Project Management: a help or hindrance a collaborative research
This small scale mixed method study explored perceptions of how different project management approaches and tools are used by those working in industry and within academia, and how this may impact on collaborative research projects given their distinct and unique nature. The study also aimed to generate suggestions for how collaboration between industry and academia could be strengthened in the future. Underpinned by a phenomenological perspective, a survey and interviews were conducted with a sample of Jordanian professionals from different industry and academic organisations who had previous experience of working on collaborative research projects. The study identified, consistent with other studies, that the stages of research and project management are aligned, whilst the unique nature of research projects and their greater propensity to change during the project lifespan was emphasised. The findings also indicated that formal project management approaches were much more embedded within industry than within the case example universities. It appeared that more traditional tools associated with project initiation and closure were used in the universities, whereas in industry a much wider range of tools and techniques spanning all of the different stages of a project were used. In addition, respondents from the industry organisations were generally more positive about their experiences of collaborative working on research projects than those from the universities, but there was a consensus about the partial compatibility of the project management tools and approaches used by the two. Suggestions for improving collaboration on such projects in the future included: making better use of technology to overcome communication barriers associated with collaborative working; agreeing to the use of common project management methodologies and language between all partners; acknowledging the unique nature of research projects and building in greater flexibility into project plans; and delivering joint project management and research training. Abstract