Project Planning

This service helps structure and manage the operational side of a research project — timelines, milestones, resource allocation, and communication protocols — so that research teams can focus on the science while the coordination and tracking work happens in the background, reliably and without last-minute surprises.

Yes. We build detailed timelines that map dependencies between project phases — data collection, analysis, writing, submission — with realistic buffers, and present them in a clear Gantt chart or similar visual format that's easy for the whole team, including non-technical stakeholders, to follow at a glance.

Yes. Grant applications have hard external deadlines with many internal moving parts — budget justification, letters of support, ethics pre-approval. We build backward-planned timelines from the submission deadline, flagging which internal steps are at highest risk of slipping and need earliest attention.

Yes. We set up a milestone tracking system with clear ownership, due dates, and definitions of 'complete' for each deliverable, and provide regular status updates so project leads always have visibility into what's on track and what needs attention, without having to chase updates manually.

Yes. Multi-institution projects introduce added complexity — different administrative processes, time zones, and approval chains at each site. We help establish shared communication protocols, consistent status reporting formats, and realistic buffers around any milestone that depends on a partner institution's internal approval process.

Yes. Ethics board review timelines vary significantly by institution and study type, and are one of the most commonly underestimated steps in a research timeline. We help you build in a realistic submission and review buffer based on your specific institution's typical turnaround.

Yes. This includes helping map which team members or resources are needed at each project phase, identifying potential bottlenecks where one person or piece of equipment is over-committed across multiple concurrent tasks, and suggesting adjustments before those bottlenecks actually cause delays.

We support budget tracking against your project plan — flagging when spending in a category is trending ahead of or behind the planned timeline — though we recommend working alongside your institution's grants or finance office for formal budget administration and compliance reporting.

Yes. We help identify likely risk points specific to your project — recruitment shortfalls, equipment lead times, key personnel availability — and build contingency plans for each, so the team has an agreed response ready rather than improvising under pressure when an issue actually arises.

Yes. This includes helping structure a data management plan covering storage, backup, access permissions, and eventual sharing or archiving requirements — increasingly a mandatory component of funding applications — aligned with your funder's and institution's specific data management policies.