Project Management (for the PhD and beyond): The questions to ask and the least you need to know
Vitae RDF Domain C
Within your research career, you are likely to organise, analyse and present an enormous amount of information. You will also have to manage your time, set goals and review progress – and probably working with others to encourage them to do the same. This set of skills is often placed under the heading of “Project Management” and is highly sought by a wide variety of employers.
By the end of the session participants should be able to:
- Understand the criteria for successful project management and also consider why some projects fail
- Understand, evaluate and implement various tools to help research planning and communication of that plan
- Appreciate the importance of stakeholder and risk analysis
Regardless of whether your PhD is based in a multinational team and collecting data, or you by yourself evolving an idea, this course will be a productive and valuable way to spend a day.
Vitae RDF Domains B, C and D
Time management and motivation are not about working more; it’s about working smarter. This half-day workshop, delivered by Electv, is explicitly designed for researchers who are interested in developing their time management skills and optimising their working hours. With research activities, keeping up with the literature, publishing, tutoring and writing to consider, it can be challenging for researchers to fit everything in. How do you finish everything when you’re under pressure? Why is there never enough time to do what you want to do?
In this workshop, participants will be introduced to techniques to optimise their time and discuss working patterns with others. Participants will evaluate what they currently spend their time on, what they would like to prioritise, how to measure their progress, and how to keep motivated by considering what works best for them. The workshop will include individual exercises, short presentations from the instructor, group discussions and examples of good practice.
Vitae RDF Domains C and D
This workshop, delivered by Electv, is designed for staff and students who are interested in planning events, seminars or conferences. Organising and managing a conference allows researchers to boost their profile, develop new skills and to meet other academics in their field. The skills and knowledge that are generated can be used in a variety of roles and careers outside academia too.
To deliver a high-quality event, organisers must execute a sequence of well-planned actions in advance, leaving plenty of time to solve any problems that arise unexpectedly. There are now several free online tools and event marketing systems, such as Eventbrite, that can be used to help you manage your conference so that you can achieve maximum impact and attract delegates.
The workshop is designed to cover event planning and design, management, finance, venues, online tools, marketing and promotion, attracting sponsorship and post-event actions. The content is taught via short lectures, demonstrations of free online tools and interactive group exercises, in addition to case studies and the instructor’s own experience. Participants are encouraged to share their event ideas throughout. This workshop is popular with students, researchers and professional staff at universities.