Session 2 - Project Management

Author

PULSE TCDC

Published

March 24, 2026

ResearchComp competencies developed in this session

Managing Research

Foundational Intermediate
2. Manage projects
• Is familiar with different project management approaches and tools.
• Participates in projects and delivers results according to deadlines. 		• Effectively uses a broad project management toolkit.
• Defines and designs own research projects.
• Identifies risks and implements proper mitigation strategies.

Self-management

Foundational Intermediate
3. Plan self-organization
• Manages time in own research projects effectively.
 • Establishes own time management systems.

Learn

Watch the following interview with Dr. P. Alison Paprica, senior fellow at the University of Toronto, project management professional, author of Research Project Management and Leadership: A handbook for everyone 1, and creator of www.researchpm.com .

Practice

Note

The work of this practice exercise should take a maximum of 1 hour.

For this module, follow the exercise created by Alison to produce a Work Breakdown Structure for a primary research project.

Step 1 - Choose a WBS Template that works for your project

  • Visit the Research Project Management Tools and Resources website and download the Work Breakdown Structures powerpoint templates.
  • Look at the 7 template Work Breakdown Structures Dr. Paprica has created as examples of how a project might be structured.
    • see slide 13 for tips for using this template!
  • Choose the template that you think fits best for your main research project.

Step 2 - Fill in the WBS

  • Add the name of your main research project, and fill in the different workstreams that are relevant for your research (ie: A, B, C, D, E)
  • Feel free to add additional workstreams or remove those that aren’t relevant. For each workstream, write in the specific deliverables for your project (ie: A1, A2, B1…).
    • A deliverable is defined as a tangible thing that will be produced in the course of a project – think presentations, reports, protocols, webinars, articles, etc.
Important

Your WBS must remain a one-page document!

Step 3 - Send the WBS to your supervisor

  • When it is complete, send or show your WBS to your supervisor.
  • Ask them Alison’s suggested question: If we produce this, and only this, will the project be complete?

Discuss

  • At the webinar, your facilitators will lead a discussion about your experience of this exercise.
  • If you are facilitating, please take a look at the Facilitation Guide.

Next level

Three (optional!) exercises for project management

If you’re interested in deepening your practice of project management, here are three additional exercises:

  1. Read Research Project Management: A handbook for everyone.
    • The book is a comprehensive yet accessible manual for research project management, and the research leader interviews are a valuable window into how 19 leaders approach their work.
    • The book can be borrowed through University Libraries (Stockholm University has a physical copy in the library here), the SciLifeLab Training Hub, or order a copy for your lab!
  2. Download the Deliverables-based Gantt Schedules template from the Research Project Management Tools and Resources page. Use the deliverables from your WBS to create a schedule for your project.
    • Do you have enough time to complete everything?
  3. Download the Progress Tracking Sheets from the Research Project Management Tools and Resources page. Use the deliverables from your WBS to create a tracking sheet for your project.
    • How might this help you communicate and manage your projects?

Citation

The video from this session is available for reuse under

The module activity and Research Project Management tools are created by P. Alison Paprica and are used under

Please cite this material as:

Paprica, P.A, and Schroeder, K. (2026). SciLifeLab PULSE Transferrable Skills Training Session 2 - Project Management. Retrieved from https://scilifelab-training.github.io/PULSE/0001/session2.html. DOI: (pending)

If you use this material, we’d love to know! Get in touch with us at pulse.training@scilifelab.se

Footnotes

  1. Paprica, P.A. (2024) Research Project Management and Leadership: A handbook for everyone (University of Toronto Press). ISBN 978-1-4875-4451-5↩︎