Bioinformatics projects often involve multiple stakeholders with different backgrounds, needs, and expectations. Managing these expectations can be challenging, but also crucial for the success of the project. In this article, you will learn some tips and best practices to communicate effectively, set realistic goals, and deliver quality results in bioinformatics projects.
The first step to manage stakeholder expectations is to understand who they are, what they want, and why they are involved in the project. Stakeholders can be internal or external, such as clients, collaborators, funders, users, regulators, or reviewers. You should identify their roles, interests, priorities, and communication preferences. You can use tools such as stakeholder maps, surveys, or interviews to gather this information. By understanding your stakeholders, you can tailor your messages, reports, and deliverables to their needs and expectations.
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I was once working with a top 20 pharma company as a vendor on a digital transformation project. The project involved custom hardware and software deployment. I was the project manager on the software side, and another vendor was handling the hardware. There are many tactics I used to understand the stakeholders from all 3 organizations, but the most useful for all teams was a relatively simple table. The table included: Name, Company, Job Title, Project Role, Contact Info, Engagement. That's it. This table allowed everyone to see at a glance, who was doing what, and how they may be involved. Everyone could understand it without specific training, and this ended up being the most used project management resource.
The next step is to define the scope and objectives of the project clearly and explicitly. This means specifying what the project will and will not do, what the expected outcomes and benefits are, and how the success will be measured and evaluated. You should also establish the timeline, budget, and resources for the project, and identify any risks or assumptions that may affect the project. You should document the scope and objectives in a project charter or proposal, and get the approval and agreement from the key stakeholders.
Scope and objectives differ by stakeholder. This can be really straightforward for some projects, and highly nuanced for others. The RACI matrix can help with both (stands for: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed. ). RACI breaks down project goals and deliverables, and relates them to people involved in the project by their roles. Getting a handle on where each role stands helps to understand the scope more granularly, and assists in breaking the scope down in its component objectives.
One of the most important aspects of managing stakeholder expectations is to communicate regularly and transparently throughout the project. You should update your stakeholders on the progress, achievements, challenges, and changes of the project, and solicit their feedback and input. You should also use the appropriate channels and formats for communication, such as emails, meetings, presentations, dashboards, or newsletters. You should avoid jargon and technical terms, and use simple and clear language to explain the bioinformatics methods, results, and implications. You should also be honest and realistic about the limitations and uncertainties of the project, and address any questions or concerns promptly.
As a project manager, it's important to align on no more than 3 key tools/metrics. I'm a big fan of stakeholder tables, the RACI matrix (see #2), and Kanban boards. For more complex projects, I like to sub the Kanban board for a Gantt chart. The tools become more useful as the team learns how they are used and the value that they add, aiding in communication over time. It also helps to keep the meetings under 1 hour, and ideally 30 minutes. If this is not possible, consider breaking the meetings down into sub-group meetings. The project manager will take the brunt of the meeting burden here, but that's OK because it's their objective to keep track of the work in progress.
Bioinformatics projects are often dynamic and complex, and may require changes or adjustments along the way. You should have a change management process in place to handle any changes in the scope, objectives, timeline, budget, or resources of the project. You should communicate any changes to your stakeholders as soon as possible, and explain the reasons and impacts of the changes. You should also manage the expectations of your stakeholders by setting realistic and achievable goals, and avoiding overpromising or underdelivering. You should also celebrate the milestones and achievements of the project, and acknowledge the contributions and efforts of your stakeholders.
The final step to manage stakeholder expectations is to deliver quality and value in your bioinformatics project. You should ensure that your bioinformatics methods, results, and deliverables are accurate, reliable, reproducible, and relevant to the project objectives and stakeholder needs. You should also follow the best practices and standards for bioinformatics data analysis, documentation, visualization, and reporting. You should also demonstrate the value and impact of your bioinformatics project by highlighting the insights, solutions, or innovations that it provides, and how it addresses the challenges or opportunities of your stakeholders.
It will help to carefully manage initial expectations with all stakeholders. A "working backwards strategy" can be highly effective. Begin by defining project goals and customer needs, ensuring alignment with rigor and feasibility. Foster a culture of empathy and inclusion, encouraging diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving. To ensure the highest quality, it's essential to foster a culture of trust and open communication: help your team value accountability in their interactions, regularly reviewing progress, adaptively fine-tuning methods and objectives. Transparent communication and stakeholder engagement are key to maintain professional integrity and commitment to excellence.