Research project management
Project management skills are integral to leading and completing a successful research project. Project management concepts can assist researchers to organise their approach to the various stages of a research project. This resource covers some of the key project management principles, and includes links to existing, high quality project management resources and tools and other STaRR Resources.
All STaRR Researchers are encouraged to check if their health service has project management resources. The quality and safety team or research office (if there is one locally) are good places to start.
Project management: Time, Scope and Cost
The progress and outcome of any research project will be influenced by three major and interdependent constraints:
- Time – the duration from the development of the concept until the closure of the project
- Cost – the costs incurred while completing the project
- Scope – the outputs or deliverables expected from the project
For more about these three factors, check out The Triple Constraint in Project Management: Time, Scope & Cost where there are links to some free project management resources.
Research project lifecycle
The research project lifecycle is not strictly linear. Project activities may change as the project evolves. A flexible, but well considered and detailed research plan reviewed regularly, is key.
The basic stages in the lifecycle of a research project include:
The first phase in any research project is identifying, developing and refining the research idea. This is typically a collaborative, iterative, process, that takes longer than researchers expect. It involves a number of activities which can be undertaken in any order or even simultaneously:
- Define the research idea at a broad level (i.e., determine the problem that needs to be solved through the research)
- Refine the research idea and develop a research question
- Identify the relevant internal and external stakeholders (any person/group with an interest in the project), and who potential collaborators will be on the project
- Scope the policy context, exploring what the current policy related to the research idea is (think local, state, and national policy)
- With a detailed understanding of the research problem and a clear research question, select a suitable research design, methodology and methods to address the research question
- Identify the skills needed to develop the research design and carry out the research activities
- Engage with consumers and community members early, actively, meaningfully, and consistently (as appropriate) in the planning and active phases of the research
- Check with local health organisation/s as often there is guidance related to consumer and community engagement available through existing staff, committees or resources
To proceed with a research project, or any project where the team intends to share the findings outside of their health organisation, the researchers must attain the relevant organisational, ethical, and governance approvals.
Getting the relevant approvals generally requires the researchers to:
- Attain the explicit approval and support from their line manager to conduct the project
- Develop a research protocol (the STaRR Emerging Researcher Training program walks participants through this process)
- Obtain ethics approval to conduct the research in their health setting
- Obtain governance approval to conduct the research in their health setting. Hint: more information on human research ethics approval can be found in the STaRR Ethics and Governance Resource
- Develop a sound data management plan as part of the to ensure data is managed securely and appropriately. Hints: This will be part of the ethics and governance submissions. Check with the health organisation or Research Translation Coordinator for guidance around research data management
Researchers juggling multiple roles and projects can find it challenging to manage competing priorities and to keep the research progressing. Having a detailed project plan can go a long way in keeping researchers and their teams on track.
Much of the detailed plan may be captured in the research protocol, however, there will likely be additional aspects to the project planning that need to be developed and documented, including:
- A detailed break-down of project and activities required, so that it is more manageable in the context of other priorities and responsibilities
- The deliverables or outputs that will be produced or accomplished by the end of the project
- The different individuals and groups involved in the project, the types of roles they will perform, and the responsibilities associated with each role
- Depending on the nature of the project, key milestones and deadlines to keep the team on track, for example:
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- Externally imposed deadlines such as ethics submission due dates or grant deadlines
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- Self-imposed deadlines to keep the research on track, for example, soft deadlines for completing the literature review, protocol development, commencing data collection, etc.
- A Gantt chart or another timeline-based tool that outlines the key milestones and activities and the relevant timelines
- Appropriate timepoints to engage with stakeholders, including those who may or may not have direct involvement in the research project
- The potential risks associated with the project (including occupational health and safety, reputational, external, internal, etc.) and strategies to mitigate these risks. Hint: it is ideal to work through a risk assessment plan with a manager/leader
- A communication plan for how the members of the research team and other stakeholders will be kept informed of the progress (e.g. via email, meetings, etc.), under what circumstances (e.g. in line with milestones, when input is required, etc.), and how frequently. Hint: researchers should stick to the communication plan, even if they haven’t made significant progress. This will keep the research team and stakeholders engaged in the project even when there is not much activity
- A research dissemination plan that ensures all relevant stakeholders have access to the research findings in a format and level of detail that is appropriate. The plan will likely include local dissemination avenues (health service newsletters, meetings, network meetings), peer-reviewed publications (e.g., journal articles) and local, national and even international conferences
Part of the detailed project plan should include a proposed strategy for translating the findings into local practice or policy. This requires researchers to think about and document:
- What the intended short and longer-term impacts of the research are
- Who needs to be involved in translating the research findings into practice. Hint: these people might be different to those involved in collecting and analysing the research data
- What frameworks may guide or support the translation of the research findings into local practice (e.g. quality improvement framework/s, implementation science
- How will outcomes and impacts of the local practice or policy change be measured (this may or may not be part of the research)
Although it is important to have a detailed and comprehensive research plan, researchers do not need to be a slave to the plan. There is scope to change the plan over time, in response to changing circumstances, resources, and other factors, and in consultation with key stakeholders.
There are some things for researchers to keep in mind as the project is underway:
- Any changes to the research protocol must be communicated to, reviewed and approved by the relevant ethics and governance office or Human Research Ethics Committee before enacting the changes
- Check progress periodically to ensure the research is on track (e.g. by looking at the timeline developed as part of the protocol or detailed project plan)
- Maintain regular communication with stakeholders, it not only helps to keep everyone up to date, but it also forces the researcher to reflect on, document, and communicate their progress
- Related to the point above, researchers should keep their manager/leader informed of their progress, so that the manager/leader can raise the profile of the work and also look out for opportunities to share their findings, apply for grants, etc.
- Consider submitting abstracts about the work to local and national conference organisers as the research is progressing; some conference organisers welcome “works in progress”, so that learning and early findings can be shared in a timely way
- Work with the research team members and stakeholders to translate the findings into practice and policy at the local level as the research is progressing
- Be on the lookout for grant opportunities that will provide opportunities and resources to extend or expand the research
Sharing the findings of a research project with the relevant stakeholders is critical to enabling and optimising the impact of the research. However, there are many different ways to share research findings, and researchers should match their approach to sharing the findings with the stakeholders’ needs.
For example, a peer-reviewed manuscript might be an appropriate mechanism to capture and present all the details relevant for other researchers and practitioners who need this level of detail to be able make decisions about accepting and adopting the research findings. Community and consumers may require less detail about the research methods but might be more interested in the actions or implications for them. Similarly, managers, and leaders might be more interested in the implications for their practice and decision-making.
When it comes to sharing the research findings, here are some things for researchers to think about:
- Consider developing and contributing to a living document which eventually becomes the final report
- The final report should be written using accessible language and shared with participants and stakeholders in a timely way
- Consider submitting abstracts about the work to local and national conference organisers as the research is progressing; some conference organisers welcome “works in progress”, so that learning and early findings can be shared in a timely way
- Making actionable recommendations based on the research findings to the relevant decision-makers, promptly
- Ethics and governance reporting requirements
- Developing peer-reviewed publications as planned (papers, conference presentations, etc.)
When starting a research project, or when deep in the thick of it, it is hard to imagine that the project will one day be finished. In fact, some researchers move straight on to other projects and may forget to tidy up the loose ends and ensure that important tasks are completed appropriately.
As researchers approach the end of research project, they must ensure they:
- Archive data for secure storage in line with the research data management plan
- Inform the ethics and governance office as required and complete any project closure documents
- Continue the work required to translate the findings of the research into practice and/or policy
- Consider evaluating the outcomes of the research translation activities
- Take action and continue to advocate for the uptake of the findings of the research
Staying on track
In an increasingly complex and demanding health organisation environment, it is easy to get side-tracked from projects. Research can and does take time to do well, and emerging researchers working in health settings often report being surprised by just how long it takes to develop a research protocol and get through ethics. Collecting and analysing data, and reporting the findings can take longer than expected, too.
Several barriers may present as you undertake your piece of research:
Barriers |
Potential solutions |
Time challenges: balancing life and work as well as research activities |
Break the research project into logical, manageable chunks enabling completion of those tasks. This is especially useful when you have limited time Foster a team-based approach to ensure distribution of research tasks Use a project calendar or timeline for the project team to visualise time, tasks and allocation of tasks Schedule dedicated time to attend to other non-research related priorities Note down your progress with tasks and identify follow up tasks for your next time commitment to the research project |
Managing what can be an overwhelming process of developing the research protocol and navigating the ethics approval process |
Keeping in touch with your mentor and/or manager and the ethics office you are submitting your application to, can help you to stay on track, and not get lost in the process For the development of the project protocol and other documentation, get the basic ideas and content down first (don’t worry about structure, punctuation, grammar). Come back at a later point and tidy up the content and structure. Remember it does not need to be perfect on the first attempt at the document Be patient. The research protocol and ethics approval process can take a significant amount of time, rest assured you will have a quality protocol once you have navigated the process |
Managing the different viewpoints from both within the project team and externally |
Schedule regular communication (either on-line / face to face) with research team members to ensure consistent understanding of project tasks and progress |
Lack of knowledge about research protocols or process |
Make contact with a Research Translation Coordinator for support Access STaRR Resources Ask questions early so you are well equipped and prepared for the research process |
Acknowledgement: Dr Denise Jones and the STaRR participants in 2024. Notes taken from her “Setting yourself up to progress your project” presentation (Workshop 1 – STaRR Emerging Researcher Training – 04.09.2024)
A number of distractions will inevitably present themselves as you work on your research project:
Distractions |
Potential solutions |
Incoming emails from your workplace and other sources
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Schedule dedicated email time into your day. Other times are then dedicated to your research Turn off email notifications to avoid seeing incoming emails |
Competing life priorities and/or emergencies
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Identify potential sources of support for life priorities especially in those times just before important deadlines (e.g., research team members, other work colleagues, parents, friends) |
Phone calls and messages |
Turn off your phone to ensure you have clear headspace |
Working from home (pets, food and drink, other tasks)
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Build external accountability (e.g., with manager, research team, or mentor) for research tasks Accountability could be setting deadlines for project tasks, completing tasks and advising project team of progress Identify specific rewards for completion of research tasks. Pick something motivating and meaningful to you Prepare your workspace before you start minimising the potential for distractions |
Office space – noise, co-workers
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Headphones to block out outside noise Book a breakout room where you are alone and can concentrate Organise communal sessions with your research team where you can concentrate on progressing certain elements of the research e.g., protocol writing |
New emerging ideas and/or problems which may impact the project |
Write down other ideas and concerns so you don’t forget them, and they can be addressed at another time |
Acknowledgement: Dr Denise Jones and the STaRR participants of 2024. Notes taken from her “Setting yourself up to progress your project” presentation (Workshop 1 – STaRR Emerging Researcher Training – 04.09.2024)