Opis: Project Management Research - Vhance Valencia, Christina Rusnock, Adedeji Badiru

Graduate research is a complicated process, which many undergraduate students aspire to undertake. The complexity of the process can lead to failures for even the most brilliant students. Success at the graduate research level requires not only a high level of intellectual ability but also a high level of project management skills. Unfortunately, many graduate students have trouble planning and implementing their research. Project Management for Research: A Guide for Graduate Students reflects the needs of today's graduate students. All graduate students need mentoring and management guidance that has little to do with their actual classroom performance. Graduate students do a better job with their research programs if a self-paced guide is available to them. This book provides such a guide. It covers topics ranging from how to select an appropriate research problem to how to schedule and execute research tasks. The authors take a project management approach to planning and implementing graduate research in any discipline. They use a conversational tone to address the individual graduate student. This book helps graduate students and advisors answer most of the basic questions of conducting and presenting graduate research, thereby alleviating frustration on the part of both student and advisor. It presents specific guidelines and examples throughout the text along with more detailed examples in reader-friendly appendices at the end. By being more organized and prepared to handle basic research management functions, graduate students, along with their advisors, will have more time for actual intellectual mentoring and knowledge transfer, resulting in a more rewarding research experience. "I have seen nothing like this book. The authors cover lessons that I wish I had known prior to embarking on my own doctoral studies many years ago. Their advice covers questions pertaining to research techniques but also so much more: How students can use project management principles to plan a research project, how they can select the right graduate program, or even how they can determine whether to pursue a graduate education at all." -Dr. Bud Baker, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio "This is easily the most engaging book on project management from a research student perspective and should be mandatory reading for anybody in graduate school. One of the biggest challenges for graduate students is reaching milestones and completing their research. This book is the map that tells students exactly how to reach their goals. Very practical with many tangible tips!" -John J. Elshaw, PhD, Air Force Institute of Technology, OhioAN INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR RESEARCH Defining project management for research Introduction Types of research PM defined PM knowledge areas applied to research Applicability of PM to graduate research management Project closeout and lessons learned Conclusion References Personal aspects of graduate education What is graduate education? Grad school is just undergrad version 2.0, right? So, the thesis/dissertation is just a big paper, right? Is graduate education the right fit for you? Career goals Current job market Level of experience What should I look for in a graduate program? Create variety in your education Industry path Academic path Which school/program do I choose? PREPLANNING AND EXPLORATION: WHAT DO YOU PLAN TO DO? Choosing your research topic How do I find a research topic? How do I identify a research gap? Additional considerations when selecting a research topic Defining your research question: What is the right scope? How can I make the most of my coursework? Choosing your advisor and committee How do I select a research advisor? How do I select the committee members? Research question What is a research question? Operationalizing variables What are investigative questions? What are pseudo-investigative questions? Using investigative questions and pseudo-investigative questions to create a research plan PLANNING: MAKING A SCHEDULE AND GETTING ORGANIZED! Scheduling Why schedule? But, before you begin Two types of scheduling: Forward or backward? Consider scale Milestone schedules and the work breakdown structure Milestone scheduling Work breakdown structure Graphically charting your schedule Gantt chart The critical path Network diagramming Organization Organize what and organize how? The research itself Literature search articles Citations: Organizing information about information Organizing your spaces: Virtual space and physical space Physical space Virtual space PROJECT EXECUTION AND CONTROL Time management How is time management different for a graduate student? If everything is important, then nothing is important Keep your focus on Quadrant II: Important, but not urgent tasks A strategy for your time management Evaluate your current time management Develop a comprehensive calendar/personal organizational system Make time to manage your time: The 30/10 rule Identify and eliminate your major time wasters Need to spend time at meetings? First things first Odds and ends to contribute to your time management strategy Reference On the personal aspects of research Student typology An orientation toward classwork: The classwork types An orientation toward research: The research types Classwork types versus research types: Leveraging strengths and avoiding pitfalls Leveraging strengths The pitfalls and how to avoid them Personal skills and qualities Dealing with the stress of research Dealing with failure Managing your research advisor Effective student-advisor consultation Resolving conflicts My advisor's instructions are too vague. How do I deal with this? How do I manage my advisor's expectations of me? What should I expect from my advisor? How do I communicate my expectations? My advisor is really busy. What do I do if my advisor doesn't have enough time for me? What do I do if I am not getting timely feedbacks? What do I do if the feedback I am getting is not sufficient? Is my research topic growing? How do I fend off new requirements? What do I do if my advisor keeps changing my topic? How do I tell my advisor that I can't finish my work on the current schedule? What do I do if my advisor is causing delays in my schedule? How do I ask for resources? How do I manage conflicts between committee members and/or my advisor? When do I need to find a new advisor? Conclusion PROJECT PHASE-OUT: WHEN IS RESEARCH COMPLETE? Communicating your work Ordinary report versus technical paper Guidelines for technical reports Suggested report format Stages of the report Progress report Use of figures and tables Use of appendices Use of computer materials Miscellaneous report attributes Writing diagnostics Guidelines for technical review Selling your research (figuratively) Participative approach Effective use of time Major components of technical communication Presentation style Presentation management Management of group presentations Communication through publishing Managing poster presentations Importance of publishing your work Conclusion Reference Appendices 50 ways to improve your research project How to get topic approval Research proposal evaluation checklist Benefits of industry-sponsored research Sample three-semester master's thesis schedule Sample work breakdown structure Sample thesis outline Tips for literature review Research methodologies and strategies Sample methodology phasing Sample methodology section of research proposal presentation Guidelines for creating an academic poster Project-relevant quotes Conversion factors and expressions Glossary of project management terms

Szczegóły: Project Management Research - Vhance Valencia, Christina Rusnock, Adedeji Badiru

Tytuł: Project Management Research
Autor: Vhance Valencia, Christina Rusnock, Adedeji Badiru
Wydawnictwo: Apple
ISBN: 9781482299113
Rok wydania: 2016
Ilość stron: 233
Oprawa: Twarda
Waga: 0.48 kg

Recenzje: Project Management Research - Vhance Valencia, Christina Rusnock, Adedeji Badiru