How I keep track of my research projects

At any given moment, I’m typically juggling five to six ongoing research projects: about two to three based in the Netherlands, and another two to three in Ecuador. Some projects are short-term (1 year), whereas some of my longest projects were six year in length.

Over time, I’ve developed a system that helps me keep track of all the moving parts in these various projects. Here’s how I manage my projects and push everything forward:

• Who’s on the team matters: If the project involves a PhD student or a postdoc, I schedule weekly meetings to check in on progress. These meetings are structured around the research progress and technical contents, the working towards the deliverables, other opportunities, and skill development of the researcher. If I’m working with collaborators or carry out the work myself, I take responsibility for defining those milestones and push the project forward.
• I check the financial dashboard monthly: To make sure budgets are on track and all payments are made correctly, I review the financial dashboard once a month. This helps me align research with expenses and stay within budget.
• I review progress biweekly: Every other week, I go through my tracking spreadsheet which contains the work packages and tasks, and upcoming deliverables for each project. This helps me keep an eye on the overall progress and the deliverables that need my attention.
• I set aside dedicated time: Depending on the phase and teams of the project, I either block time in my calendar to review calculations and draft deliverables from others, or set aside larger slots of time to move the research and writing forward.

One of the most critical strategies I’ve learned over the years is to schedule recurring appointments in my calendar. These are the building blocks of my planning: weekly meetings, biweekly reviews, and monthly budget checks all get a fixed slot. Without these placeholders, it’s easy to let project management tasks slip through the cracks; especially when urgent things pop up (as they always do).

How do you manage your projects in process?