Research Project Management Flashcards

A research project manager notices that actual costs are running 20% over budget at the halfway point. What metric should be calculated first?

Answer: Cost Variance (CV) and Cost Performance Index (CPI)

Cost Variance and CPI from Earned Value Management directly quantify how much the project is over budget relative to work completed.

Which stakeholder register element is most important for determining how to communicate research findings to external funders?

Answer: Communication requirements and preferred format

Communication requirements and preferred formats guide how to tailor research outputs for each stakeholder group.

In a multi-phase research project, what is the primary function of a phase gate (stage gate) review?

Answer: To formally assess whether criteria are met before proceeding to the next phase

Phase gate reviews are decision points where project leadership evaluates readiness to proceed, modify, or terminate a project phase.

Which conflict resolution approach is MOST appropriate when a research team has a disagreement that requires a quick decision to meet an IRB deadline?

Answer: Forcing (directing)

Forcing is appropriate when a decision must be made quickly and timeliness outweighs the benefit of full consensus.

A research project is described as having high complexity and low clarity of objectives. Which leadership style is MOST effective in this context?

Answer: Coaching — guide team while building consensus on goals

Coaching combines guidance with collaborative goal-setting, which is most effective when objectives are unclear and complexity is high.

When closing a research project, which activity ensures organizational learning is captured for future projects?

Answer: Conducting a lessons-learned session and updating the knowledge base

Lessons-learned sessions identify what worked and what did not, creating reusable knowledge for future research projects.

A researcher wants to track whether field data collection is on schedule across multiple sites. Which tool provides the clearest visual comparison of planned vs. actual progress?

Answer: Gantt chart with baseline tracking

A Gantt chart with a baseline overlay visually displays planned versus actual task completion across time.