August 2024 SOCRA Source Journal - Journal - Page 67
Communication Tools:
• Communication Matrix: The
communication matrix includes
the type of communication,
goals of the communication,
who should be included, how
it should be communicated
and the frequency of the
communication. This is
primarily for setting up
a schedule of regular
communication but should
include reports, meeting
minutes, and other anticipated
communication tasks. (Table 3)
• RACI Chart: Another tool that
can assist with communication
and project management
is a RACI Chart. A RACI
chart represents the roles
and levels of involvement
of a stakeholder against
the corresponding task or
milestone. RACI stands for:
o Responsible: The person
who is doing the actual
work for the project task.
o Accountable: The person
who ensures the success of
the task and is the decisionmaker. Typically, this is the
project manager.
o Consulted: The people
who are asked for details
and additional information.
Typically, these are subject
matter experts.
o Informed: The people who
need to be updated on
milestones. Typically, this
is senior leadership and
the sponsor.
In recruiting, an example of a
RACI chart item could be that
usually the clinical investigator is
consulted, the project manager is
accountable, and the recruiter is
responsible. The business of昀椀ce
might be informed because they
are responsible for payments.
When using a RACI chart to
assign tasks and activities to
people or resources to tasks
and activities, the project
manager must know the tasks
and activities and the resources
needed to complete the task
or activity. Also, the project
manager must know who is
responsible for each task and
activity and how responsibility
will be communicated. The
RACI chart provides a guide to
those involved in the project to
understand who is doing what
and the role they play during the
project period.
Stakeholder Register
A communication plan should
also keep stakeholders updated
throughout the project. In
order to do this effectively, a
Stakeholder Register should
be developed. A stakeholder
register is a tool that de昀椀nes who
is affected by a project and their
effect and impact on the project.
Stakeholder identi昀椀cation is a
process of determining who
the project’s stakeholders are
and their potential effects
on the project. Stakeholder
management is the process
of monitoring and improving
relationships with stakeholders.
A stakeholder register includes
(see Table 4 on page 63):
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Name
Department
Title
Role on project
Expectations
In昀氀uence (low/high)
Impact (low/high)
Category.
The Stakeholder Register
should include the frequency of
communication with each type
of stakeholder and who owns the
communication task. Delivery of
the communication and notes
or attachments should also be
included. This registry could be
created in an Excel worksheet.
Key Takeaways about
Project Planning
Planning is really important
when launching and managing
a research project. The project
manager must put the necessary
time and effort into planning the
research project and ensure that
the research team understands
the importance of the plan.
While the project manager
should work with the team to
ensure that the plan meets
their expectations, the project
manager is responsible for much
of the plan and must understand
the requirements and current
status of the project and the
plan for moving forward. To
facilitate understanding, the
project manager should ask
questions of leadership when
making the key decisions that
are necessary to stay on task.
All planning documents are
昀氀uid and should be adjusted
as necessary based on what is
happening with the project.
The project manager should
always be thinking one step
ahead of the team in order to
anticipate and plan for what is to
come. While it is not possible to
plan for every occurrence, if the
project manager has a good
plan in place, it is easier to
address problems. Without a
plan, too much effort is usually
spent on dealing with problems.
A good plan helps ensure that
the project runs smoothly,
despite the inevitable problems
that might occur.
SOCRA SOURCE © May 2024
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