Project management (PM) is a critical, yet undervalued component of collaborative team science. PM best practices and tools are provided through organizations like the Project Management Institute (PMI), however, they are not generally well suited for some of the unique qualities of academic research. This misalignment reduces adoption and impact of existing project management guidelines, highlighting the need to tailor PM practices and resources specifically for Team Science.

To address the need for PM resources tailored specifically for the academic research environment, we sought to understand how PM resources can be tailored to address researchers' challenges in managing their collaborative research projects. Our study took a stepwise approach to address this gap in knowledge. First, we examined the literature, along with survey and interview data collected through two NIH-funded projects (Information Management Prototype for Clinical and Translational Research [IMPACT-CTR] and Information Navigation and Support during Postdoc Onboarding [INSPO]) to identify common PM challenges experienced by researchers. Next, we mapped those challenges onto PMI knowledge areas to develop a list of best practices along with tangible tools recommended by the PMI. Lastly, we conducted User Experience (UX) interviews with postdoctoral fellows, early-career researchers, and project managers to assess what features PM resources require to increase acceptability, usability, and feasibility of implementation within science teams.

This presentation will share preliminary insights gained from UX interviews around likes/dislikes, likelihood of adoption, anticipated barriers to use, and desired adaptations to PMI-recommended resources to better fit within the academic research context. The results highlighted here further support the need for lightweight PM templates tailored for researchers that are flexible and an accessible entry point to implementing proven PM strategies within Team Science Teams.