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17 REASONS TO APPLY THE PM-CUBE AND ITS METHODS [AND SUCCEED]

Table of content
Some benefits
The PM-Cube and its methods
Video: Project Management for researchers
Training, coaching & book, e-book, free App
CREATES method
Project-Cone

Planning research projects
Risks
A healthy & performing working environment
For senior researchers & supervisors
The 17 reasons to apply the PM-Cube
Life management


SOME OF THE BENEFITS WHEN APPLYING THE PM-CUBE TO YOUR RESEARCH PROJECT:

Discovering the PM-Cube was a lifesaver: now I know what to expect and what
techniques to apply in order to manage people, time and resources.

A senior researcher



In my eyes, project management skills are not only important while working on a
project, but they are even a
prerequisite for a successful research proposal.

A Postdoc



The PM-Cube allowed me to understand some of the obstacles that had previously
hindered the successful completion of the research projects I was managing.

A senior researcher




THE PM-CUBE © AND ITS METHODS

The PM-Cube (Project Management- Cube) is a practical tool developed by Cubisma
Ltd that has allowed thousands of researchers, regardless of their field and
their position, to successfully manage the complexity of their projects and to
deliver high-quality results.

The PM-Cube allows researchers to:
– plan their work while maintaining flexibility
– write convincing proposals
– lead performing teams
– communicate effectively
– find innovative solutions
– control projects
– work in a more relaxed manner

You’ll find below some crucial methods of PM-Cube. But first, let’s define
exactly what a project is and is not.

 

A project is unique!
The definition of a project is that it is unique. It means that for the first
time, something will be performed by someone, or a group of people, in a
specific way. The consequence is that there is a beginning, and also an end.
Funding will be necessary to cover the costs, and several people will be
involved in these activities.

In research, as soon as you are studying a new aspect, using a new technique or
method, these activities will represent a project for you. The development of
any new instrument, technique, method, product, organization, etc is also a
typical project. The work performed during a PhD thesis can be grouped into one
or several projects.

The organization of a conference is also a project since its focus, its
environment as well as the audience are unique. In addition, the organization
team is usually specific for each conference.

In your life, the organization of a big party can also be considered as a
project. However, going shopping, for example, is too simple and performed too
often to be treated as such.

CUBISMA OFFERS THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES:


Training and coaching for researchers: for individuals and groups, online and/or
on-site, e-learning and workshops.





The book Project Management for Success in Research. The PM-Cube: a guide for
Professors, Postdocs, PhD candidates, Master students.

The E-book.

The free App The PM-Cube summarizes its methods.






THE CREATES © METHOD TO UNDERSTAND YOUR CONTEXT

One of the first PM-Cube methods is the system analysis. It allows researchers
to understand the complexity of their project and to clearly describe their
content. This enables them to precisely define their objectives, to avoid
misunderstandings, to detect risks and to quickly manage the unexpected.



In my 3rd year of PhD, I felt as though my project was failing, as if it had not
progressed since I had started. The result of the CREATES method impressed me a
lot, because it showed clearly what fators I can influence and what I do not
have to blame myself for. Setting objectives for myself and structing my project
with the methods of the PM-Cube helped me to stay on track. Now I feel better an
continue my PhD with new motivation and energy.

A PhD candidate



THE PROJECT -CONE © TO DEFINE YOUR RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The definition of the objectives of a project allows researchers to reach a
clear and common understanding of its realization with their sponsor(s)/PI/boss.
This will also enable them to effectively plan their project and keep the team
focused.

The Project-Cone visually represents all the intermediate and final objectives,
as well as their dependencies.



I was about 9 months into my Postdoc in material science and had 9 more months.
I needed to reorganize and make my future work efficient in order to optimize
the time I had left. The PM-Cube and its methods offered me the instruments to
dig into the most challenging aspects of my project, offering new solutions. I
am now obtaining fruitful results. I highly recommend applying the PM-Cube also
at an earlier stage of the academic career ladder.

A Postdoc



PLANS ARE MEANT TO BE CHANGED!

Planning the project activities, the workload of the project members as well as
the budget is always challenging since it is unfortunately impossible to predict
everything. However, researchers can increase the quality of their guesses when
writing a research proposal or during its realization.

The key steps are first to understand the context and have defined the main
objectives. Secondly, it is crucial to structure the project, which will
automatically allow the researchers to obtain the Gantt chart for their entire
project.

During the realization phase of their project, the researchers will
incrementally plan more into detail their next phase which might last weeks to
months. Because they take into consideration the actual situation, their plan
will be realistic, therefore useful!

I was approaching the middle of my postdoctoral project and was still sticking
rigidly to the original plan of the project. Understanding why plans are meant
to be changed, I realized that some of my original plans were not congruent with
the reality of the current state of my project! Changing them increased my
creativity! With this freedom, I realized that I am actually doing more than had
been planned in my project proposal.

A Postdoc



ACT PROACTIVELY BY ANALYZING THE RISKS!

Assessing the feasibility of a project enables the researchers to mitigate the
risks, to better convince potential sponsors, and protect project managers from
overly ambitious expectations.

All projects contain risks. In research as well. These may be related to the
content of the project, its context and its stakeholders. By assessing the
probability of their occurrence and their impact on the course of the project,
it then possible to define and plan relevant mitigating measures.

During the realization of the project, it is essential to review the risks,
their mitigating measures and to constantly check their effectiveness.

After 2 years of my post-doctorate, I had no clear results to publish. Our
research methods developed so far were not successful but my advisor kept asking
me to use them. Without any alternative or clear research question to answer, I
was about to quit my job.
The risk analysis and more specifically the advice on how to deal with risky
projects pushed me to search for a new collaboration. And this led to a
biological discovery: we solved part of the eukaryotic origin mystery!

A Postdoc



A HEALTHY WORKING ENVIRONMENT TO PERFORM

A performing team will deliver high-quality results, and therefore fulfill the
expectations of the sponsors. If the working environment is, in addition,
healthy, the team performance will even increase, and such a situation is a
win-win for everyone:
– the sponsors get what they need
– the project manager (sometimes also called the research coordinator, officer,
etc) can quite easily manage the project
– the team members enjoy working in a nice environment with few conflicts,
getting the support they need.




ALSO FOR SENIOR RESEARCHERS AND SUPERVISORS

The PM-Cube is useful for anyone managing projects. Especially for researchers
who need many competencies.

As demonstrated in the study Transferable skills for life scientists, A report
from a survey on the importance of complementary skills and skills training for
senior and younger scientists in Europe, EMBO 2008 , senior researchers would
have wished to get project management skills earlier in their career.


THE 17 REASONS TO APPLY THE PM-CUBE

Below are the main reasons to apply the PM-Cube when managing research projects:

1. Get funding by writing convincing proposals: by applying the methods of the
WHY, WHAT, HOW and WHO sides of the PM-Cube, you get all the necessary
information to write a convincing research proposal.

2. Get the necessary resources: getting funding is crucial to realize your
project. However, it is also important to get the right infrastructure, the
right people and enough money to cover all your costs.

3. Maintain flexibility in your research project: usually, many months passed
between the submission of your proposal and the start of its realization. As a
consequence, the context might have changed since new results have been
published meanwhile. Therefore, it is essential to remain flexible during the
entire course of your project in order to do meaningful research. The methods of
the PM-Cube deliver you the necessary information.

4. Deliver high-quality results by doing the right thing at the right moment.
The PM-Cube allows you to obtain such information. In addition, your expertise
in your field will enable you to do the things right. The sum of these 3 aspects
enables you to reach a high result quality.

5. Avoid disasters by analyzing your risks and taking mitigation measures.

6. Save time by planning your activities, and the ones of your team members,
meaningfully. This will enable you to have time for other duties, tasks,
projects or activities (private and professional).

 7. Work being relaxed since you know that you took time to understand your
context, to define mitigating measures to potential risks, and your plan is
feasible.

8. Create a performing environment: being aware of the key people skills for a
project manager enables you to create a healthy and nice working environment. As
a consequence, the team will perform better.

9. Manage resistance by first being aware of its origin. Later, develop adequate
measures to minimize any negative influence on your project.

10. Communicate effectively knowing what information should be delivered to
which audience.

11. Satisfy your sponsors by keeping regular contact, knowing their needs,
making sure the right decisions are taken and finally delivering expected
results.

12. Control your project adequately. The methods of the PM-Cube deliver all
necessary information to have the best overview of your project.

13. Minimize conflicts and misunderstandings by understanding the needs and
fears of your stakeholders, by knowing the essence of your project, by
possessing the basics people skills and by communicating effectively.

14. Supervise researchers effectively: by applying the methods of the PM-Cube
with your junior researchers, you will save time, and they will improve their
project management skills.

15. Quickly progress in your project by having the necessary resources, having
correctly structured your project, having a performing team, and an excellent
communication

16. Enjoy working in such a project environment, where all team members
understand their role and are motivated in participating in the success of that
project.

17. Advance in your research career by getting transversal skills that enable
you to successfully manage projects, focus on what matters, lead performing
teams, effectively supervise junior researchers, communicate well, delegate
properly, hire the right people.


LIFE MANAGEMENT

Your life is clearly a project since it has a clear beginning and end. In this
sense, it is the most complex project and it lasts the longest!

Similarly to projects, you can manage your life by considering your working
activities in addition to your private life. We developed the Life Management –
Pyramid for this.

Enjoy all your projects!

Additional information:
6 reasons to apply project management in research
5 tips to improve your training in academia
7 astuces pour facilement réussir son travail de maturité (simplified version of
the PM-Cube)
Cubisma Ltd

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