Project-Management for your PhD project

[eliezyer]

Recently, in the career column from Nature, Angel Santiago-Lopez shared six recommendations that may help your PhD project to develop. They include defining a timeline, scopes, metrics of success and etc. This is very compelling since it works for industry.

What are your thoughts on PhD project management? Do all academic projects fit in this type of management? Share with us if you have any advice for early years graduate students.

[DLRobinson]

Thanks for commenting on this article - it was great! I really like the idea of defining the scope and benchmarks of each project, including the dissertation. I also really liked “Prepare to be ‘punched in the mouth’.” As a PI (and former grad student), I agree that all scientists should expect roadblocks and not be discouraged by them - they are par for the course. In fact, learning to troubleshoot and problem solve is a critical component of scientific training and the PhD, and without unexpected obstacles, how will you get that experience?

[sroger]

Thanks for writing about this! These skills are very useful and very translatable. No matter what career path you choose, you’ll employ all of these strategies.

I recently read an article that millenials, regardless of career trajectory, are becoming the “burn-out” generation. According to the piece, part of this phenomenon is the high cost of living with not-so-comparable salaries. Success in a workplace often means going above and beyond the required process, particularly if you have dreams of a promotion or changing your position. Then tasks that do not advance us become less important and exhausting to complete. I know I have felt this. Particularly knowing that I want to transition out of academia. I take on a lot of projects outside of the lab, because if I want to get the job I truly want, the experience they are looking for is beyond the bench.

So, I’d love to hear what people think about this article in the context of this “burn-out” environment. How can we maintain work-life balance in a climate that demands so much more than just a PhD project from us? I think, particularly as a PhD student, you need to apply these concepts to every aspect of your life, even the self-care part. Set aside a defined time for meditation, or piano, or whatever makes you happy.
Thoughts?