Project Management Docs - sparklabnyc/resources GitHub Wiki

This template provides useful questions for setting aims and tracking progress on research projects.

1. Project Description

• Research Question and Objectives:
  • What are you trying to answer?
  • What do you envision as the final product/output of this project?
• Motivation:
  • Why is this project important to you? To the scientific community at large?
• Data Collection:
  • What types of data will you use?
  • What sources/repositories and collection methods will you use?
  • Are there any access issues/approvals you need to address?
• Sources:
  • Running list of data sources, key articles, etc.
  • Zotero collections and lit review trackers (in Excel, Notion, etc) can be very useful!

2. Benchmarks and Timeline

• Benchmarks:
  • What is the larger final product/outcome?
  • What intermediate steps are required to produce your desired product?
  • What are measurable milestones for those steps?
• Timeline:
  • What is the scale of this project/what unit of time is most useful for tracking progress?
    Starting from the due date/projected ending, schedule key tasks working backwards towards your start date. See this guide on backwards planning from Oregon State University for more guidance. Consider marking time out of office/major events like exams, conferences, and vacations, etc.