Module 2

The Project Management for Academics Framework

What is a project?

According to the Association for Project Management (APM), a project is

a unique, transient endeavor, undertaken to achieve planned objectives…a project is determined to be successful if it achieves the objectives according to their acceptance criteria within an agreed timescale and budget.

What stood out most to me in that definition is that a project must have a planned objective and it must be time bound. And yes, there is mention of cost as well. I think that in academia, everything we do has a time or energy cost that we should consider as we plan our projects.

SO WHAT DOES A PROJECT LOOK LIKE IN ACADEMIA?

  • Publishing a paper

  • Completing a successful job search as a search committee member

  • Writing a letter of recommendation

  • Applying for a grant

  • Collecting data

  • Prepping to teach a class

  • Writing a test

  • Advising students

  • Grading an assignment

  • committee projects

  • Writing a paper

And the list goes on…

This is a long list and it doesn’t even include your personal/life responsibilities…or hobbies!

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a system/framework to manage is all?

It’s called project management and I’ve created a project management framework designed specifically for academics.

In the project management for academics framework, you will learn:

  • How to identify what to focus on each day so that you don’t burnout

  • The secret to structuring your days so that you don’t procrastinate

  • The most effective way to optimize your days so that you use your time efficiently

  • The TRUTH about time management that you never learned in school