Managing research projects
From a former landfill in Manchester to research with over 200 staff in Tesco
Overview
• People • Time• Tasks• Future
• Anecdotes (and exclusive admissions of mistakes) from my research
• Illustrations of how you can use Ketso to help
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• Partners: Ask – what is in it for you? • Align what you are doing with what is in it for others.
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• Partners: Ask – what is in it for you? • Align what you are doing with what is in it for others.• Tell people how you are doing this!
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• Partners: Ask – what is in it for you? • Align what you are doing with what is in it for others.• Tell people how you are doing this! • Recalibrate – check in if benefits are still aligned
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• Partners: Ask – what is in it for you? • Align what you are doing with what is in it for others.• Tell people how you are doing this! • Recalibrate – check in if benefits are still aligned
• ‘Employees’: Allow for contingencies
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• Partners: Ask – what is in it for you? • Align what you are doing with what is in it for others.• Tell people how you are doing this! • Recalibrate – check in if benefits are still aligned
• ‘Employees’: Allow for contingencies • People may not produce the goods – on time,
sufficient quality, worst case – at all
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• Partners: Ask – what is in it for you? • Align what you are doing with what is in it for others.• Tell people how you are doing this! • Recalibrate – check in if benefits are still aligned
• ‘Employees’: Allow for contingencies • People may not produce the goods – on time,
sufficient quality, worst case – at all• Allow plenty of time and checks to see what you are
getting, and if you will need to do something about it!
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• Partners: Ask – what is in it for you? • Align what you are doing with what is in it for others.• Tell people how you are doing this! • Recalibrate – check in if benefits are still aligned
• ‘Employees’: Allow for contingencies • People may not produce the goods • Allow plenty of time and checks
• Broader world: Communicate, communicate!• People won’t come and find you, look for audiences• Engage early & often, align messages with interests
Returning knowledge to Peru
“ ... It was good because we have all given ideas.”
“... we are used to being dictated too, so it is nice to be able to give our ideas.”
“... we are not used to thinking about such things, we are normally told what to do.”
C.Furlong & J.Tippett, 2011
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• How does it all fit?• Map out and plot, what needs to happen when, what
needs to happen in order for that to happen….
Time management
• I knew we were pushed for time but actually stopping and reviewing the situation by analysing what we had to do and by when really made myself and the group a lot more effective and efficient in our decisions.
Undergraduate second year student
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• How does it all fit?• Map out and plot, what needs to happen when, what
needs to happen in order for that to happen….
• Check deadlines and other people’s critical times.
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• How does it all fit?• Map out and plot, what needs to happen when, what
needs to happen in order for that to happen….
• Check deadlines and other people’s critical times.• Do your partners have key targets / block out times?
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• How does it all fit?• Map out and plot, what needs to happen when, what
needs to happen in order for that to happen….
• Check deadlines and other people’s critical times.• Do your partners have key targets / block out times?
• Build in check points and pre-deadline deadlines.
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• How does it all fit?• Map out and plot, what needs to happen when, what
needs to happen in order for that to happen….
• Check deadlines and other people’s critical times.• Do your partners have key targets / block out times?
• Build in check points and pre-deadline deadlines. • Remember that people may not deliver! (including
you)
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• How does it all fit?• Map out and plot, what needs to happen when, what
needs to happen in order for that to happen….
• Check deadlines and other people’s critical times.• Do your partners have key targets / block out times?
• Build in check points and pre-deadline deadlines. • Remember that people may not deliver!
• Allow time to write and communicate
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• How does it all fit?• Map out and plot, what needs to happen when, what
needs to happen in order for that to happen….
• Check deadlines and other people’s critical times.• Do your partners have key targets / block out times?
• Build in check points and pre-deadline deadlines. • Remember that people may not deliver!
• Allow time to write and communicate• So important, always squeezed, build in at all stages.
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• Find the critical path• Ask – what will fall apart, where are the absolutely
essential bits?
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• Find the critical path• Ask – what will fall apart, where are the absolutely
essential bits?
• Really think about key deadlines• When does this have to be done by?
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• Find the critical path• Ask – what will fall apart, where are the absolutely
essential bits?
• Really think about key deadlines• When does this have to be done by?
• Check if you need to get things to others • If they need to do something with it, they need time.
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• Find the critical path• Ask – what will fall apart, where are the absolutely
essential bits?
• Really think about key deadlines• When does this have to be done by?
• Check if you need to get things to others • If they need to do something with it, they need time.
• Review and check your timeline. • Are things going according to plan?
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• Think about where you want to be.• Network, find the people to talk to, find out what
matters to them. • Remember the key message – ask people what
would help them, and align what you are doing with what other people need.
People - Time - Tasks - Future
• Think about where you want to be.• Network, find the people to talk to, find out what
matters to them. • Remember the key message – ask people what
would help them, and align what you are doing with what other people need.
• Build resilience.• Things will change, and things will go wrong. It’s OK!• Learn design skills, and adapt. • Don’t be afraid to ask for help.• Keep smiling!