Starting Your Project With Success: Project Management for Doctoral Researchers - in person

The Berlin University Alliance (BUA) is an alliance of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin and Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Together, they are pursuing the goal of creating and shaping an integrated research space in Berlin. This alliance aims to establish Berlin as a leading international science location. All workshops and events offered by the Graduate Studies Support Program are funded by the BUA and therefore free of charge.

 

Participation

Doctoral researchers (all disciplines) of the Berlin University Alliance. This workshop is designed to present project management tools to academics and researchers working on a complex research project

Before booking a workshop, please make sure that you can attend for the entire duration. Please check our terms and conditions.

 

Objectives

This workshop is designed to present project management tools to academics and researchers working on a complex research project (and is primarily designed for individual researchers with limited or no staffing resources). We'll explore project planning and how to break down the enormous task of the doctoral project into manageable pieces. In interactive activities with your peers, you’ll discover how using project management strategies can help you achieve your goals while staying motivated and maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Content

The Project Map: Foundations of a Successful Project 

•  What is project management?
• How can project management tools be useful to me (as an individual researcher)?
• What resources are available to me? Who is interested in the outcome of my project? How can I best use my resources – and how and when should I ask for help?

 

Planning Your Project

• How can I break my project into manageable tasks?
• How can I structure those tasks so that I feel like I'm moving forwards?
• What tools can I use to keep track of my project? 

 

Managing a Running Project 

• How can I keep my project on track?
• What is project controlling, and what aspects of project controlling are relevant to me as an individual researcher? 

 

Project Risks: Navigating Project Delays 

• How can I manage delays in advance and avoid unexpected extensions of my project deadline? 
• What risks should I be aware of? 
• What’s a good risk plan? How do I know which risks to create action plans for?
• How can I communicate with stakeholders (such as my supervisor) about my progress? 

 

Effective Time Management: Keeping the Project Running 

•  What strategies can I use to manage my time well and keep myself on track (while maintaining a good work-life balance)? 
• What time management methods work well for me? How can I keep myself from getting lost in the sea of time management tools? 
• Which digital tools might be useful, and how can I make sure that I’m using digital tools in an effective way? 

 

Celebrating Successes: Motivation 

• How can I identify my successes? Why is it important to celebrate my achievements? 
• What do I do when I lose motivation? How can strong project goals keep me on track? 
• What steps can I take to foster motivation? What resources will help me when I get stuck?
• How can I encourage myself to keep going when things get difficult? 

 

Further Information

If there are free spots, we also allow postdocs to participate.

 

For workshops held online, participation is allowed under the following conditions: a working camera that is turned on and a microphone to allow active participation in discussions and group work. Headphones must also be used to protect other participants from office eavesdroppers. In this context, we would also like to refer to the rules for digital courses at Freie Universität Berlin (Code of Conduct).