Your PhD in Context: Manage Yourself and Improve Effectiveness Through the LogFrame Approach (399)

23 January 2025

Stephan Steiner

While undertaking a PhD is in itself a noble and worthwhile endeavour, it is necessary to put your project in perspective with your career planning as well with your other workload and work-life balance.But how to situate each step of your PhD project within the big picture of your career planning and therefore not lose track of your objectives? The logical framework is a very pertinent approach to get the big picture, define objectives and resources (such as time, energy, materia), and so to put you on the right path.

The Logical Framework Approach (LFA) is a methodology originally used by managers in NGO for designing, monitoring, and evaluating international development projects.

By the conception and implementation of your own LogFrame, this interactive workshop will help you to situate each step of your PhD project within your career planning and therefore not lose track of your goals.The Logical Framework will also be linked to a Gantt Chart / timeline, allowing to efficiently manage your resources, such as time, energy and material.

The clarification obtained by the tool will also allow you to more efficiently communicate the advancement of the PhD project to your supervisor and other stakeholders of the scientific community.
Furthermore, you will gain useful skills for your future career be it within academia, in the field of NGO or in the private sector.

The Log Frame approach will be completed by a range of concrete tools helping to overcome fear of failing, procrastination and improve your daily time management and your work-life balance.

 
Workshop content:

DAY 1

• Introduction to the logical framework approach and its benefits for addressing typical PhD project difficulties
• The LogFrame logic: the vertical logic and the horizontal logic
• How to define inputs, outcomes, objectives and goals
• Monitoring and evaluating project performance
• How to overcome procrastination: The Pomodoro technique

30 Minutes Individual Zoom Coaching

• Presentation of your LogFrame
• Return and tips

1 hour plenary Zoom session

• Exchange of experiences
• Difficulties and mutual advice
• Creation of peer groups

Learning outcomes:

At the end of this workshop participants will be able to:

• Define and implement their individual logical framework
• Define the assumptions on which the project logic builds;
• Identify the potential risks for achieving objectives and outcomes;
• Define indicators for monitoring the advancement of their PhD project
• Avoid procrastination and achieve a better work-life balance
• Better communicate the advancement of their PhD project to their supervisor and the scientific community

University of Geneva and online

Date: Thursday 23rd January 2025 ; the individual sessions and the 1 hour plenary session dates will be defined with the trainer

Schedule: From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the 23rd January ; the individual sessions and the 1 hour plenary session schedule will be defined with the trainer

Place: University of Geneva on the 23rd January ; the individual sessions and the 1 hour plenary session will take place online.

Trainer:

Stephan Steiner, is the founder of the 1951 Association, which he chairs on a voluntary basis. He works as a trainer and consultant in the fields of internal communication, leadership, team management, project management, RBM (Result based Management) and process reengineering for clients such as the ICRC, CUSO (Conférence universitaire de Suisse Occidentale), DCAF and private companies such as KONE and Renaissance Fondation & Management. As part of the Innosuisse IMIRIS (Improved Integration for Refugees in Switzerland) project, he is in charge of prospecting and customer relations, as well as product launch.

Participants are eligible for reimbursement of incurred travel expenses by train between the city of their university and the location of the workshop (half-fare card, 2nd class).

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