PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND SUCCESS IN ACADEMIC RESEARCH
Lori Criss Powers Dr. Gillian Kerr May 21, 2009

Abstract: Conventional project management approaches do not seem to work well in academic research. In our experience, problems include resistance to basic project management processes like milestone development, extended delays caused by researchers not responding to emails or phone calls, a consistent lack of clarity regarding project outcomes, and the inability of the project manager to affect the behavior of research team members. This paper summarizes key challenges of project management for university‐based research: the problem of defining success; uncertainty and lack of clarity; and lack of accountability structures. We suggest a simple framework based on three essential elements of project management to identify and manage core risks at the outset of academic research projects. The three elements comprise: (1) A credible and recognizable definition of the desired state; (2) A credible and compelling measure of deviation from the desired state; and (3) A way to bring the project back on track. Key Words: Managing projects, uncertainty, university‐based research, management
INTRODUCTION
Broadly speaking, academic research projects refer to any undertaking intended to extend knowledge through a disciplined inquiry or systematic investigation (Interagency Advisory Panel on Research Ethics, 2008), that is at least partly carried out in an institution of higher learning. Managing a research project in an academic environment is often an extended exercise in frustration and failure (see CERF, 2004). Over the past few years, the authors of this article have worked with or studied several distance research collaborations in the United States and Canada, mostly in the health or social sciences. During the course of our work, we became fascinated with the