Project Management - a Toolbox for Scientists (317)

3rd and 17th June 2019

Dr Sina Henrichs

Projects are all around us. Specifically, in science the planning and management of projects is highly complex and requires a set of tools and techniques to perform successfully. Project management includes excellent techniques to allocate, use, and monitor resources to achieve a goalin a desired time frame. In a scientific setting, goals may include the set-up of experiments, the allocation of grants, publishing a paper, or even achieving tenure.
In order to develop a common language, this comprehensive workshop imparts a toolbox of project management skills for doctoral candidates from various disciplines. It provides basic project management concepts and principles based on international standards (PMI). During the workshop scientists will go through the full project life cycle to develop highly valued transferable competencies to enhance their professional portfolio.

Workshop content:

On the first day of the workshop, participants will define and prepare what is necessary to outline a project and develop an individual plan.

On the second workshop day, participants will reflect and review their project plans together and receive personal feedback on their ideas. Further, participants learn about risk and cost management and the final execution of the project. A break-out session on time management skills will be included.

Learning Outcomes:

Participants who complete this comprehensive workshop will learn how to initiate, plan, and execute a project that meets objectives on time and within the budget. In particular, they will learn how to:

• Define and Prepare a project (Day 1): Understand what's a project and what is not ; Learn what's a project management in academia vs industry ; Get an introduction into the project life-cycle ;
• Develop plans (Day 1): Make a work breakdown structure (WBS) ; Define dependencies and relations (network diagrams) ; Schedule and estimate project plan durations ; do cos estimations ;
• Consider agile and iterative approaches (Day 2): Introduction to Agile Project Management ;
• Identify risks (Day 2): Consider changes, project crashing and common mistakes ; Develop a risk management plan ;
• Execute projects (Day 2): Make an Earned Value Analysis ; Monitoring of progress (cost baseline) ; Communicate the project.

Day 2 will also include a break-out session on Time Management, at the end of which participants will be able to :

• Identify essentials and set priorities ;
• Make a weekly, daily plan ;
• Deal with procrastination

Please note that participants will not learn PM software in detail. this workshop will give an overview on available PM software tools, only.

Pedagogical methods:

During the training participants will get theoretical introdution into the topic by the trainer, do many group discussions and structured group work as well as defined homework in between the training days. Participants are encouraged to create their own support group(s) after the workshop in order to share their experiences.

Preparatory work:

Ahead of the workshop particpants are asked to return a short feedback about their expectation for the workshop and to submit their individual project (if available). These information will provide the base of the workshop set-up, the selection of topics and exercises. The submission is requiered two weeks before the first day of the workshop by participants.

Tranfer work:

Participants will prepare for the second day by working on their individual project life cycle. In advance of the second day`s activities they will send their material to the trainer in order to receive detailed and individual feedback on their approach.

University of Neuchâtel

Date : Mondays, the 3rd and the 27th June 2019

Place: University of Neuchâtel

Schedule: 9:15 am to 5:15 pm

The trainer:

Sina Henrichs has broad professional experience in implementation and development of project outlines in the academic environment. She holds a doctorate in Molecular Biology from the University of Zurich as well as an MBA in Academic Management form the University of Basel.

Sina Henrichs combines her extensive research experience in the life sciences and in-depth understanding of process development and project management to provide interactive and professional training experiences. She implemented the Graduate Center GRACE, the professional platform for doctoral candidates and postdocs at the University of Basel and is founder of Manage Science (www.managescience.ch).
Sina is working as Project Manager Education at the AO Foundation in Davos.

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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