating or plagiarism, and you’ll save tons of time instead of completing your assignment from scratch.

Now, let’s explore the top tips for writing your project management assignments.

Get Enough Time for Writing

Essay writing is an essential academic skill. To create amazing papers, it’s crucial to have a great essay writing competence. How do you get it? Through practice. Write often. Write a lot.

One of the golden rules of writing any kind of essay is to make sure you get enough time in your schedule for research and writing.

Understand that you need some time to complete the work without being in a rush. Rarely, you can come up with an exceptional essay overnight. For this, you need to be really motivated, inspired and loaded with facts, arguments, and brilliant ideas.

Of course, there needs to be adequate time for choosing a topic, doing the research, reading all the materials and taking notes, gathering the notes into a logical order to form an outline, and writing the essay. Without doing all these things, you won’t be able to submit a top-grade paper on time.

Once you finish writing your paper, you still need to put in some work. What does it mean? Your essay needs to be proofread, edited, and polished up.

Every student works at a different pace, so discovering how much time is needed is an individual thing, and the first most crucial essay writing skill.

Choosing a topic

This step is central to a knockout essay. That’s because the topic can make or break the article. Choose it carefully if you have such an opportunity. If the instructor has assigned a topic, then it is up to you to find a perfect angle on the topic to base your essay on.

Photo by Dollar Gill on Unsplash

Research and taking notes

The research phase is where the student dives into what others have written about the general topic. This step could be done before step 2 if the student needs help narrowing down the topic or the angle on the topic.

Jotting down notes during the reading and referencing the source for the notes will save tons of time later on in writing.

Forming the Outline and Writing the Essay

The notes are organized into groups that logically fit together. A description for each set is like a subheading. These can be arranged in chronological order or organized in a fashion that flows well from one idea to the next. This is the outline of the body of the essay.

Writing the essay consists of filling in the details for each of the sections in the outline. It includes writing a captivating opening paragraph and a memorable summary at the end.

Proofreading and editing

Unfortunately, this important step is often missed. Even the best essays will fail without detailed proofreading and in-depth editing.

It is best if this step is done by another person, as it is easy for a writer to overlook their own mistakes in assignment writing.

The proofreader and editor should be someone who is really good at writing, not just a neighbour or friend because they are available and free.

So now you know all the basic steps that you need to take to be able to submit a winning project management assignment on time. Don’t just sleep on these tips. Put them into work and you will see the results.

Alternatively, you may always choose a service for you to assist.

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We are a small group of professionals specializing in project management. We wish you success in your career, business, studies, or whatever else you think is worth your time and effort—we are pleased to know that our advice is helpful.

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181 Project Management Research Topics: Helpful List

Project management is using specific knowledge, tools, techniques, and skills to deliver something valuable to people. There are different types of projects that are normally undertaken to make an impact on society.

Most projects are normally used to help make the world or society a better place. The projects are normally efforts to create value through a unique product or service that wasn’t in existence before.

How To Do Good Research For A Thesis

If you want to succeed in your thesis, research project, or dissertation, you need to put your best foot forward. However, you will first need to consult your professor to see whether your chosen topic is adequate for your thesis.

Choose A Topic: The first thing is browsing through a wide variety of topics and finding the right one for your thesis. Let’s say you want to get an ideal project management topic. You can browse through all these topics and find the best that you can use. However, remember, you need to be interested in that field so that you can feel excited while doing the research. Furthermore, try to select a topic that has also been researched before by other scholars. It doesn’t necessarily need to be the same topic but at least something similar. Search For Research Sources: Once you have known the topic you want to do. Try and search for the topic’s sources. Try and see whether you can find valuable information regarding the same. Your research needs to be based on proven facts and statistics. Hence, make use of Google Scholar, Google Books, or Microsoft Academic. You can’t miss finding something similar to what you are actively looking for. Also, remember to use numerous websites, online libraries, and much more. Remember to create short notes for the same. Create A Thesis Statement: Once you have gotten as much background information as you wish, you can now create a thesis statement. Continue adding short notes with all the new information that you are getting. The purpose of the thesis statement is to explain what the entire research paper will be dedicated to. The thesis helps to explain the subject of your research, how you will reach your goal methods to justify your point, and what you expect to obtain as a result. Also, remember, your thesis statement needs to be approved by your professor. Write A Draft: By now you should have gotten some valuable information. You can then use that to write a draft or a rough outline. This draft is equally important as the final version. The advantage is that you can add as many points as you wish and then simplify them as you go on. Know what to include and what to omit. Write The Final Version: Use all the resources and try to write the final version. Remember to have your references, sources cited, and bibliography formatted. Remember, the final version should be presentable. You wouldn’t want to repeat your thesis all over again. Give it your best shot. Also, remember to proofread to ensure that the grammar is correct. That’s it.

Project Management Research Topics

Are you looking for the best research topics? You can use any of these easy topics to do your research paper, project, thesis, or dissertation. They are simple and straight to the point.

• The best technologies that can be used in project management
• How do soft skills and practical skills help in project management?
• How do teams impact the success of a project?
• The approaches used in project management.
• The effectiveness of change management.
• Evaluate culture management.
• Evaluate conflict management in society.
• The importance of using project management software.
• Analyze the principles used in project management.
• The project management dynamics.
• The major causes of project delays.
• The best way to carry out project activities.
• The factors that influence the choice of a project.
• How to cross align business and project objectives.
• The history of project management.
• The impact of stress on a project manager’s performance.

Interesting Project Management Research Paper Topics

Always choose a topic that spikes interest in you. This will help to build on what you already know and what you don’t know already. This is vital. Give the best of your capability.

• The impact of culture in a project being successful or failing.
• The impact of the organization to project management implementation.
• The project management trends that lead to its success.
• The impact of agile project management on IT productivity.
• Evaluate project risk management.
• Evaluate the procedures used in managing innovation and entrepreneurship.
• The impact of global leadership in leading to the success of a project.
• The importance of project stakeholder management.
• The impact of work and organization systems.
• How is the project investment analysis done?
• The best way to carry out the facility life cycle costing.
• The contemporary approaches used in project management.
• The challenges faced in information systems.
• The factors that lead to sustainable project management.
• Evaluate project procurement management.
• Evaluate the business requirement analysis.

Top Project Management Topics For Research

Project management is an interesting course unit. However, you may get trouble finding an ideal topic. You can choose any of these and start your assignment

• Discuss descriptive analytics and visualization.
• Evaluate project scheduling and control.
• How are project integration and procurement done?
• The basics for project leadership.
• Analyze hospital assets in the public sector.
• The effects of keeping financial records in SMEs.
• Evaluate the implementation of a project management API using python and blockchain.
• The importance of soft skills in project management.
• The effects of cultural diversity on project performance.
• Evaluate the in-depth risk management assessment in procurement.
• The impact of organization characters in the success of a project.
• The importance of a great leadership role in the success of a project.
• The effect of the planning and scheduling style in project management.
• The most popular leadership style used by project managers.
• The importance of the initiation stage of a project.
• The various project management phases/stages.
• The impact of project length on management control and quality.

Project Management Topics For Research Papers

Are you planning to start your research paper soon? Familiarize yourself with these topics before you settle on the one to do.

• The importance of the managerial process in project management.
• The importance of project length on management control and quality.
• The relation between project management and project success.
• The similarities of the project management practices.
• The relation between green building and project management.
• The evolution of project management over time.
• The influence of uncertainty on project success or failure.
• The importance of critical path analysis in project management.
• Evaluate the PMBOK guidelines.
• Why do project managers follow the PMBOK guidelines in their line of duty?
• The project management software tools used to enhance efficiency.
• Common project management risks and attitudes.
• The major differences between Agile and Scrum approach to project management.
• Public procurement challenges in project management.
• The stakeholder approach to successful adoption of projects.
• The project management best practices in Europe’s financial sector.
• Explore the leadership qualities for successful project management.

Research Topics For Project Management

Are you looking for research topics for project management? Why not start with these! Any management assignment help should be useful, including these topics. They are ideal, straight to the point, and easy to research.

• The major trends related to project complexity.
• The process theory for project management knowledge accumulation.
• The impact of project management to good utilization of resources.
• The importance of stakeholders in various projects.
• Evaluate the most important stages in the project management process.
• The effect of holding virtual meetings when running different projects.
• The major issues that affect most projects.
• The major conflicts that arise in work teams.
• The relation between job enrichment and employee performance.
• The best methods used in corporate growth.
• Change mobilization in companies.
• Why do people fear taking risks?
• The effect of staff productivity.
• Procedures took in choosing the executive in a company.
• The impacts of social responsibilities in businesses.
• The benefit of cost-benefit analysis in project management.
• Is space tourism a great consideration for tourists?

Research Project Topics In Business Management

Business management is diverse. Here are some of the best research project topics that you can start with. However, remember to use credible sources to collect data.

• The impact of social responsibilities on the performance of the organization.
• The effect of employee commitment or organizational performance.
• The impact of a reward system on boosting productivity.
• The role of management in motivating workers.
• How do wages and salaries boost employees’ performance?
• The impact of change management in the banking sector.
• The influence of employee motivation on employee’s job performance.
• The best employee motivations.
• The influence of strike action on employees’ performance.
• The impact of insurance companies on the growth of SMEs.
• How can communication be used to enhance organizational performance?
• The influence of knowledge management on organizational competitiveness.
• Evaluate the capital structure and profitability of a business organization.
• How is time management a tool for organizational survival?
• The impact of the pricing policy on the profitability level of an organization.
• The impact of collective bargaining in companies.
• The impact of commercialization on public enterprises.

Topics For Project Management Research

Do you want to do qualitative or quantitative research? You can use any of these topics to do your thesis, dissertation, or research projects. However, remember to do proper research.

• The best practices for energy efficiency in construction.
• The implications of labor shortage in the construction industry.
• The effectiveness of virtual teams in organizations.
• The importance of staff motivation, as shown by Google.
• The advantages and disadvantages of job specialization in the banking industry.
• The effectiveness of salary bonuses on staff motivation.
• The impact of recruiting directly from colleges.
• The impact of effective communication on business success.
• The tools and criteria used for assessing staff performance.
• The strategies new companies can take to double their profits.
• The best way to improve employee performance through training.
• The relation between leadership and change management.
• How do companies develop their organizational culture?
• The relevance of the modern workplace in work efficiency.
• The latest trends in construction automation.
• The impact of growing up in minority cultures.
• The effects of government subsidies for agriculture.

Research Paper Topics For Software Project Management

Are you in the software development field? Well, here are some research paper topics for software project management. They are not as complex as you would assume.

• Evaluate the visualization of database schemes.
• The impact of integrating debugging and software development.
• The ethics of android employee tracking.
• The best way to improve students’ skills in software development.
• Are the skills acquired in college efficient for students to work in software development companies?
• Challenges faced by new software developers on the job market.
• The impact of regular Google updates – search engine algorithms.
• The importance of using voice recognition systems in enhancing data security.
• Is blockchain technology the new solution to data security threats?
• The importance of software testing in quality assurance in the online store.
• The critical components in software projects
• The most critical predictions in software development.
• The challenges of accurate project status reporting.
• Software projects management and project escalation issues.
• The challenges of accurate software projects status reporting.
• The risk avoidance in bidding for software projects.
• Evaluate the life cycle management theory.
• Combining process and structure approaches to managing software development.

Construction Project Management Research Topics

These are some of the simplest project management research topics that you will ever stumble upon. You just need to do proper research to ensure you meet the goal of the project.

• Evaluate the girasole as a web-based software project management tool.
• Analyze the impact of eco-friendly consideration shown in planning construction projects.
• The essentials needed n house construction.
• The best door construction frames.
• The major changes that have occurred in the construction industry over time.
• The best way to maintain different types of houses.
• The risks found in construction management.
• The procedures to be undertaken before starting any construction.
• What is construction automation?
• The use of technology in construction.
• The best workers’ ethics during construction.
• The rules that govern construction worldwide.
• The importance of business information modeling to construction companies.
• The importance of infrastructure asset management in construction.
• Evaluate the trade-off between project cost and schedule.
• How is quality managed in construction projects in developing countries?
• The role of social media in construction management.

Cost-Benefit Analysis Project Management Related Research Topics

It is important to do a cost-benefit analysis to see whether the project you want to do is viable. Otherwise, it won’t be. Here are some of the best topics that you can start with.

• The cost and benefit of using prescription drugs.
• The cost and benefit analysis of shifting to green energy in homes.
• The cost and benefit of fishing restrictions.
• The cost and benefit of using speed cameras to control traffic in towns.
• The cost-benefit analysis of marijuana legalization.
• The cost-benefit analysis of state-level alcohol taxes.
• Compare the cost and benefit of investing in space explorations
• The cost-benefit analysis of the regulatory environment in businesses.
• The major steps in the cost-benefit analysis.
• The major problems and solutions of the cost-benefit solutions.
• Cost-benefit analysis in project management.
• The main cost issues in project management.
• The integration of e-commerce in business.
• The smart health prediction software with data mining.
• The importance of using budgeting tools when running tech projects.
• The future of remote teams.
• The modern improvements cause shifts in the remote work environment.

Agile Project Management In IT Industries

These topics are not complex. You just need to be up-to-date with the latest trends in technology to ensure you gather as much information as possible

• Big data analysis application in the eCommerce industry.
• Analyze the Google search engine algorithms.
• The use of cloud storage in the banking industry.
• Is the 5G wireless system the future of IT?
• The risk of cryptocurrency to the traditional banking system.
• How did cloud technology alter the data storage industry?
• Can virtual reality substitute actual reality?
• How did Steve Job change the world?
• The latest IT technologies that are used in project management.
• The software used by NASA to monitor space vehicles.
• The most popular software used in project management.

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• v.20; 2019 Oct 25

Managing Ideas, People, and Projects: Organizational Tools and Strategies for Researchers

Samuel pascal levin.

1 Beverly, MA 01915, USA

Michael Levin

2 Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, Suite 4600, 200 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA 02155-4243, USA

Primary Investigators at all levels of their career face a range of challenges related to optimizing their activity within the constraints of deadlines and productive research. These range from enhancing creative thought and keeping track of ideas to organizing and prioritizing the activity of the members of the group. Numerous tools now exist that facilitate the storage and retrieval of information necessary for running a laboratory to advance specific project goals within associated timelines. Here we discuss strategies and tools/software that, together or individually, can be used as is or adapted to any size scientific laboratory. Specific software products, suggested use cases, and examples are shown across the life cycle from idea to publication. Strategies for managing the organization of, and access to, digital information and planning structures can greatly facilitate the efficiency and impact of an active scientific enterprise. The principles and workflow described here are applicable to many different fields.

Graphical Abstract

Information Systems; Knowledge Management

Introduction

Researchers, at all stages of their careers, are facing an ever-increasing deluge of information and deadlines. Additional difficulties arise when one is the Principal Investigator (PI) of those researchers: as group size and scope of inquiry increases, the challenges of managing people and projects and the interlocking timelines, finances, and information pertaining to those projects present a continuous challenge. In the immediate term, there are experiments to do, papers and grants to write, and presentations to construct, in addition to teaching and departmental duties. At the same time, however, the PI must make strategic decisions that will impact the future direction(s) of the laboratory and its personnel. The integration of deep creative thought together with the practical steps of implementing a research plan and running a laboratory on a day-to-day basis is one of the great challenges of the modern scientific enterprise. Especially difficult is the fact that attention needs to span many orders of scale, from decisions about which problems should be pursued by the group in the coming years and how to tackle those problems to putting out regular “fires” associated with the minutiae of managing people and limited resources toward the committed goals.

The planning of changes in research emphasis, hiring, grant-writing, etc. likewise occur over several different timescales. The optimization of resources and talent toward impactful goals requires the ability to organize, store, and rapidly access information that is integrated with project planning structures. Interestingly, unlike other fields such as business, there are few well-known, generally accepted guidelines for best practices available to researchers. Here we lay out a conceptual taxonomy of the life cycle of a project, from brainstorming ideas through to a final deliverable product. We recommend methods and software/tools to facilitate management of concurrent research activities across the timeline. The goal is to optimize the organization, storage, and access to the necessary information in each phase, and, crucially, to facilitate the interconnections between static information, action plans, and work product across all phases. We believe that the earlier in the career of a researcher such tools are implemented and customized, the more positive impact they will exert on the productivity of their enterprise.

This overview is intended for anyone who is conducting research or academic scholarship. It consists of a number of strategies and software recommendations that can be used together or independently (adapted to suit a given individual's or group's needs). Some of the specific software packages mentioned are only usable on Apple devices, but similar counterparts exist in the Windows and Linux ecosystems; these are indicated in Table 1 (definitions of special terms are given in Table 2 ). These strategies were developed (and have been continuously updated) over the last 20 years based on the experiences of the Levin group and those of various collaborators and other productive researchers. Although very specific software and platforms are indicated, to facilitate the immediate and practical adoption by researchers at all levels, the important thing is the strategies illustrated by the examples. As software and hardware inevitably change over the next few years, the fundamental principles can be readily adapted to newer products.

Software Packages and Alternatives

A Glossary of Special Terms

Basic Principles

Although there is a huge variety of different types of scientific enterprises, most of them contain one or more activities that can be roughly subsumed by the conceptual progression shown in Figure 1 . This life cycle progresses from brainstorming and ideation through planning, execution of research, and then creation of work products. Each stage requires unique activities and tools, and it is crucial to establish a pipeline and best practices that enable the results of each phase to effectively facilitate the next phase. All of the recommendations given below are designed to support the following basic principles:

• • Information should be easy to find and access, so as to enable the user to have to remember as little as possible—this keeps the mind free to generate new, creative ideas. We believe that when people get comfortable with not having to remember any details and are completely secure in the knowledge that the information has been offloaded to a dependable system and will be there when they need it, a deeper, improved level of thinking can be achieved.
• • Information should be both organized hierarchically (accessible by drill-down search through a rational structure) and searchable by keywords.
• • Information should be reachable from anywhere in the world (but secure and access restricted). Choose software that includes a cell phone/tablet platform client.
• • No information should ever be lost—the systems are such that additional information does not clog up or reduce efficiency of use and backup strategies ensure disaster robustness; therefore, it is possible to save everything.
• • Software tools optimized for specific management tasks should be used; select those tools based on interoperability, features, and the ability to export into common formats (such as XML) in case it becomes expedient someday to switch to a newer product.
• • One's digital world should be organized into several interlocking categories, which utilize different tools: activity (to-dos, projects, research goals) and knowledge (static information).
• • One's activity should be hierarchically organized according to a temporal scale, ranging from immediate goals all the way to career achievement objectives and core mission.
• • Storage of planning data should allow integration of plans with the information needed to implement them (using links to files and data in the various tools).
• • There should be no stored paper—everything should be obtained and stored in a digital form (or immediately digitized, using one of the tools described later in this document).
• • The information management tasks described herein should not occupy so much time as to take away from actual research. When implemented correctly, they result in a net increase in productivity.

The Life Cycle of Research Activity

Various projects occupy different places along a typical timeline. The life cycle extends from creative ideation to gathering information, to formulating a plan, to the execution for the plan, and then to producing a work product such as a grant or paper based on the results. Many of these phases necessitate feedback to a prior phase, shown in thinner arrows (for example, information discovered during a literature search or attempts to formalize the work plan may require novel brainstorming). This diagram shows the product (end result) of each phase and typical tools used to accomplish them.

These basic principles can be used as the skeleton around which specific strategies and new software products can be deployed. Whenever possible, these can be implemented via external administration services (i.e., by a dedicated project manager or administrator inside the group), but this is not always compatible with budgetary constraints, in which case they can readily be deployed by each principal investigator. The PIs also have to decide whether they plan to suggest (or insist) that other people in the group also use these strategies, and perhaps monitor their execution. In our experience, it is most essential for anyone leading a complex project or several to adopt these methods (typically, a faculty member or senior staff scientist), whereas people tightly focused on one project and with limited concurrent tasks involving others (e.g., Ph.D. students) are not essential to move toward the entire system (although, for example, the backup systems should absolutely be ensured to be implemented among all knowledge workers in the group). The following are some of the methods that have proven most effective in our own experience.

Information Technology Infrastructure

Several key elements should be pillars of your Information Technology (IT) infrastructure ( Figure 2 ). You should be familiar enough with computer technology that you can implement these yourself, as it is rare for an institutional IT department to be able to offer this level of assistance. Your primary disk should be a large (currently, ∼2TB) SSD drive or, better, a disk card (such as the 2TB SSD NVMe PCIe) for fast access and minimal waiting time. Your computer should be so fast that you spend no time (except in the case of calculations or data processing) waiting for anything—your typing and mouse movement should be the rate-limiting step. If you find yourself waiting for windows or files to open, obtain a better machine.

Schematic of Data Flow and Storage

Three types of information: data (facts and datasets), action plans (schedules and to-do lists), and work product (documents) all interact with each other in defining a region of work space for a given research project. All of this should be hosted on a single PC (personal computer). It is accessed by a set of regular backups of several types, as well as by the user who can interact with raw files through the file system or with organized data through a variety of client applications that organize information, schedules, and email. See Table 2 for definitions of special terms.

One key element is backups—redundant copies of your data. Disks fail—it is not a question of whether your laptop or hard drive will die, but when. Storage space is inexpensive and researchers' time is precious: team members should not tolerate time lost due to computer snafus. The backup and accessibility system should be such that data are immediately recoverable following any sort of disaster; it only has to be set up once, and it only takes one disaster to realize the value of paranoia about data. This extends also to laboratory inventory systems—it is useful to keep (and back up) lists of significant equipment and reagents in the laboratory, in case they are needed for the insurance process in case of loss or damage.

The main drive should be big enough to keep all key information (not primary laboratory data, such as images or video) in one volume—this is to facilitate cloning. You should have an extra internal drive (which can be a regular disk) of the same size or bigger. Use something like Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper to set up a nightly clone operation. When the main disk fails (e.g., the night before a big grant is due), boot from the clone and your exact, functioning system is ready to go. For Macs, another internal drive set up as a Time Machine enables keeping versions of files as they change. You should also have an external drive, which is likewise a Time Machine or a clone: you can quickly unplug it and take it with you, if the laboratory has to be evacuated (fire alarm or chemical emergency) or if something happens to your computer and you need to use one elsewhere. Set a calendar reminder once a month to check that the Time Machine is accessible and can be searched and that your clone is actually updated and bootable. A Passport-type portable drive is ideal when traveling to conferences: if something happens to the laptop, you can boot a fresh (or borrowed) machine from the portable drive and continue working. For people who routinely install software or operating system updates, I also recommend getting one disk that is a clone of the entire system and applications and then set it to nightly clone the data only , leaving the operating system files unchanged. This guarantees that you have a usable system with the latest data files (useful in case an update or a new piece of software renders the system unstable or unbootable and it overwrites the regular clone before you notice the problem). Consider off-site storage. CrashPlan Pro is a reasonable choice for backing up laboratory data to the cloud. One solution for a single person's digital content is to have two extra external hard drives. One gets a clone of your office computer, and one is a clone of your home computer, and then you swap—bring the office one home and the home one to your office. Update them regularly, and keep them swapped, so that should a disaster strike one location, all of the data are available. Finally, pay careful attention (via timed reminders) to how your laboratory machines and your people's machines are being backed up; a lot of young researchers, especially those who have not been through a disaster yet, do not make backups. One solution is to have a system like CrashPlan Pro installed on everyone's machines to do automatic backup.

Another key element is accessibility of information. Everyone should be working on files (i.e., Microsoft Word documents) that are inside a Dropbox or Box folder; whatever you are working on this month, the files should be inside a folder synchronized by one of these services. That way, if anything happens to your machine, you can access your files from anywhere in the world. It is critical that whatever service is chosen, it is one that s ynchronizes a local copy of the data that live on your local machine (not simply keeps files in the cloud) —that way, you have what you need even if the internet is down or connectivity is poor. Tools that help connect to your resources while on the road include a VPN (especially useful for secure connections while traveling), SFTP (to transfer files; turn on the SFTP, not FTP, service on your office machine), and Remote Desktop (or VNC). All of these exist for cell phone or tablet devices, as well as for laptops, enabling access to anything from anywhere. All files (including scans of paper documents) should be processed by OCR (optical character recognition) software to render their contents searchable. This can be done in batch (on a schedule), by Adobe Acrobat's OCR function, which can be pointed to an entire folder of PDFs, for example, and left to run overnight. The result, especially with Apple's Spotlight feature, is that one can easily retrieve information that might be written inside a scanned document.

Here, we focus on work product and the thought process, not management of the raw data as it emerges from equipment and experimental apparatus. However, mention should be made of electronic laboratory notebooks (ELNs), which are becoming an important aspect of research. ELNs are a rapidly developing field, because they face a number of challenges. A laboratory that abandons paper notebooks entirely has to provide computer interfaces anywhere in the facility where data might be generated; having screens, keyboards, and mice at every microscope or other apparatus station, for example, can be expensive, and it is not trivial to find an ergonomically equivalent digital substitute for writing things down in a notebook as ideas or data appear. On the other hand, keeping both paper notebooks for immediate recording, and ELNs for organized official storage, raises problems of wasted effort during the (perhaps incomplete) transfer of information from paper to the digital version. ELNs are also an essential tool to prevent loss of institutional knowledge as team members move up to independent positions. ELN usage will evolve over time as input devices improve and best practices are developed to minimize the overhead of entering meta-data. However, regardless of how primary data are acquired, the researcher will need specific strategies for transitioning experimental findings into research product in the context of a complex set of personal, institutional, and scientific goals and constraints.

Facilitating Creativity

The pipeline begins with ideas, which must be cultivated and then harnessed for subsequent implementation ( Altshuller, 1984 ). This step consists of two components: identifying salient new information and arranging it in a way that facilitates novel ideas, associations, hypotheses, and strategic plans for making impact.

For the first step, we suggest an automated weekly PubCrawler search, which allows Boolean searches of the literature. Good searches to save include ones focusing on specific keywords of interest, as well as names of specific people whose work one wants to follow. The resulting weekly email of new papers matching specific criteria complements manual searches done via ISI's Web of Science, Google Scholar, and PubMed. The papers of interest should be immediately imported into a reference manager, such as Endnote, along with useful Keywords and text in the Notes field of each one that will facilitate locating them later. Additional tools include DevonAgent and DevonSphere, which enable smart searches of web and local resources, respectively.

Brainstorming can take place on paper or digitally (see later discussion). We have noticed that the rate of influx of new ideas is increased by habituating to never losing a new idea. This can be accomplished by establishing a voicemail contact in your cell phone leading to your own office voicemail (which allows voice recordings of idea fragments while driving or on the road, hands-free) and/or setting up Endnote or a similar server-synchronized application to record (and ideally transcribe) notes. It has been our experience that the more one records ideas arising in a non-work setting, the more often they will pop up automatically. For notes or schematics written on paper during dedicated brainstorming, one tool that ensures that nothing is lost is an electronic pen. For example, the Livescribe products are well integrated with Evernote and ensure that no matter where you are, anything you write down becomes captured in a form accessible from anywhere and are safe no matter what happens to the original notebook in which they were written.

Enhancing scientific thought, creative brainstorming, and strategic planning is facilitated by the creation of mind maps: visual representations of spatial structure of links between concepts, or the mapping of planned activity onto goals of different timescales. There are many available mind map software packages, including MindNode; their goal is to enable one to quickly set down relationships between concepts with a minimum of time spent on formatting. Examples are shown in Figures 3 A and 3B. The process of creating these mind maps (which can then be put on one's website or discussed with the laboratory members) helps refine fuzzy thinking and clarifies the relationships between concepts or activities. Mind mappers are an excellent tool because their light, freeform nature allows unimpeded brainstorming and fluid changes of idea structure but at the same time forces one to explicitly test out specific arrangements of plans or ideas.

Mind Mapping

(A and B) The task of schematizing concepts and ideas spatially based on their hierarchical relationships with each other is a powerful technique for organizing the creative thought process. Examples include (A), which shows how the different projects in our laboratory relate to each other. Importantly, it can also reveal disbalances or gaps in coverage of specific topics, as well as help identify novel relationships between sub-projects by placing them on axes (B) or even identify novel hypotheses suggested by symmetry.

(C) Relationships between the central nervous system (CNS) and regeneration, cancer, and embryogenesis. The connecting lines in black show typical projects (relationships) already being pursued by our laboratory, and the lack of a project in the space between CNS and embryogenesis suggests a straightforward hypothesis and project to examine the role of the brain in embryonic patterning.

It is important to note that mind maps can serve a function beyond explicit organization. In a good mapped structure, one can look for symmetries (revealing relationships that are otherwise not obvious) between the concepts involved. An obvious geometric pattern with a missing link or node can help one think about what could possibly go there, and often identifies new relationships or items that had not been considered ( Figure 3 C), in much the same way that gaps in the periodic table of the elements helped identify novel elements.

Organizing Information and Knowledge

The input and output of the feedback process between brainstorming and literature mining is information. Static information not only consists of the facts, images, documents, and other material needed to support a train of thought but also includes anything needed to support the various projects and activities. It should be accessible in three ways, as it will be active during all phases of the work cycle. Files should be arranged on your disk in a logical hierarchical structure appropriate to the work. Everything should also be searchable and indexed by Spotlight. Finally, some information should be stored as entries in a data management system, like Evernote or DevonThink, which have convenient client applications that make the data accessible from any device.

Notes in these systems should include useful lists and how-to's, including, for example:

• • Names and addresses of experts for specific topics
• • Emergency protocols for laboratory or animal habitats
• • Common recipes/methods
• • Lists and outlines of papers/grants on the docket
• • Information on students, computers, courses, etc.
• • Laboratory policies
• • Materials and advice for students, new group members, etc.
• • Lists of editors, and preferred media contacts
• • Lists of Materials Transfer Agreements (MTAs), contract texts, info on IP
• • Favorite questions for prospective laboratory members

Each note can have attachments, which include manuals, materials safety sheets, etc. DevonThink needs a little more setup but is more robust and also allows keeping the server on one's own machine (nothing gets uploaded to company servers, unlike with Evernote, which might be a factor for sensitive data). Scientific papers should be kept in a reference manager, whereas books (such as epub files and PDFs of books and manuscripts) can be stored in a Calibre library.

Email: A Distinct Kind of Information

A special case of static information is email, including especially informative and/or actionable emails from team members, external collaborators, reviewers, and funders. Because the influx of email is ever-increasing, it is important to (1) establish a good infrastructure for its management and (2) establish policies for responding to emails and using them to facilitate research. The first step is to ensure that one only sees useful emails, by training a good Bayesian spam filter such as SpamSieve. We suggest a triage system in which, at specific times of day (so that it does not interfere with other work), the Inbox is checked and each email is (1) forwarded to someone better suited to handling it, (2) responded quickly for urgent things that need a simple answer, or (3) started as a Draft email for those that require a thoughtful reply. Once a day or a couple of times per week, when circumstances permit focused thought, the Draft folder should be revisited and those emails answered. We suggest a “0 Inbox” policy whereby at the end of a day, the Inbox is basically empty, with everything either delegated, answered, or set to answer later.

We also suggest creating subfolders in the main account (keeping them on the mail server, not local to a computer, so that they can be searched and accessed from anywhere) as follows:

• • Collaborators (emails stating what they are going to do or updating on recent status)
• • Grants in play (emails from funding agencies confirming receipt)
• • Papers in play (emails from journals confirming receipt)
• • Waiting for information (emails from people for whom you are waiting for information)
• • Waiting for miscellaneous (emails from people who you expect to do something)
• • Waiting for reagents (emails from people confirming that they will be sending you a physical object)

Incoming emails belonging to those categories (for example, an email from an NIH program officer acknowledging a grant submission, a collaborator who emailed a plan of what they will do next, or someone who promised to answer a specific question) should be sorted from the Inbox to the relevant folder. Every couple of weeks (according to a calendar reminder), those folders should be checked, and those items that have since been dealt with can be saved to a Saved Messages folder archive, whereas those that remain can be Replied to as a reminder to prod the relevant person.

In addition, as most researchers now exchange a lot of information via email, the email trail preserves a record of relationships among colleagues and collaborators. It can be extremely useful, even years later, to be able to go back and see who said what to whom, what was the last conversation in a collaboration that stalled, who sent that special protocol or reagent and needs to be acknowledged, etc. It is imperative that you know where your email is being stored, by whom, and their policy on retention, storage space limits, search, backup, etc. Most university IT departments keep a mail server with limited storage space and will delete your old emails (even more so if you move institutions). One way to keep a permanent record with complete control is with an application called MailSteward Pro. This is a front-end client for a freely available MySQL server, which can run on any machine in your laboratory. It will import your mail and store unlimited quantities indefinitely. Unlike a mail server, this is a real database system and is not as susceptible to data corruption or loss as many other methods.

A suggested strategy is as follows. Keep every single email, sent and received. Every month (set a timed reminder), have MailSteward Pro import them into the MySQL database. Once a year, prune them from the mail server (or let IT do it on their own schedule). This allows rapid search (and then reply) from inside a mail client for anything that is less than one year old (most searches), but anything older can be found in the very versatile MailStewardPro Boolean search function. Over time, in addition to finding specific emails, this allows some informative data mining. Results of searches via MailStewardPro can be imported into Excel to, for example, identify the people with whom you most frequently communicate or make histograms of the frequency of specific keywords as a function of time throughout your career.

With ideas, mind maps, and the necessary information in hand, one can consider what aspects of the current operations plan can be changed to incorporate plans for new, impactful activity.

Organizing Tasks and Planning

A very useful strategy involves breaking down everything according to the timescales of decision-making, such as in the Getting Things Done (GTD) philosophy ( Figure 4 ) ( Allen, 2015 ). Activities range from immediate (daily) tasks to intermediate goals all the way to career-scale (or life-long) mission statements. As with mind maps, being explicit about these categories not only force one to think hard about important aspects of their work, but also facilitate the transmission of this information to others on the team. The different categories are to be revisited and revised at different rates, according to their position on the hierarchy. This enables you to make sure that effort and resources are being spent according to priorities.

Scales of Activity Planning

Activities should be assigned to a level of planning with a temporal scale, based on how often the goals of that level get re-evaluated. This ranges from core values, which can span an entire career or lifetime, all the way to tactics that guide day-to-day activities. Each level should be re-evaluated at a reasonable time frame to ensure that its goals are still consistent with the bigger picture of the level(s) above it and to help re-define the plans for the levels below it.

We also strongly recommend a yearly personal scientific retreat. This is not meant to be a vacation to “forget about work” but rather an opportunity for freedom from everyday minutiae to revisit, evaluate, and potentially revise future activity (priorities, action items) for the next few years. Every few years, take more time to re-map even higher levels on the pyramid hierarchy; consider what the group has been doing—do you like the intellectual space your group now occupies? Are your efforts having the kind of impact you realistically want to make? A formal diagram helps clarify the conceptual vision and identify gaps and opportunities. Once a correct level of activity has been identified, it is time to plan specific activities.

A very good tool for this purpose, which enables hierarchical storage of tasks and subtasks and their scheduling, is OmniFocus ( Figure 5 ). OmniFocus also enables inclusion of files (or links to files or links to Evernote notes of information) together with each Action. It additionally allows each action to be marked as “Done” once it is complete, providing not only a current action plan but a history of every past activity. Another interesting aspect is the fact that one can link individual actions with specific contexts: visualizing the database from the perspective of contexts enables efficient focus of attention on those tasks that are relevant in a specific scenario. OmniFocus allows setting reminders for specific actions and can be used for adding a time component to the activity.

Project Planning

This figure shows a screenshot of the OmniFocus application, illustrating the nested hierarchy of projects and sub-projects, arranged into larger groups.

The best way to manage time relative to activity (and to manage the people responsible for each activity) is to construct Gantt charts ( Figure 6 ), which can be used to plan out project timelines and help keep grant and contract deliverables on time. A critical feature is that it makes dependencies explicit, so that it is clear which items have to be solved/done before something else can be accomplished. Gantt charts are essential for complex, multi-person, and/or multi-step projects with strict deadlines (such as grant deliverables and progress reports). Software such as OmniPlanner can also be used to link resources (equipment, consumables, living material, etc.) with specific actions and timelines. Updating and evaluation of a Gantt chart for a specific project should take place on a time frame appropriate to the length of the next immediate phase; weekly or biweekly is typical.

Timeline Planning

This figure shows a screenshot of a typical Gantt chart, in OmniPlan software, illustrating the timelines of different project steps, their dependencies, and specific milestones (such as a due date for a site visit or grant submission). Note that Gantt software automatically moves the end date for each item if its subtasks' timing changes, enabling one to see a dynamically correct up-to-date temporal map of the project that adjusts for the real-world contingencies of research.

In addition to the comprehensive work plan in OmniFocus or similar, it is helpful to use a Calendar (which synchronizes to a server, such as Microsoft Office calendar with Exchange server). For yourself, make a task every day called “Monday tasks,” etc., which contains all the individual things to be accomplished (which do not warrant their own calendar reminder). First thing in the morning, one can take a look at the day's tasks to see what needs to be done. Whatever does not get done that day is to be copied onto another day's tasks. For each of the people on your team, make a timed reminder (weekly, for example, for those with whom you meet once a week) containing the immediate next steps for them to do and the next thing they are supposed to produce for your meeting. Have it with you when you meet, and give them a copy, updating the next occurrence as needed based on what was decided at the meeting to do next. This scheme makes it easy for you to remember precisely what needs to be covered in the discussion, serves as a record of the project and what you walked about with whom at any given day (which can be consulted years later, to reconstruct events if needed), and is useful to synchronize everyone on the same page (if the team member gets a copy of it after the meeting).

Writing: The Work Products

Writing, to disseminate results and analysis, is a central activity for scientists. One of the OmniFocus library's sections should contain lists of upcoming grants to write, primary papers that are being worked on, and reviews/hypothesis papers planned. Microsoft Word is the most popular tool for writing papers—its major advantage is compatibility with others, for collaborative manuscripts (its Track Changes feature is also very well implemented, enabling collaboration as a master document is passed from one co-author to another). But Scrivener should be seriously considered—it is an excellent tool that facilitates complex projects and documents because it enables WYSIWYG text editing in the context of a hierarchical structure, which allows you to simultaneously work on a detailed piece of text while seeing the whole outline of the project ( Figure 7 ).

Writing Complex Materials

This figure shows a screenshot from the Scrivener software. The panel on the left facilitates logical and hierarchical organization of a complex writing project (by showing where in the overall structure any given text would fit), while the editing pane on the right allows the user to focus on writing a specific subsection without having to scroll through (but still being able to see) the major categories within which it must fit.

It is critical to learn to use a reference manager—there are numerous ones, including, for example, Endnote, which will make it much easier to collaborate with others on papers with many citations. One specific tip to make collaboration easier is to ask all of the co-authors to set the reference manager to use PMID Accession Number in the temporary citations in the text instead of the arbitrary record number it uses by default. That way, a document can have its bibliography formatted by any of the co-authors even if they have completely different libraries. Although some prefer collaborative editing of a Google Doc file, we have found a “master document” system useful, in which a file is passed around among collaborators by email but only one can make (Tracked) edits at a time (i.e., one person has the master doc and everyone makes edits on top of that).

One task most scientists regularly undertake is writing reviews of a specific subfield (or Whitepapers). It is often difficult, when one has an assignment to write, to remember all of the important papers that were seen in the last few years that bear on the topic. One method to remedy this is to keep standing document files, one for each topic that one might plausibly want to cover and update them regularly. Whenever a good paper is found, immediately enter it into the reference manager (with good keywords) and put a sentence or two about its main point (with the citation) into the relevant document. Whenever you decide to write the review, you will already have a file with the necessary material that only remains to be organized, allowing you to focus on conceptual integration and not combing through literature.

The life cycle of research can be viewed through the lens of the tools used at different stages. First there are the conceptual ideas; many are interconnected, and a mind mapper is used to flesh out the structure of ideas, topics, and concepts; make it explicit; and share it within the team and with external collaborators. Then there is the knowledge—facts, data, documents, protocols, pieces of information that relate to the various concepts. Kept in a combination of Endnote (for papers), Evernote (for information fragments and lists), and file system files (for documents), everything is linked and cross-referenced to facilitate the projects. Activities are action items, based on the mind map, of what to do, who is doing what, and for which purpose/grant. OmniFocus stores the subtasks within tasks within goals for the PI and everyone in the laboratory. During meetings with team members, these lists and calendar entries are used to synchronize objectives with everyone and keep the activity optimized toward the next step goals. The product—discovery and synthesis—is embodied in publications via a word processor and reference manager. A calendar structure is used to manage the trajectory from idea to publication or grant.

The tools are currently good enough to enable individual components in this pipeline. Because new tools are continuously developed and improved, we recommend a yearly overview and analysis of how well the tools are working (e.g., which component of the management plan takes the most time or is the most difficult to make invisible relative to the actual thinking and writing), coupled to a web search for new software and updated versions of existing programs within each of the categories discussed earlier.

A major opportunity exists for software companies in the creation of integrated new tools that provide all the tools in a single integrated system. In future years, a single platform will surely appear that will enable the user to visualize the same research structure from the perspective of an idea mind map, a schedule, a list of action items, or a knowledge system to be queried. Subsequent development may even include Artificial Intelligence tools for knowledge mining, to help the researcher extract novel relationships among the content. These will also need to dovetail with ELN platforms, to enable a more seamless integration of project management with primary data. These may eventually become part of the suite of tools being developed for improving larger group dynamics (e.g., Microsoft Teams). One challenge in such endeavors is ensuring the compatibility of formats and management procedures across groups and collaborators, which can be mitigated by explicitly discussing choice of software and process, at the beginning of any serious collaboration.

Regardless of the specific software products used, a researcher needs to put systems in place for managing information, plans, schedules, and work products. These digital objects need to be maximally accessible and backed up, to optimize productivity. A core principle is to have these systems be so robust and lightweight as to serve as an “external brain” ( Menary, 2010 )—to maximize creativity and deep thought by making sure all the details are recorded and available when needed. Although the above discussion focused on the needs of a single researcher (perhaps running a team), future work will address the unique needs of collaborative projects with more lateral interactions by significant numbers of participants.

Acknowledgments

We thank Joshua Finkelstein for helpful comments on a draft of the manuscript. M.L. gratefully acknowledges support by an Allen Discovery Center award from the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group (12171) and the Barton Family Foundation.

• Allen D. Revised edition. Penguin Books; 2015. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity. [ Google Scholar ]
• Altshuller G.S. Gordon and Breach Science Publishers; 1984. Creativity as an Exact Science: The Theory of the Solution of Inventive Problems. [ Google Scholar ]
• Menary R. MIT Press; 2010. The Extended Mind. [ Google Scholar ]

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125 Project Management Research Topics Ideas

Are you urgently in need of top-class project management research topics for your upcoming exam? Keep reading for exclusive writing ideas.

Those who have handled a project management thesis before can witness that this is not a smooth affair. The creativity, level of research, and critical thinking necessary for developing such a paper require a mature student. The greatest hurdle comes in when you want to develop your research topic. Our professional writers have everything you need to write an award-winning paper. Scroll down to find out how?

What Is A Project Management Research Paper?

It is an assignment that requires students to integrate the different processes to achieve a particular goal and deliverables. Project management is based on the principle that all tasks are special, and thus, you should not treat two tasks as the same.

In this type of assignment, students have to develop many coordination skills and fairness in dealing with various projects. Since various tasks differ in line with their functional procedures, you have to dig deeper to determine how each yields direct and proportional earnings in the end.

Does all these sound like rocket science to you? Well, the next few lines will make you understand this subject better.

Key Points About A Project Management Thesis

There are different steps involved in writing a project management paper. These will contribute to the body paragraphs’ overall quality, length, and depth. The various practices involved in project management include:

Initiating Planning Executing Controlling Closing the work of a team

When you bring all these processes together, you can achieve a particular goal or specific success within the set time. That brings us to a critical component of project management – time!

Every project has a given time frame within which it is complete. It is the primary challenge as time constraints are always when unexpected issues arise. However, with practice, time will not be a factor anymore; it will be the motivation for completing a particular project.

If you don’t feel those skills are important to you, you can get custom dissertation help from our expert team.

How To Write A Top-Rated Project Management Paper

For you to write a paper that will get the attention of your university teacher, there are various steps that you have to take. Remember that you have to demonstrate to your professor that you understand your topic and can significantly contribute to the topic at the end of the day.

Here is a step-by-step guide that will take you through the full process of project management writing:

• Understand your assignment: You should carefully read the question and point out any confusing part that you may need clarity with your professor. You also set the goal, timeline, length, format, and other requirements.
• Develop an interesting project management topic: The best way to generate a writing idea is by brainstorming. You can ask a friend tutor or get inspiration from other research papers.
• Begin your preliminary research: You can point out arguments that seem important to your topic and find captivating angles to present them. It is advisable to consult sources such as books, journals, or reliable websites. Having research questions in this section will give you ample time.
• Think of an exciting thesis statement: This will be your central argument that will establish your research paper’s position and purpose. Remember to include the evidence and reasoning you intend to support your answer.
• Develop an outline for your paper: It includes the key topics, arguments, and examples that will feature in your paper. Having a structured outline helps you complete the writing process effortlessly.

Once you complete these steps, your writing will be like a walk in the park. You will express your ideas clearly and have a logical paper.

Now let’s explore some of the most sought after project management topics:

Easy Project Management Research Topics

• How to implement capital improvement projects
• Discuss the essence of a good project management plan before the onset
• The role of technology and funding in implementing projects
• Consider the effects of working from home on project management
• How global companies manage projects across various regions
• What is the impact of the world becoming a global village in project management?
• Why is it necessary to segment tasks in a multi-sectorial project?
• Discuss the process of harmonizing systems, people, and resources
• Why is project management as a course in school necessary for the job market?
• Discuss the challenges related to transit projects
• Evaluate the various trends in project management in the digital age
• The role of leadership systems in project management
• Why time management is necessary for the completion of any task
• How to develop achievable goals or aspirations in a project
• The role of risk management before embarking on a project

High-Quality Project Management Topics

• The undisputed role of administrators in any project
• Technological systems that have made project management easier
• Discuss the complexity in completing different projects
• Why should every project have a project tracking instrument?
• Steps towards developing a working budget for a project
• Why do project managers write a proposal before embarking on the actual work?
• How often should the project manager meet to discuss the progress of a project?
• How to develop cost-effective projects in developed nations
• Discuss the various sources of primary funding for projects
• Why are communications skills necessary for any project?
• Compare and contrast the completion rate of government projects versus private projects.
• Discuss the authorization process of a project

Custom Project Management Research Paper Topics

• Discuss the roles of various officers involved in the running of a project
• What makes a particular project require a great number of resources?
• How to develop objectives and scope of work for different projects
• Analyze how the 24-hour economy is impacting the completing of massive projects
• Why it is important to determine the timing of an escalation in a project
• Should project managers remain engaged throughout the lifecycle of a project?
• Discuss some of the leadership qualities necessary for project management
• Why motivation is necessary for the completion of any project
• How to point out signs of retardation in a project
• The essence of addressing emerging issues in a project as soon as possible
• What are the differences at the micro and macro levels of a project?
• Steps involved in the termination process of a project

The Best Project Management Topics For Research

• Compare and contrast the procedural and mechanical parts of a project
• How to yield direct and proportional earnings from a project
• Management of a project during the economic recession
• Evaluate how COVID-19 restrictions impacted project management policies
• The role of integrating people and machines in the completion of projects
• Analyze the role of soft skills in project success rates
• How does cultural diversity impact project performance in the US?
• Why it is important to keep financial records in the implementation of a project
• Evaluate the design and implementation of projects
• A review of the stalled projects and why the project managers are to blame
• An in-depth analysis of procurement procedures in project management
• How organizational characters affect the development of a project

College Project Management Topics For Research Papers

• Investigate the organizational characteristics that affect project completion
• Identify cost-effective key performance indicators in a project?
• Social network analysis tools necessary for project management
• Discuss how emotional intelligence leads to the success of a project
• How to develop an effective project scheduling system for large projects
• Why standard operating procedures are necessary for effective projects
• The role of teamwork and collaboration in project completion
• Why quality control is necessary for any successful project
• Effective resource management techniques for technical projects
• Interpersonal skills that will make a project work
• Ethics involved in project management
• Discuss project mapping and progress reporting

Latest Research Topics For Project Management

• Are all project problems an indicator of more trouble to come?
• The role of identifying job descriptions in the success of projects
• Why it is necessary to incorporate staff retention and training in projects
• Evaluate the various project documentation processes
• How to develop better project control and management tools
• Discuss the differences between contractual and commercial management of projects
• Why delays and disruptions increase the cost of projects
• Impact of timely delivery of projects on economic development of countries
• Effects of sanctions of global projects
• Discuss conflict resolution practices in a particular project
• How to develop credit risk modeling techniques for projects
• Why appraisals and incentives are necessary for project success

Hot Research Project Topics In Business Management

• The role of business planning in a competitive environment
• How different business structures affect their development paradigms
• How to develop effective customer service strategies for businesses
• Why it is necessary to resolve employment issues before they escalate
• Inventory control practices in business management
• Discussing the necessity of keeping a keen eye on tax compliance in business establishments
• The role of record-keeping in the management of business ventures
• How to develop pricing structures that will keep the business afloat
• Discuss the peculiarities of merchandising and packaging
• Evaluate how insurance is necessary for any business
• Marketing strategies that will outshine competitors in a business setting
• How e-commerce is transforming project management in businesses

Innovative Topics For Project Management Research

• The role of decision making and problem-solving in project management
• Why technology and analytics are important components of successful projects
• How to use organizational culture to the benefit of project management
• How to manage international businesses using social media
• Discuss the role of entrepreneurs and founders in project development
• Effective operation strategies for developing projects
• How to adjust and adapt to organizational change
• Performance indicators that are necessary for competitive project management
• The role of feedback in the development of any commercial project
• Why personal productivity is necessary for any project management strategy
• Reasons why health and behavioral science are important in project management
• Discuss the effects of globalization on project management policies

Quality Research Topics In Management

• Discuss the role of government policies and regulations in project management
• How power and influence impact award of tenders for various projects
• Human rights to consider in project management
• The role of incubation hubs in project development
• Cross-functional management in projects
• Team member engagement in project management
• Legal issues in project management
• Political interference in development projects
• Evaluate various workspaces design
• Why should workplace health and safety be a priority in project management?
• Virtual teams and project management
• Why mission statements are necessary for project management

Construction Project Management Research Topics

• Best practices in digital project management
• How English as a language necessitates project management
• Online technologies that offer innovative project management ideas
• Student-centered symposiums in project management
• Cheap project management solutions that offer quality output
• The role of expatriates in development projects
• Discuss the four phases of project management
• How to manage change in a project
• Agile innovation methods for project success
• Quantitative tools for project management
• The revival of the construction project economy
• Developing sustainable construction projects
• The impact of building information modeling
• Collaborative work in project management

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Scoring top grades is no longer a wish but a reality with these topics. If you wish to hire professional dissertation writers for your project management task, type ‘do my thesis,’ Our writers will come through for you. Our writing assistance is all you need to ace your project management paper today!

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Sample Undergraduate Project Management Assignment

Here is a sample that showcases why we are one of the world’s leading academic writing firms. This assignment was created by one of our expert academic writers and demonstrated the highest academic quality. Place your order today to achieve academic greatness.

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Project Management – A Designated Project of Building a Hotel within the Airport’s Proximity

Introduction.

This report’s major aim is to fulfill the duties of a project manager for the designated project of building a hotel within the airport’s proximity to reduce the problem faced by the airline about transporting the crew between the airport and hotels during the time of congestion. In the first part of this report, the project’s scope is discussed concerning the case provided.

In terms of discussing the project’s scope, all the relevant details required to discuss the scope with the project’s stakeholders are covered in this section. In this section of the report, all the project requirements are also communicated to the stakeholders. The next part of the project is related to the risk assessment of the undertaken project.

In this section of the report, the project’s relevant risks are identified along with their respective likelihood and impact of the risks. Moreover, the mitigation strategies and contingency plans about the risks are also stated. The third and final section of the report discusses the project’s milestones by the scope and risks stated in the previous sections.

Task 1 – Project Scope

One of the most important aspects of project management is planning the project, including defining the scope. Project scope management includes the processes, resources, and procedures required to complete the project following the goal and objectives (Guide, 2001). According to PMBOK, there are six steps to be followed to manage the scope of the project (Fitsilis, 2008). To explain the content of this project to the stakeholders, the technicalities of PMBOK are followed.

Plan Scope Management

In this step, the scope management plan is created. In this part, the scope management planning is carried with the project members to assess the approaches that can be used to fulfill the project’s objectives (Sheng, 2018). Initially, with the project team’s help, the scope management plan is designed, which includes the requirements that will help define the needs of the stakeholders, create a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), validate, and control the scope.

Collection of Requirements

There are several stakeholders of this project, and it is essential to discuss their needs and stake following the completion of this project (Eskerod and Jepsen, 2016). Being the project manager, this task has been carried out with interviews, meetings, and surveys. The first stakeholder of this project is the company itself. By carrying out meetings with the senior management of the company, their stake will be discussed. This project will help the company cut down its cost of partnering up with hotels in Paris to accommodate their 68 crew members every day for a layover.

Moreover, the efficiency will also be increased as the crew will reach the airport in time as the Hotel will be situated within the 10 km proximity of the Hotel. Crew members are also a stakeholder of this project because, via this Hotel, they will not have to travel long routes to reach a place for accommodation as they do it now. This will ultimately increase their productivity.

In this regard, the crew’s major need is to have a hotel near the airport with comfortable rooms to rest. Passengers of the airline traveling from Paris to or via Paris are also the project stakeholders. The new Hotel can be accommodated if the flight is overbooked or if they have missed their connecting flight.

Definition of Scope

Following the objectives of this project and the requirements of the stakeholders, the following is the scope statement of the project:

“To build a hotel in the proximity of Charles de Gaulle Airport to facilitate the accommodation of crew members during the time of layover and the passengers in case of overbooking of airlines and missed flights in two year time period within the provided budget and constraints.”

Work Breakdown Structure

According to the needs of the stakeholders, objectives of the project, and the project’s scope statement that has been discussed in the above section, the following is the WBS that has been designed to facilitate the tasks and activities required to complete the project.

Validation of Scope

This is among one of the final steps of the scope management of the project. The scope statement of the project has already been defined in the preceding section. The management of the airline company, cabin crew, and the contractor appointed for the construction of the Hotel will be provided with the scope statement for validation. Through this process, the scope can improve, improving how the project is carried out.

Controlling the Scope

According to Eskerod, Hueman, and Savage (2015), the project scope needs to be well-defined and well-controlled. In this regard, it is ensured that the scope creep does not happen during this project to ensure that there are no unwanted outcomes of the project. For this project, the scope of the project will be validated by the shareholders of the project to make sure that the project is carried out according to the requirements and expectations of the shareholders.

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Task 2 – Risk Assessment

For a project to work efficiently, it is essential to avoid and mitigate any potential risk that can harm its successful completion (Haimes, 2015). Before commencing ant project, the project manager’s prime responsibility is to ensure that the risks are identified at the project’s planning phases (Hopkinson, 2017). To ensure that the risks are identified and mitigated efficiently, a risk assessment matrix is formed. This section of the report identifies eight of the significant risks faced by the hotel construction project.

The following table shows the likelihood matrix that explains the probability of the occurrence of the risk during the tenure of the project:

Table 1: Likelihood of Risks

Table 2: Impact of Risks

If you need assistance with writing your assignment, our professional assignment writers are here to help!

Task 3 – identification of key milestones.

One of the critical aspects of project management is determining the milestones and planning them so that the project is completed according to its scope, budget, and cost (Kerzner and Kerzner, 2017). Milestones are responsible for indicating the progress of the project (Lock, 2017). Critical discussion points, completion of the project tasks, and ending of the project’s various phases include the project’s milestones (Heldman, 2018). In this section of the report, the milestones of the hotel construction project for the Airline company are stated, which are essential for the completion of the project.

Milestone 1

The first milestone of this project is the completion of the business case documentation and the project charter. This will help the project manager explain to the project’s stakeholders what the project aims to achieve. For this project, the business case will be developed to consider the costs incurred every year for accommodating the cabin crew in different hotels for layovers. With the completion of this milestone, the feasibility of this project will be formed, which will help assess the project’s objectives.

Milestone 2

The second milestone of this project is completing the entire planning phase, which is considered the most important phase because, in this phase, the whole project is planned out. After completing the planning phase, all the requirements related to the project, its costs, resources, and budget will be finalised.

Milestone 3

The third milestone is the completion of the budgeting and costing of the activities involved in the entire construction of the Hotel. This milestone will be completed when the budget is decided and finalised based on the General contractor’s estimation techniques with the project manager.

Milestone 4

Finalising the general contractor and the site for building the Hotel is a significant milestone of this project. It will be ensured that the site is within 10 km proximity with the airport.

Milestone 5

Starting date of the Hotel’s construction is a significant milestone because it will officially start the execution phase of the project. It is considered to be the milestone of the project because it will begin the project.

Milestone 6

Design approval is considered a significant project milestone because it is a prerequisite to starting the hotel construction execution phase. The design will be received from the architecture and designers on board with the project, and then it will be discussed with the relevant stakeholders of the project.

Milestone 7

Completion of hiring all the relevant vendors of the contract is an essential milestone of the project. Some vendors will be a part of this project, such as a vendor for transportation, a vendor for furniture, a vendor for raw materials, etc. Finalising the contractors of all the vendors is an important task to be completed for the project.

Milestone 8

After completing each of the five phases, there will be a communication update meeting of the project manager, contractors, and the project team to ensure that all the hotel construction objectives are fulfilled. The completion of each communication meeting is a milestone of the project

Milestone 9

Like other projects, the hotel construction project also follows the five phases: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure. Completion of each phase will mark a milestone of the project. By completing each phase of the project, the activities for the subsequent phase will start, making the project progress.

Milestone 10

The most important milestone of the project is completing the last phase of the project, which is closure. This phase will be ended when the general contractor will hand over the project to the client, i.e., Transworld. The last phase of the project will include feedback from different stakeholders as well as lessons learnt. The final milestone will also mark the end of the project.

Thus the stages above and phases of the project are milestones of the hotel construction project for Transworld Airlines. With the completion of each milestone, the company will take the project one step further.

Thus, this report includes all the relevant and important information regarding the hotel construction project for the company Transworld. In the first part of the assignment, the project’s scope statement has been mentioned, showing that the Hotel aims to provide accommodation for the cabin crew and passengers during layovers and missed or overbooked flights, respectively.

Moreover, several risks are being faced by the project with different likelihoods and impacts. The project manager needs to ensure that there are mitigation strategies and contingency plans to ensure that the project is not impacted negatively. In the last section of the report, various milestones of the project have been stated.

Eskerod, P. and Jepsen, A.L., 2016. Project stakeholder management. Routledge.

Eskerod, P., Huemann, M. and Savage, G., 2015. Project stakeholder management—Past and present. Project Management Journal, 46(6), pp.6-14.

Fitsilis, P., 2008. Comparing PMBOK and Agile Project Management software development processes. In Advances in Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering (pp. 378-383). Springer, Dordrecht.

Guide, A., 2001. Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® GUIDE). In Project Management Institute.

Haimes, Y.Y., 2015. Risk modeling, assessment, and management. John Wiley & Sons.

Heldman, K., 2018. Project management jumpstart. John Wiley & Sons.

Kerzner, H. and Kerzner, H.R., 2017. Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.

Lock, D., 2017. The essentials of project management. Routledge.

Pheng, L.S., 2018. Project Scope Management. In Project Management for the Built Environment (pp. 63-77). Springer, Singapore

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Blog Marketing What is a Project Management Plan and How to Create One

What is a Project Management Plan and How to Create One

Written by: Midori Nediger Dec 11, 2023

Have you ever been part of a project that didn’t go as planned?

It doesn’t feel good.

Wasted time, wasted resources. It’s pretty frustrating for everyone involved.

That’s why it’s so important to create a comprehensive project management plan   before your project gets off the ground.

In this guide, we’ll explore how to create and design a successful project management plan.

We’ll also showcase easy-to-customize project plan templates you can create today with our user-friendly drag-and-drop editor. Let’s get started!

  Click to jump ahead:

What is a project management plan?

5 things you need to know before creating a project management plan, what should a project management plan include, how do you write a project plan, project plan best practices, project management plan templates and examples, common mistakes to avoid when creating a project management plan.

A project management plan is a formal document that defines how a project is going to be carried out by outlining the scope, goals, budget, timeline and deliverables of a project. Its crucial role lies in ensuring the project stays on course.

You write a project plan  during the project planning stage of the  project life cycle , and it must be approved by stakeholders before a project can move on the execution stage.

If some of these terms are new to you, you can get up to speed with this post on project management terms . 

This means your project plan must be engaging, organized, and thorough enough to gain the support of your stakeholders.

Further Reading : New to project management? Read our blog post on the 4 stages of the project life cycle .

The importance of a project management plan

A well-developed project management plan sets the foundation for a successful project by providing a roadmap that guides the project team toward successful project completion. A good project management plan can ensure that:

• Project objectives and goals are clearly defined and understood
• Project scope is effectively managed
• Resources are allocated efficiently to maximize productivity and minimize waste
• Risks are identified, assessed and mitigated
• Project tasks and activities are well-organized and executed in a timely manner.
• Communication among team members , stakeholders and project sponsors is effective and transparent
• Changes to the project are properly evaluated, approved and implemented
• Lessons learned and best practices are documented for future reference and improvement
• Stakeholders are engaged and satisfied with the project outcomes
• The project is delivered within the specified timeline, budget and quality standards

Before diving into creating a project management plan, it is crucial to have a clear understanding of the project objectives and the expectations of stakeholders involved.

Without a firm grasp of these fundamental elements, your project may face significant challenges or fail to deliver the desired outcomes.

Here are key points to consider when creating a project management plan:

• Project Objectives: Clearly understand the project objectives and what you want to achieve. Identify the desired outcomes, deliverables and the purpose of the project.
• Scope of the Project: Determine the boundaries and extent of the project. Define what is included and excluded to ensure clarity and prevent scope creep .
• Stakeholders: Identify all stakeholders who will be impacted by or have an interest in the project. Understand their needs, expectations and level of involvement.
• Resources: Assess the resources required to execute the project successfully. This includes human resources, budget, equipment and materials. Determine their availability and allocation.
• Risks and Constraints: Identify potential risks, uncertainties and constraints that may affect the project. Understand the challenges, limitations and potential obstacles that need to be addressed.

Now that you have these key areas identified, let’s get started with creating your project plan.

Before you start assembling your own plan, you should be familiar with the main components of a typical project plan .

A project management plan should include the following sections:

• Executive summary: A short description of the contents of the report
• Project scope & deliverables: An outline of the boundaries of the project, and a description of how the project will be broken down into measurable deliverables
• Project schedule: A high-level view of project tasks and milestones ( Gantt charts are handy for this)
• Project resources: The budget, personnel, and other resources required to meet project goals
• Risk and issue management plan: A list of factors that could derail the project and a plan for how issues will be identified, addressed, and controlled
• Communication management plan: A plan for how team and stakeholder communication will be handled over the course of the project
• Cost and quality management plan: This section encompasses the project’s budget, cost estimation,and cost control mechanisms. It also includes quality assurance and control measures as well as any testing or verification activities to be performed.

Basically, a project plan should tell stakeholders what needs to get done, how it will get done, and when it will get done.

That said, one size doesn’t fit all. Every project management plan must be tailored to the specific industry and circumstances of the project. You can use a project management app for smoother project planning.

For example, this marketing plan looks client facing. It is tailored to sell the client on the agency:

Whereas this commercial development plan focuses on specific objectives and a detailed timeline:

With those basics out of the way, let’s get into how to write a project management plan that’s as engaging as it is professional.

Further Reading : If you’re looking to create a proposal, read our in-depth business proposal guide. Then try our job proposal templates or business proposal templates .

To write a successful project plan, follow these 5 steps below to create an effective project plan that serves as a valuable tool for project management:

1. Highlight the key elements of your project plan in an executive summary  

An executive summary is a brief description of the key contents of a project plan .

I t’s usually the first thing stakeholders will read, and it should act like a Cliff’s-notes version of the whole plan.

It might touch on a project’s value proposition, goals, deliverables, and important milestones, but it has to be concise (it is a summary, after all). First, make sure you develop a proof of concept .

In this example, an executive summary can be broken into columns to contrast the existing problem with the project solution:

The two-column format with clear headers helps break up the information, making it extremely easy to read at a glance.

Here’s another example of a project management plan executive summary. This one visually highlights key takeaways with big fonts and helpful icons:

In this case, the highlighted facts and figures are particularly easy to scan (which is sure to make your stakeholders happy).

But your executive summary won’t always be so simple.

For larger projects, your executive summary will be longer and more detailed.

This project management plan template has a text-heavy executive summary, though the bold headers and different background colors keep it from looking overwhelming:

It’s also a good idea to divide it up into sections, with a dedicated header for each section:

Regardless of how you organize your executive summary, it should give your stakeholders a preview of what’s to come in the rest of the project management plan.

2. Plot your project schedule visually with a Gantt chart

A carefully planned project schedule is key to the success of any project. Without one, your project will likely crumble into a mess of missed deadlines, poor team management, and scope creep.

Luckily, project planning tools like Gantt charts and project timelines make creating your project schedule easy. You can visually plot each project task, add major milestones, then look for any dependencies or conflicts that you haven’t accounted for.

For example, this Gantt chart template outlines high-level project activities over the course of an entire quarter, with tasks color-coded by team:

A high-level roadmap like the one above is probably sufficient for your project management plan. Every team will be able to refer back to this timeline throughout the project to make sure they’re on track.

But before project kickoff, you’ll need to dig in and break down project responsibilities by individual team member, like in this Gantt chart example:

In the later execution and monitoring phases of the project, you’ll thank yourself for creating a detailed visual roadmap that you can track and adjust as things change.

You can also use a project management tool to keep your team organized.

Further Reading:   Our post featuring  Gantt chart examples  and more tips on how to use them for project management.

3. Clarify the structure of your project team with a team org chart

One of the hardest aspects of project planning is assembling a team and aligning them to the project vision.

And aligning your team is all about communication–communicating the project goals, communicating stakeholder requests, communicating the rationale behind big decisions…the list goes on.

This is where good project documentation is crucial! You need to create documents that your team and your stakeholders can access when they have questions or need guidance.

One easy thing to document visually is the structure of your team, with an organizational chart like this one:

In an organizational chart you should include some basic information like team hierarchy and team member contact information. That way your stakeholders have all of the information they need at their fingertips.

But in addition to that, you can indicate the high-level responsibilities of each team member and the channels of communication within the team (so your team knows exactly what they’re accountable for).

Here’s another simple organizational structure template that you can use as a starting point:

Create an organizational chart with our organizational chart maker .

4. Organize project risk factors in a risk breakdown structure

A big part of project planning is identifying the factors that are likely to derail your project, and coming up with plans and process to deal with those factors. This is generally referred to as risk management .

The first step in coming up with a risk management plan is to list all of the factors at play, which is where a risk breakdown structure comes in handy. A risk breakdown structure is a hierarchical representation of project risks, organized by category.

This risk breakdown structure template, for example, shows project risk broken down into technical risk, management risk, and external risk:

Once you’ve constructed your risk breakdown structure, you’ll be ready to do a deep dive into each risk (to assess and plan for any triggers and outcomes).

Streamline your workflow with business process management software .

5. Plan ahead: create project status reports to communicate progress to stakeholders

As I mentioned earlier, communication is fundamental in any project.

But even so, something that’s often overlooked by project managers is a communication management plan–a plan for how the project team is going to communicate with project stakeholders . Too often, project communication defaults to ad-hoc emails or last-minute meetings.

You can avoid this by planning ahead. Start with a project kickoff meeting and include a project status report template as part of your communication plan.

Here’s an example of a simple project status report that you might send to stakeholders on a weekly basis:

This type of report is invaluable for communicating updates on project progress. It shows what you’ve accomplished in a clear, consistent format, which can help flag issues before they arise, build trust with your stakeholders , and makes it easy to reflect on project performance once you’ve reached your goals.

You might also want to include a broader status report for bigger updates on a monthly or quarterly basis, like this one:

The above template allows you to inform stakeholders of more major updates like new budget requirements, revised completion dates, and project performance ratings.

You can even include visualization of up-to-date project milestones, like this example below:

Want more tips on creating visuals to enhance your communications? Read our visual communication guide for businesses . 

Before you dive in, remember: a clear and adaptable plan is crucial for project success. Here are some best practices to keep your project plan on track:

• Use headers, columns and highlights to make your executive summary easy to read
• Plot your project schedule with a Gantt chart (with tasks color-coded by department or team member)
• Use visuals like organizational charts and risk breakdown structures to communicate across your team and with stakeholders
• Pick a flexible template that you can update to align with stakeholder requests

A project management plan is probably the most important deliverable your stakeholders will receive from you (besides the project itself).

It holds all of the information that stakeholders will use to determine whether your project moves forward or gets kicked to the curb.

That’s why it’s a good idea to start with a project management plan template. Using a template can help you organize your information logically and ensure it’s engaging enough to hold your stakeholders’ attention.

Construction project management plan template

Time is money, especially with construction projects. Having a construction plan template brings order to the chaos.

Instead of staring at a messy pile of construction stuff, you’ve got a plan that breaks everything down into bite-sized pieces.

And let’s not forget the paperwork. Construction projects have rules and regulations to follow. Your project plan helps you stay on the right side of the law with all the necessary documentation and compliance measures.

Start with a meticulous project overview, like in the second page of this template:

Though you may think this project will be similar to others you’ve done in the past, it’s important to nail the details.

This will also help you understand the scope of work so you can estimate costs properly and arrive at a quote that’s neither too high or low. Ontario Construction News has great advice on this process.

Simple project management plan template

This simple project management plan template that clearly lays out all of the information your stakeholders will need:

Simple project management communication plan template

A key part of project management is making sure everyone’s in the loop. A project communication plan ensures everyone knows how, where, who and when the team will communicate during the course of the project. Also construction scheduling is a critical aspect of the project management plan as it helps to ensure that all necessary tasks are completed within the allocated time frame and budget.

The key is to figure out what kind of communications is valuable to stakeholders and what is simply overwhelming and won’t lead to better decisions.

This template clearly outlines all of these factors to help manage expectations and eliminate confusion about what will get communicated and when:

Commercial development project plan template

The below project management plan template is simple and minimal, but still uses a unique layout and simple visuals to create an easy-to-read, scannable project overview.

This template is perfect for building or construction management , or any technical projects:

When picking a project plan template, look for one that’s flexible enough to accommodate any changes your stakeholders might request before they’ll approve the project. You never know what might change in the early planning stages of the project! You can also use project management tools to help you with your planning !

Creating a solid project management plan is crucial for setting your project up for success. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

• Lack of clear goals: Don’t just have a vague idea of what you want to achieve. Define clear, SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound) for your project. That way, everyone will be on the same page and it’ll be easier to measure progress effectively.
• Unrealistic timelines: Be optimistic, but also realistic. Don’t underestimate the time required for tasks. Factor in potential delays and buffer time when creating your project schedule.
• Scope creep: New requirements mid-project can affect deadlines and budgets. Plan the project clearly upfront, and take into consideration any changes that might come up.
• Poor communication: Communication is key throughout the project lifecycle. Regularly update stakeholders, team members and clients on progress, roadblocks and changes.
• Ignoring risks: Things don’t always go according to plan. Identify potential risks upfront and have a mitigation strategy in place for each one.
• Not involving stakeholders: Get key stakeholders involved early on. This helps manage everyone’s expectations and that you have the buy-in you need for success.
• Neglecting resource constraints: Don’t overload your team or underestimate the resources needed. Carefully consider the skills, time and budget available when planning your project.
• Micromanaging: Trust your team! Delegate tasks effectively and give them the autonomy they need to do their jobs.
• Failing to document: Keep good records. Document project decisions, plans and communication. This helps maintain transparency and ensures everyone has access to the latest information.
• Not adapting to change: Be prepared to adapt your plan as needed. Projects are rarely static, so be flexible and willing to adjust your approach based on new information or developments.

So, that’s the scoop on project management plans! I hope this piece will help you to avoid confusion, keep expectations in check and be ready to tackle any bumps for your upcoming projects.

If you ever need a revision, just follow the steps we talked about, use those best practices and you’ll have a plan that sets your project up for a win. Just remember, even the best plans need some tweaking sometimes. Be flexible and adjust as needed and you’re good to go!

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Research Project Management Assignment

Introduction

This Research Project Management Assignment has been conducted to analyse different aspects related to the effective management in the travel and tourism industry and make impact on the overall effectiveness of the organisation. In this research report there is analysed impact of the management between the demand and supply within the organisation which can make impact on the overall quality providing by the company to its customers and achieve positive and effective market positioning and customer loyalty and retention. This report will define various aspects related to the impacts of the financial changes on the managerial changes and their impacts on each other by the way of using an organisation.

Task 1 Formulation of Research Specification

1.1. formulate research project outline specifications.

Research title:  Customer satisfaction level in Easy Jet Airline

This research report is a detailed study of various aspects related to the customer satisfaction level in an organisation based on the services provided by an organisation in a situation of increase in the demand. Easy jet which is an airline company providing its services in various countries. The company has adopted a strategy in which it has decreased its prices of tickets which leads to increase in the demand and number of customers of the company. With the increase in the customers of the company there can be faced various problems related to the effective service providing to its customers of the company and lead to unsatisfied customers of the company that can make impact on the overall effectiveness of the company(Dawson, 2010). Easy jet Plc is Europe’s leading Airline Company which is operating within more than 30 countries and in 820 routes and providing more than 70 million passengers in a year which is huge amount. For further expansion of its services company is working on its budget and reducing its cost of tickets to attract more customers.

Aim of this research project is to identify the effectiveness of the services providing by the company to its customers and their effectiveness and efficiency level which can make impact on the customer satisfaction which make impact on the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the company. This research project will analyse the impact on the level of satisfaction of the customers with the impact of decrease in the product cost of the company(Dawson, 2010). So this overall study will aim to evaluate the customer satisfaction in the airline company EasyJet.

Objectives of the research are the ultimate destination to be achieved in the research project . There are set some objectives in the initial stage of the research which are to be achieved in the research. Following are the objectives of this research project-

• To identify the demand and supply of the market related to the airline services.
• To identify the needs and demands of the customers of airline industry.
• To analyse various aspects related to the offerings making by the rivals in the airline industry.
• To develop different plans and strategies for providing more effective customer satisfaction.
• To evaluate the set of actions which can help increase in the customer satisfaction in this industry.

Literature Review

In every organisation there are made efforts to achieve effective customer satisfaction which can help in making effective organisational positioning and lead the organisation to achieve goals of the organisation. Customer satisfaction can be defined as to effectively handle various aspects of customers of the company by analysing their requirements and demand and working on that. Customer satisfaction can be defined as a marketing term in which there are defined the level of matching the customer expectations by the organisation through its products and services.(Samraz & Bakhtiar 2012)

As per the research conducted by the Samraz Hafeez and Bakhtiar Muhammad about the customer satisfaction and loyalty programme and their impact on different industries there is defined that in every organisation the road to success is through its customers and it is opportunity for the organisations to achieve effective growth through satisfying its customers in effective manner by providing effective quality in services to the customers.(JENET, 2011)

There is defined effective relationship between the service quality of the company working in service industry and the customer satisfaction level which is defined as direct relationship as in increase in the service quality will result as increase in the customer satisfaction which is defined in the research report of Jenet Manyi Agbor.

Resource implications:  There are implicated various resourceswhich can make impact on theresearch project which are defined as there are various aspects

1.2 The factors that contribute to the process of research project selection

There are various aspects which can make impact on the process of research project selection. To have effective study and opportunity to expand in different aspects there can be done research on this research topic. Following are the factors that contribute in the process of research topic selection.

• The travel and tourism industry is growing industry which can make impact on its opportunity to analyse its various aspects in which airline industry is growing industry and providing effective services to huge number of customers(Garcia, et. Al., . 2011).
• The impact of globalisation is making huge impact on this industry.
• In the present business environment there are available different industries which are enhancing and have scope of expansion in which travel and tourism industry is one of the growing industry which can be studied and analysed in different aspects.

1.3 A critical review of key references about ‘customer satisfaction’ and ‘influential factors on customer satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is important and essential for the effective running of an organisation which can be influenced with the level of customer expectations and their impact on the overall organisational efficiency. The Easy Jet Airline Company is offering services to its customers from a long duration and making effective revenue from these services and this is helping in making effective market positioning of the company and this cannot be done without satisfying customers of the company which can make impact on the overall efficiency.For understanding the key references of the customer satisfaction we will analyse key influential factors which make impact on customer satisfaction which are as follows.

• The quality of product and services make impact on the overall level of customer satisfaction and have a direct relationship with the customer satisfaction level.
• Pricing of products and pricing methodology makes impact on the overall customer satisfaction level.
• Market positioning and organisational past tracks also makes impact on the customer satisfaction level.
• Availability of the substitutes and position of competitors make impact on the effectiveness of the customer satisfaction level in the company.
• Availability of different features and attributes in the product and different offers which are providing by the company on its products and services make impact on the overall customer satisfaction (Meyer, et. Al 2014).

1.4 Produce a research project specification

• Research title- Customer satisfaction level in Easy Jet Airline
• Introduction and Background:  This research programme is conducted to analyse different aspects related to the customer satisfaction and its different aspects which can make impact on the overall effectiveness of company. This research will identify and evaluate the level of customer satisfaction which is there in the company with the impact of the increased demand.
• To identify different factors which make impact on the customer satisfaction level of the company.
• Effective management skills which can handle the increased demand of customers due to decreased level of cost of the products of Airline company Easy Jet.
• To identify requirement and needs of the customers of Airline industry.
• To evaluate the customer satisfaction level in the Easy Jet airline company.
• Literature Review:  Airline industry is emerging industry which is providing services to its customers and making its efforts to satisfy different customers and clients and expand its reach and there is increase in the demand of the company which is making impact on the quality of the services provided by the company. Customer satisfaction and quality of services have direct relationship with each other as in increase in the quality will ultimately increase the level of satisfaction of customers.
• Research design and methodology:  Research methodology includes different methods in which the research can be executed and can lead to effective results of the research. There has been adopted qualitative and quantitative research methodology for the research project. Research design includes various aspects related to the different sources which can be used of the company to effective analysed based on different organisational factors.
• Data Collection:  Data collection is done for the Easy Jet airline company for analysing the collected data. Primary and secondary data is collected by using different sources in the research project (Dignam, et. Al 2016).
• Limitation:  Limitation in this research project is defined as the confidentiality and reliability of the data and its effectiveness in the research project.
• Ethical consideration:  All the data and information collected in the research project must be considered all the ethical and legal considerations which make its effective in different aspects.

1.5 Appropriate plan and procedures for the agreed research specification

Action plan

Gantt chart

2.1 Match resources efficiently to the research question or hypothesis

In the research process there is effective role of resources to carry out any research into effective manner and can reach to efficient results. There is required to match the organisational resources with the research questions and hypothesis which can make impact on the different aspects of the analysis of customer behaviour and client attitude. Easy Jet airline is one of the largest British airline companiesproviding services to various clients all around the globe and there is analysed the level of satisfaction the company providing to its customers and clients (Dignam, et. Al 2016).There are using different tools and techniques for the effective collection of data and information which can make impact on the different aspects of research. Following are the resources which are required for the research-

• There is required human resource for execution of research which can make impact on the overall effectiveness of the research as in human resource is liable to execute all the activities which are required to be executed in the entire process of research.
• There is a required financial resource in the frame of budgets which is defined for each activity making impact on the overall process of research.
• Technical resources are used in the research in which there are used various communication channels and tools and techniques which can be make impact on the various aspects which can make impact on the overall effectiveness of the research.

Hypothesis:  Hypothesis can be defined as the different aspects related to the assumptions of various aspects which can make impact on the overall effectiveness of the research. Following are the null hypothesis for the research.

• The impact on the customer satisfaction is positive and makes impact on the sales of the Easy Jet Airline Company.
• Customer satisfaction can be achieved only by reducing the process of products and services (Tchuem, et. Al 2011).
• There is effective relationship between the quality of services and products which are making impact on the overall effectiveness of the company.

Research questions and matching them to resources-

• How Easy Jet is making changes in its pricing strategies to attract more customers and developing competitive advantage within its competitors?
• How the company is providing customised services to its customers on these low product prices?
• In which manner the management is working of the company to manage all the activities of the company to provide effective customer satisfaction by matching with the customer satisfaction?

The company is using various resources which are focused on the direction to match the requirement of the hypothesis and research questions. In the Airline industry the Easy Jet is proving as one of the most effective and leading companies of Britain that means that the company is effectively satisfying its customers.

2.2 Undertake the proposed research investigation in accordance with the agreed specification and procedures

This research project is based on the calculation of customer satisfaction in the airline company Easy Jet which is leading in Britain and different countries around the globe and satisfying its customers. The company had adopted strategy in which the prices and cost of the products are reduced of the company to expand the market share of the company and provide its services to huge number of customers(Tchuem, et. Al 2011).

Research specification defines overall process of the research in which there are defined all the activities and steps which are to be executed in the whole process of research. According to the research specification in the first step there is to define the plan which is to be followed by the company to provide effective management of the research in which there are analysed the literature review related to customer satisfaction and the different levels of services that should be provide to the customers of airline industry. Research methodology of the company is set in which the qualitative and quantitative research methodology is used in this research and data collection is done by taking the views of the customers of the company by way of following primary sources like survey through questionnaire and interviews.The research questions and objectives are to be followed by the researcher and different questions related to the customer satisfaction are asked to the clients and customers of the airline industry.

2.3. Record and collate required data. Record the collected data from participants in the form of a table that shows responses briefly.

In a research project there are required different data which can be collected by using different sources and have their role and importance in the research process and also. The following are different types of data which are collected in the research project (Schimmel, et. Al 2014). There are collected primary and secondary data by using different types of sources. The customers of the Easy Jet airline are taken for the purpose of data collection using different primary sources of data collection. Secondary data is collected by using different websites, research papers, newspaper and magazine and different reports of the company showing its procedures to provide effective services to its customers who make impact on the overall effectiveness of the organisation. The research questions in this research are based on the identification of the level of customer satisfaction in the airline company Easy Jet which is handling huge number of customers due to its decreased product prices(Schimmel, et. Al 2014).There is selected participants based on the sampling method in which there are taken customers and clients of the company and analysingdifferent aspects related to their expectations from the company and the level to which company is meeting that level. Following are the responses which are collected from different participants in the research.

3.1 Use appropriate ‘research evaluation techniques’. Which types of evaluation (formative or summative) is more appropriate for your research? Why?

In the research project to identify the customer satisfaction level of the airline company Easy Jet there are analysed the collected data which is making impact on the different aspects related to the research results and provide conclusion of the research. The following are some research evaluation techniques which can define the various aspects related to the research conducted (Clausen, et. Al 2010).

• Systematic peer review:  This research evaluation technique is effective and provides most efficient results as in it consumes more time in which the management department of the company who analyse every aspect of this research report including various activities.
• Benchmarking:  In this evaluation there are analysed and calculated variances which are calculated by comparing the research outcome with the set standards made in the initial stage of the research.
• Biometric analysis:  This research analysis method helps in identifying the various methods of data collection in the research project which making impact on overall research process. In this research the client information and their reviews are collected of the Easy Jet airline company(Clausen, et. Al 2010).
• Advanced quality planning:  There are analysed the advanced planning which is done for maintaining the quality of services and products of the company.
• Case study method:  There can be adopted the case study method in which there is analysed various aspects related to the company which is airline company Easy Jet Plc.
• Statistical survey method:  In this method there are taken statistical analysis of data and other aspects of research which are analysed by using different methods and techniques related to the different aspects of the company.

3.2 Interpret and analyze the results in terms of the original research specification by using ‘Frequency’ and/or ‘Percentage’ calculations.

Table 1: Easy Jet is making changes in its pricing strategies to attract more customers and developing competitive advantage within its competitors.

Analysis- The company is adopted this strategy to attract huge number of customers to provide them services and expand the market of the company. This is supported by the maximum number of respondents in the research project.

Table 2: The company is providing customised services to its customers on these low product prices.

Analysis- It is analysed in the respondents are satisfied with the quality of services providing by the company and making it effective in the low product prices which are making impact on the overall aspects of the organisational productivity.

Table 3: The management is working of the Easy Jet Plc to manage all the activities of the company to provide effective customer satisfaction by matching with the customer expectation.

Analysis- The major number of respondents are agreed that the company is having effective management in the company to handle all the aspects which can help in effectively manage the customer services and expectations and satisfy them.

3.3 Make recommendations and justify areas for further consideration customer satisfaction in easy Jet or Ryan air.

• Findings:  The company Easy Jet is providing effective services to its customers which is making impact on the level of efficiency of the company as in it is effectively satisfying the customers and proving itself as leading British airline company. The company is cutting its product prices as in to attract more customers and building core competency in market within its competitors which is making impact on the organisational productivity. The company is making its efforts to provide effective services with high customer satisfaction which is depended on various aspects and key factors and can make impact on the organisational effectiveness (Abdelghany, et. Al 2012).
• Recommendations:  The British Airline Company Easy Jet should increase effective management in its activities by making different level of authorities and check points which can define the various aspects related to the customer service level and there must be effective market survey by which the customer expectations can be analysed and identified in organisation. The company should increase the facilities providing by them to customers in the limited charges and ticket fair by which the customers can be effectively satisfied (Wu, et. Al 2014).

There are defined various aspects related to the customer satisfaction and its impacts on the organisational effectiveness and there are also analysed the various factors which make impact on the customer satisfaction and can lead to influence them. There are also analysed various aspects which define the positive relationship between the quality of product and customer satisfaction. Easy Jet British airline company is provising services on low charges which is making impact on the customer satisfaction. And this research report has been conducted on the identification of the customer satisfaction level of the company.

Abdelghany, K., Dr & Abdelghany, A., Dr 2012;2010;2016;, Modeling Applications in the Airline Industry, Ashgate, Farnham. Bazargan, M., Dr 2016;2012;2010;, Airline Operations and Scheduling, 2nd;2; edn, Routledge Ltd, Farnham. Clausen, J., Larsen, J., Larsen, A. & Rezanova, N.J. 2010, "Disruption management in the airline industry—Concepts, models and methods", Computers and Operations Research, vol. 37, no. 5, pp. 809-821. Dawson, C. (2010). Introduction to Research Methods: A Practical Guide for Anyone Dignam, A. & Galanis, M. 2016;2009;2013;, The Globalization of Corporate Governance, Routledge Ltd, Farnham. Garcia, B.C., Chen, M. & Goodman, D.S.G. 2011, "Beyond asymmetry: cooperation, conflict and globalisation in Mexico-China relations", The Pacific Review, vol. 24, no. 4, pp. 421-438. Meyer, K. S., Soltwedel, T., & Bergmann, M. (2014). High biodiversity on a deep-water reef in the eastern fram strait: E105424. PLoS One, 9(8) doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0105424 NASA research benefits airlines 2016, , Normans Media Ltd, Coventry. Schimmel, M. 2014, Communication in the U.K. Budget Airline Industry: How PR affects corporate success, 1st edn, Anchor Academic Publishing, DE.

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Business Environment Assignment - British Airways

Administrative Assistant

• Madison, Wisconsin
• SCHOOL OF EDUCATION/WIS CENTER FOR EDUCATION RESCH-GEN
• Administration
• Staff-Full Time
• Opening at: May 13 2024 at 16:00 CDT
• Closing at: May 29 2024 at 23:55 CDT

Job Summary:

The Administrative Assistant will work under general supervision, reporting to the Client Services Administrative Supervisor. This position will provide administrative support to multiple research projects. The work requires task management, attention to detail, accuracy, the ability to work with a diverse audience including principal investigators, project managers, business office staff, students, partners within the School of Education, and external parties such as state agencies or MMSD school district contacts. This role requires excellent communication skills, the ability to handle a variety of assignments, and the desire to provide excellent customer service to WCER projects and partners.

Responsibilities:

• 40% Schedules logistics and secures resources for meetings, conferences, travel, and work unit operations
• 35% Serves as a primary point of contact for individuals and groups, provides organizational information via phone, in person, and through other communication mediums
• 15% Prepares and audits complex records, edits documents, and reviews work done by others
• 5% Develops, sends, receives, copies, and distributes communications to the appropriate entities according to established policies and procedures
• 5% Develops, implements, and maintains methods and organizational systems directed at the maintenance of electronic/physical records related to work operations according to established policies and procedures

Institutional Statement on Diversity:

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals. The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world. For more information on diversity and inclusion on campus, please visit: Diversity and Inclusion

Required H.S. Diploma

Qualifications:

Required skills/experience: * Skilled in the effective use of Microsoft Office software * Knowledge of various collaborative online platforms, including UW Box, Google suite and MS Teams * Experience with face-to-face and online meeting and event planning * Experience with data entry, management, and tracking * Excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively engage at all levels of the organization * Excellent attention to detail * Ability to work independently and collaboratively within teams * Highly self-motivated and proactive in problem resolution * Strong prioritization of tasks and time management to meet competing deadlines Preferred knowledge, skills, experience: * Knowledge of UW policies/procedures related to travel * Prior experience with purchasing and procurement cards * Customer service/Hospitality skills

Work Schedule:

Schedule will be determined during the interview process.

Full Time: 100% It is anticipated this position requires work be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location.

Appointment Type, Duration:

Ongoing/Renewable

Minimum $24.00 HOURLY Depending on Qualifications Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and paid time off; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits.

Additional Information:

The Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER), established in 1964, is one of the first, most productive, and largest university-based education research and development centers in the world. WCER's researchers and staff work to make teaching and learning as effective as possible for all ages and all people. WCER's mission is to improve educational outcomes for diverse student populations, impact education practice positively and foster collaborations among academic disciplines and practitioners. To this end, our center helps scholars and practitioners develop, submit, conduct, and share grant-funded education research. At WCER, all employees share five fundamental organization values to guide the purpose and quality of our work and interactions within ourselves and our outside stakeholders. The values that the work and people of WCER strive to uphold are: - Innovation and Excellence. Continuous improvement is a driver for excellence. We innovate and improve in our work to advance education through leading research and development. - Equitable Education. Equitable education is essential to a healthy society. We aim to reverse imbalances and injustices in education through our work. - Affirming and Increasing Diversity. Individual differences and group diversity inspire creative and equitable outcomes. We actively affirm and seek to increase such diversity in our center. - Healthy Workplace. The well-being of our workplace enhances success for all. We commit to a workplace based on mutual respect and transparency. - Partnering Across Differences. Diverse backgrounds and expertise improve the quality of our work. We collaborate across disciplines, methodologies, organizations, and communities to strengthen our research and development outcomes. If you need to request an accommodation because of a disability during the recruitment process, please email [email protected] and one of our Division Disability Representatives will contact you. More information can also be found at https://employeedisabilities.wisc.edu/disability-accommodation-information-for-applicants/ .

How to Apply:

Please click on the "Apply Now" button to start the application process. As part of the application process, you will be required to submit: - A cover letter addressed to Maria Huckleberry describing how your experience and qualifications meet the requirements of this position - A current resume - A list with the contact information of at least three professional references A successful applicant will be responsible for ensuring eligibility for employment in the United States on or before the effective date of the appointment.

Becky Ohan [email protected] 608-262-5158 Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Official Title:

Administrative Assistant III(AD003)

Department(s):

A17-SCHOOL OF EDUCATION/WCER

Employment Class:

University Staff-Ongoing

Job Number:

The university of wisconsin-madison is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer..

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