MANAGING YOUR RESEARCH PROJECT: Introduction to managing your research project
The lifecycle of a research project
Project management jargon
These are ‘management’ words you’re likely to come across, particularly if you start writing grants, or writing
reports for departmental authorities. There is no need to splash this jargon around, but you should at least be
familiar with the vocabulary.
Term
Definition
Translation/translational
impact/translational potential
The relevance of your work to other
fields, and your ability to “translate”
from one field to another
Research on mice which may be
applicable to humans
Synergy
The cooperation or interaction of
different elements, to create an
effect not obtainable with any one
element in isolation
Interdisciplinary research combining
archaeology with manuscript analysis
and computer models to give a fuller
picture of life in an ancient building
Work Package
A sub-section of a project which can
be assigned to a specific group or
individual
The collection and pH testing of water
samples, in a project to analyse a
pond ecosystem
Critical Path
The minimum sequence of activities
necessary to accomplish your
project (without which the project
will fail)
In making a ham sandwich: obtaining
sliced bread and sliced ham, and
putting the ham between slices of
bread
Impact
A slightly nebulous concept, with
definitions varying by context: some
a combination of popularity and
prestige, also taking into account
the number of citations of scientific
communications
An element that is necessary for
your project to achieve its mission
The eventual influence of a person’s
research, usually within their field but
occasionally beyond it
Dependency
a link between a project's elements
or sub-projects, with a logical or a
sequential implication (if X, then Y)
In building a house, the relationship
between laying the foundation and
beginning to build the walls
Intellectual Property (Rights)
A legal concept that enables the
intangible creations of one’s mind to
be treated as ‘property’, giving the
owner rights to develop or trade in it
The copyright on a publication or a
patent on an invention
Critical Success Factor
1 | Page
Example
In an archive-based research project:
access to the archive and ability to
locate the materials
© Epigeum Ltd, 2013
|