Research Project Management Flashcards

What does a RACI matrix define in a research project?

Answer: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed roles for each task

A RACI matrix clarifies team roles by identifying who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for each project activity.

An external funder requests an unplanned interim report three weeks before a major data collection milestone. As project manager, what is your BEST course of action?

Answer: Assess the impact on the project schedule and negotiate scope or timeline adjustments

Unplanned deliverables require an impact assessment followed by negotiation to adjust scope, schedule, or resources rather than absorbing the work silently.

Which quality management concept focuses on preventing defects in research data collection rather than inspecting for errors after the fact?

Answer: Quality assurance (prevention)

Quality assurance focuses on building quality into processes to prevent defects, while quality control detects them after the fact.

A research project manager needs to compress the schedule without changing scope. Which technique involves adding resources to critical path tasks?

Answer: Crashing

Crashing adds resources (people, equipment) to critical path activities to shorten duration, usually at increased cost.

In Earned Value Management, a Schedule Performance Index (SPI) of 0.85 means the project is:

Answer: Running at 85% of the planned schedule efficiency

An SPI below 1.0 means the team is accomplishing only 85 cents of planned work for every dollar's worth of time elapsed.

Which risk identification technique involves structured group brainstorming using anonymous input and successive rounds of voting to build consensus?

Answer: Delphi technique

The Delphi technique uses anonymous expert input across multiple rounds to identify and prioritize risks without groupthink bias.

A research project is delivered on time but stakeholders report they are dissatisfied with the findings format. Which project management process was most likely inadequate?

Answer: Stakeholder requirements and communication planning

Stakeholder dissatisfaction with deliverable format indicates insufficient upfront requirements gathering and communication planning.