Application of project management tools to the experimental stage of a doctoral research project

Abstract

The application of Project Management tools in academic research is not yet widely disseminated, either due to resistance or lack of deepening in relation to the concepts related to this area of knowledge. Academic research, as in a doctorate, is characterized as a unique project, with limited duration and often possessing significant complexity, and can benefit significantly from project management to achieve quality requirements, meeting the scope and deadlines required. Thus, the objective of this work is to apply schedule and risk management in the experimental stage of a doctoral research in the field of Geotechnical Engineering.  Good project management practices from the PMBOK guide were used. From the planning, we moved on to the project execution phase, with concomitant schedule control and risk monitoring. The schedule control was done by monitoring the completed, ongoing, delayed, and future activities. It was necessary to request a change in the baseline during the project due to considerable delays detected. The risk register allowed anticipating responses to risks when they occurred, speeding up decision-making. The use of the tools had a positive impact on the development of the experimental stage of the research, guiding the planning in an organized way of the steps necessary to complete the project, with lessons learned for future research in the laboratory.