research in software project management

Project Management for Research

The tools you need to make your research project a success.

This toolkit includes a variety of tools for managing your research projects including recommendations for general project management software and tools to help you and your team manage activities from grant writing to implementation and project closeout.

Explore the toolkit below:

Grant Writing + Project Development

A Gantt Chart is a popular project management tool; it is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project’s schedule. The chart allows for organizing and viewing project activities and tasks against pre-established timeframes.

Gantt Chart Template Gantt Chart Instructions Gantt Chart Example

Graphic display of the flow or sequence of events that a product or service follows; it shows all activities, decision points, rework loops and handoffs.

Process maps allow the team to visualize the process and come to agreement on the steps of a process as well as examine which activities are duplicated. Process maps are used to:

• Capture current and new process information
• Identify the flow of a process
• Identify responsibility of different business functions
• Clearly show hand-off between functions
• Identify value added and non-value added activities
• Train team members in new process

Process Map Template Process Mapping Guide Process Map Example 1 Process Map Example 2

The Data Management Plan (DMP) defines the responsibilities related to the entry, ownership, sharing, validation, editing and storage of primary research data.

A data management plan must not only reflect the requirements of the protocol/project but also comply with applicable institutional, state and federal guidelines and regulations. The DMP Tool details your agencies expectations, has suggested language for REDCap and exports a properly formatted plan.

DMP Tool NIH Data Management & Sharing (DMS) Policy

The Project Charter's purpose is to define at a high level what the Project Team will deliver, what resources are needed and why it is justified.

The Project Charter also represents a commitment to dedicate the necessary time and resources to the project. It can be especially useful when organizing a multi-disciplinary, internally funded team. The document should be brief (up to three pages maximum).   

Project Charter Template Project Charter Instructions Project Charter Example

Milestones are an effective way to track major progress in your research project.

A Gantt Chart is an effective tool for setting and tracking milestones and deliverables. It is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project’s schedule.  

The proposal budget should be derived directly from the project description.

The proposal budget should follow the format specified by the sponsor. The Office of Sponsored Programs Budget Preparation webpages provide descriptions of the standard budget categories, lists of typical components of those categories, Ohio State rates where appropriate and other details to help ensure your budget is complete. Budget Preparation Resources from Office of Research The 398 grant form from the NIH is a template that includes standard categories required for an NIH grant (and many others) that you can use to develop a preliminary budget.

PHS 398 Forms PHS 398 Budget form for Initial Project Period Template PHS 398 Budget Form for Entire Proposal Project Template

The Risk Assessment and Mitigation Plan first assists the research team in anticipating risk that may occur during the research project before it happens.

The plan then specifies when to act to mitigate risk by defining thresholds and establishing action plans to follow. As a fundamental ethical requirement research risks are to be minimized to the greatest extent possible for all research endeavors. This includes not only prompt identification measures but also response, reporting and resolution. Risk Assessment and Mitigation Plan Template Risk Assessment and Mitigation Plan Example

The Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) organizes the research project work into manageable components.

It is represented in a hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the research project team. It visually defines the scope into manageable chunks that the team can understand.  WBS Instructions and Template WBS Structure Example

Implementation

A Gantt Chart is a popular project management tool; it is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project’s schedule.

The chart allows for organizing and viewing project activities and tasks against pre-established timeframes. A Gantt Chart can also be used for tracking milestones and major progresses within your research project.

The purpose is to define at a high level what the Project Team will deliver, what resources are needed and why it is justified.   

It is represented in a hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by the research project team. It visually defines the scope into manageable chunks that the team can understand.  WBS Instructions + Template WBS Structure Example

A communications plan facilitates effective and efficient dissemination of information to the research team members and major stakeholders in the research project.

It describes how the communications will occur; the content, security, and privacy of those communications; along with the method of dissemination and frequency.

Communications Plan Template Communications Plan Example

The Data Management Plan (DMP) defines the responsibilities related to the entry, ownership, sharing, validation, editing, and storage of primary research data.

A data management plan must not only reflect the requirements of the protocol/project but also comply with applicable institutional, state, and federal guidelines and regulations. The DMP Tool details your agencies expectations, has suggested language for REDCap, and exports a properly formatted plan.

DMP Tool DMP Tool Instructions Ohio State Research Guide: Data

The chart allows for organizing and viewing project activities and tasks against pre-established timeframes. Gantt Chart Template Gantt Chart Instructions Gantt Chart Example

This tool helps you capture details of issues that arise so that the project team can quickly see the status and who is responsible for resolving it.

Further, the Issue Management Tool guides you through a management process that gives you a robust way to evaluate issues, assess their impact, and decide on a plan for resolution.

Issue Management Tool Template Issue Management Tool Instructions Issue Management Example

A Pareto Chart is a graphical tool that helps break down a problem into its parts so that managers can identify the most frequent, and thus most important, problems.

It depicts in descending order (from left to right) the frequency of events being studied. It is based on the Pareto Principle or “80/20 Rule”, which says that roughly 80% of problems are caused by 20% of contributors. With the Pareto Principle Project Managers solve problems by identifying and focusing on the “vital few” problems. Managers should avoid focusing on “people” problems. Problems are usually the result of processes, not people.

Pareto Chart Template Pareto Chart Instructions Pareto Chart Example

Closeout, Transfer + Application

Completing a project means more than finishing the research. 

There remain financial, personnel, reporting, and other responsibilities. These tasks typically need to be completed within a timeline that begins 60 to 90 days before the project end date and 90 days after. Specifics will vary depending on the project and the funding source. The Office of Sponsored Programs “Project Closeout” webpage provides a description closeout issues, a list of PI Responsibilities and other details to help ensure your project is in fact complete.  Project Closeout Checklist Project Closeout Resources from Office of Research

A communications plan facilitates effective and efficient dissemination of information to the research team members and major stakeholders in the research project. 

It describes how the communications will occur; the content, security and privacy of those communications; along with the method of dissemination and frequency.

Project Management Software

An open-source project management software similar to Microsoft Project.

OpenProject  has tools to create dashboards, Gantt Charts, budgets, and status reports. Activities can be assigned to team members and progress monitored. OpenProject also has a tool for Agile Project Management. While the software is free, OpenProject must be installed and maintained on a local server and there will probably be costs associated with this. Talk to your departmental or college IT staff.

A secure, web-based project management system.

Basecamp  offers an intuitive suite of tools at a minimal cost: ~$20/month or free for teachers. Basecamp facilitates collaboration between research team members with features such as to-do lists, messaging, file sharing, assignment of tasks, milestones, due dates and time tracking.  

A project management tool that organizes tasks, activities, responsibilities and people on projects.

Trello can help manage research projects by keeping everyone on time and on task. It uses a distinctive interface based on cards and lists and may be especially useful for smaller projects.

If you have a disability and experience difficulty accessing this content, please submit an email to [email protected] for assistance.

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• Case Studies

Research Project Management Software: A Case Study

• Post author: Maryliya M J
• Post published: January 29, 2024
• Reading time: 12 mins read

Research Project Management Software: A Case Study 

Table of contents.

Research projects often involve complex tasks, multiple collaborators, and strict deadlines. Effective project management is crucial to ensure smooth workflow, timely completion, and successful outcomes. In recent years, the use of research project management software has gained significant popularity due to its ability to streamline processes, enhance collaboration, and provide valuable insights.

Introduction to Research Project Management Software

Understanding the role of research project management software.

Research projects can be complex beasts with numerous tasks, deadlines, and team members to coordinate. This is where research project management software comes to the rescue. It’s like a superhero cape for your project, helping you stay organized and focused. Research project management software is designed to streamline and simplify the various aspects of managing a research project. It provides a centralized platform for tracking and coordinating tasks, timelines, resources, and team members. With this software, you can bid farewell to the chaos of spreadsheets and endless email threads and say hello to efficiency and collaboration.

The growing need for efficient project management in research

In today’s fast-paced research environment, the need for efficient project management is more pressing than ever. Research projects often involve multiple stakeholders, funding sources, and intricate workflows. Without proper management, projects can easily spiral out of control, delays can occur, and budgets can go haywire.

To avoid these pitfalls, researchers are turning to project management software. With its ability to streamline processes and keep everyone on the same page, it’s become an indispensable tool in the world of research. Plus, let’s face it, anything that helps us navigate the labyrinth of academia with a bit more grace and ease is a godsend. Now that we understand the importance of research project management software, let’s dive into a real-life case study to see it in action.

About the Client

Our client, a distinguished research institution, encountered challenges in coordinating research projects, managing data, and facilitating collaboration among research teams. Recognizing the need for an advanced solution, they sought a Research Project Management Software ( RPMS ) based on .NET. The primary goal was to develop a comprehensive RPMS that includes features for project planning, data management, and collaboration tools to optimize research workflows and improve project outcomes. 

Project Overview

The project aimed to develop a robust .NET-based Research Project Management Software to address the client’s challenges. The primary objectives included providing tools for project planning, data management, and collaboration to streamline research processes and enhance project outcomes. 

The Challenges

• Project Coordination: Inefficiencies in coordinating multiple research projects simultaneously. 
• Data Management Complexity: Difficulty in managing and organizing vast amounts of research data. 
• Collaboration Barriers: Challenges in facilitating seamless collaboration among research teams. 

The Solution

Our team of experienced developers and project managers collaborated to design and implement a comprehensive .NET-based Research Project Management Software. The solution included features for project planning, data management, and collaboration tools to streamline research processes and enhance project outcomes. 

Are you struggling to keep up with your software development needs? Are you looking for a team of dedicated developers who can work on your project full-time and deliver high-quality results? So why wait? Contact us today to learn more about our services and to start the process of hiring your own dedicated development team. Let us help you take your project to the next level! Contact Now!

Key features of the rpms.

• Project Planning Tools: Intuitive tools for efficient planning and coordination of research projects. 
• Data Management System: Centralized system for organizing, storing, and managing research data. 
• Collaboration Platform: Seamless collaboration tools for effective communication among research teams. 
• Real-time Progress Tracking: Monitoring tools for tracking the progress of ongoing research projects. 

Technologies Utilized

Development Stack: .NET, ASP.NET MVC 

Database: SQL Server 

Integration: Web API, REST APIs 

Collaboration Tools: In-app messaging, document sharing, and real-time collaboration features. 

The Outcome

The Research Project Management Software was successfully deployed, resulting in significant improvements in research workflows. The project planning tools, data management system, collaboration platform, and real-time progress tracking contributed to more efficient research processes and improved project outcomes. 

Our team’s expertise in developing a tailored Research Project Management Software using .NET technologies effectively addressed the client’s challenges. The implementation of project planning features, a robust data management system, collaboration tools, and real-time progress tracking contributed to a successful transformation of the research institution’s project management practices. 

In conclusion, research project management software has emerged as a valuable tool in the field of research. Through this case study, we have explored its importance, benefits, and implementation process. We have witnessed a real-life success story showcasing the positive impact of utilizing such software. While challenges may arise during implementation, adopting best practices and staying up-to-date with future trends can help researchers and project managers make the most of this technology. By embracing research project management software, organizations can enhance collaboration, streamline processes, and ultimately achieve greater success in their research endeavors.

Is your research institution seeking to optimize project workflows and enhance collaboration? Contact us today to explore how our expertise in RPMS development can streamline your research processes and elevate project outcomes. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. what is research project management software.

Research project management software is a specialized tool designed to help researchers and project managers streamline and organize various aspects of research projects. It provides features such as task management, collaboration tools, data organization, and reporting capabilities to facilitate efficient project planning, execution, and monitoring.

2. How can rPMS benefit my organization?

Research project management software offers several benefits, including improved project planning and organization, enhanced collaboration among team members, efficient task management, centralized data storage, real-time progress tracking, and reporting functionalities. These benefits ultimately lead to increased productivity, better project outcomes, and effective resource utilization.

3. What challenges can arise during the implementation of research project management software?

Implementing research project management software can present challenges such as resistance to change from team members, integration with existing systems, data migration, training requirements, and ensuring user adoption. However, by addressing these challenges proactively and adopting best practices, organizations can overcome obstacles and successfully implement the software.

4. What are some future trends in research project management software?

Future trends in research project management software include the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities for automated data analysis and decision-making, enhanced data visualization tools, cloud-based solutions for remote collaboration, and increased customization options to cater to the unique needs of different research projects. These trends aim to further improve the efficiency and effectiveness of research project management processes.

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• Project management |
• Project management software and tools: ...

Project management software and tools: Your best picks for 2023

Project management software connects teams, enabling everyone in the organization to prioritize the work that matters most. Software that fosters this type of high-level collaboration is essential for most companies. But at a glance, many of the tools organizations use have seemingly similar features. Use our guide to narrow down your choices and understand which tools are best for different types of companies.

If you manage work, you’re a project manager. But that wasn’t always the case. For many years, the only people responsible for managing projects were (unsurprisingly) project managers. These highly specialized roles used legacy tools that required extensive training and knowledge to use. 

Now, almost everyone is expected to manage their own projects, and these outdated tools are no longer practical. And while project manager roles and legacy softwares still exist, modern project management software has adapted to fill the needs of a more dynamic, collaborative workforce.

Whether you’re a brand new business owner who just needs help with invoicing or you're operating a multi-national company, there’s a project management software that’s right for you. Read on to see which project management software fits your company's needs.

What is project management software?

Project management software is a tool that helps teams to organize, track, and execute work. In its simplest form, you can think of project management software as an interactive workspace, where you coordinate the way you work, collaborate, and communicate with others. But the best project management software goes far beyond that—connecting your most advanced workflows across the company and helping you achieve your biggest, boldest goals. 

It’s a broad category, and can be as simple as digital checklists or as advanced as a full work management platform. The type of project management software you choose—and the way you use it—will depend on the size, needs, and overarching goals of your organization.

Why use project management software?

These days, everyone manages projects, but they don’t always have the tools they need to manage projects effectively. This often leads to teams using a spreadsheet, which is great for organizing work but doesn't show real-time updates. Spreadsheets are extremely manual, and can actually impede cross-functional collaboration. In short, they lack the capabilities of project management software. 

That’s why project management software is so crucial to today’s working environment. Among its many benefits, project management software serves as the connector for work, teams, stakeholders, goals, and everything in between.

The benefits of project management software

Focus your work. You’ll get more done—but more importantly, you’ll get the right work done. With project management software, you’re less likely to duplicate work or waste time searching for materials.

Reduce busywork. With project management software, you can connect every single task to goals that support the company’s biggest, broadest vision—so everyone knows how they’re driving the success of the company with every project. When employees understand how their day-to-day tasks impact the company, they’re even more motivated to produce their best possible work.

Create a system of record. Project management software serves as a system of record for all your projects and their related tasks. As a result, you can simultaneously store information while also making it easier for stakeholders and teams to access and use that information.

Increase cross-functional collaboration . Project management software is, at its core, a team collaboration tool. By bringing together work, goals, and people across projects, teams, and departments, project management software helps you build an interconnected, thriving cross-functional organization.

Store work safely. Ever delete a cell by accident in your spreadsheet? Or forget where you saved your latest to-do list ? Keeping everything cloud-based both helps you stay organized and reduces the chance of you losing work—all while maintaining your privacy. 

The 11 best project management software & tools in 2023 

There’s a wide range of project management software available in today’s market—choosing just one can feel overwhelming. That’s why we compiled this list of the best products in the industry today, and the types of businesses they’re most likely to help. See how each one compares, and the different ways project management software can streamline and enhance your work.

1. Asana: Best for enterprise companies

Asana goes beyond traditional project management software to provide a full work management solution that supports the dynamic, changing needs of enterprise companies. Asana doesn't just help you manage your tasks (although you can do that too)—it connects all the work your company is doing to your highest-level goals and business strategy. With Asana, you get so much more than project management software, including:

Integrations to all your favorite tools and systems, so you can keep your work organized in one platform.

Goals that connect to everyone and every task across your company, so you can ensure the work that gets done is always the most important.

Automations for tasks, scheduling, assigning work, and much more—all designed to reduce the amount of time you spend on low-priority busywork.

Ready-made project templates so you can get to work on your most important tasks right away.

Reporting dashboards that automatically update stakeholders and eliminate status update meetings.

Security, privacy, and compliance features that keep your data safe.

Discover even more of what Asana can do.

2. Trello: Best for simple project management

Trello is a Kanban-board style project management software , owned by Atlassian. In Trello, you nest project tasks under boards labeled with an overarching theme. For example, you might have a board for “Not started,” “In Progress,” and “Complete.” The setup makes it easy to track project progress from board to board, which is helpful when you need a simple tool for small projects.

3. Smartsheet: Best for spreadsheet lovers

Think of Smartsheet as an advanced version of a spreadsheet, with more capabilities. This system can be intuitive for companies who traditionally used spreadsheets for project management, such as time tracking with timesheets. 

4. Jira: Best for Agile-specific project management

Designed specifically for software development, Jira comes ready to launch for teams that use the Agile methodology to do their work. Owned by parent company Atlassian, Jira is often used for common development projects like bug tracking, as well as projects that use the Scrum process .

5. Monday: Best for small businesses

Monday offers a broad spectrum of apps that make it easy to implement and get started right away. This works for small businesses who are new to project management software, though once you rev up your work, company size, or collaboration across teams, you might hit a threshold for what’s possible.

6. Clickup: Best for small teams or startups

Clickup’s intuitive and colorful interface makes it easy to understand and adopt. Clickup is a popular choice for startups with limited resources and smaller teams that may not need as many capabilities. 

7. Notion: Best for notetakers

Notion is an elevated system to create and store dynamic documents, sheets, and note taking. This works best for companies or individuals who just need a more organized space for thoughts and ideas, though Notion can feel limited in how you can work with others in the tool itself.

8. Airtable: Best for those who want to build it themselves

Airtable provides a flexible no- and low-code database you can use to build your own bespoke project management system (or other custom application). For those who prefer to oversee the backend development of their project management software, Airtable offers that option.

9. Wrike: Best for client management

Wrike offers stackable storage and security in an easy-to-use format, so both clients and internal teams can safely access information. This can be helpful when you’re working with external partners, such as clients, in addition to managing work as a company.

10. Workfront: Best for marketing-only teams

Workfront (owned by Adobe) is a project management software that was initially developed for marketers. They’ve built out their platform to be a tool for all teams, but because it’s so targeted, users may struggle to coordinate with other teams outside of the marketing department. 

11. Microsoft: Best for personal tools

Microsoft Office is often labeled as a project management tool, but that’s mostly because their products are a staple at any company. Because we already know and understand how to use them, Microsoft Office products are often the first tool managers turn to when they start experimenting with project management. But the reality is, Excel spreadsheets and docs weren’t built for collaboration, so you’re better off using them in conjunction with full-fledged project management software. 

Features to look for in your project management tool

Ready to buy? Each project management system will have different features and functionality, but we recommend you prioritize a platform with these features at a minimum:

Collaboration features that enable work between team members, departments, and across the company—including file sharing, project tracking, and resource management.

A platform that provides portfolio management capabilities and the ability to connect goals to actionable tasks, so the entire company can see how all work is connected.

A mobile app so you can send off approvals, receive timely notifications, and manage projects on the go.

Project and reporting dashboards that are easy to access and view.

Varying project view styles that support all your project types and operations, including Gantt charts , Kanban boards, Lists, and Calendars (so as your company grows, you know your software has the capability to grow with it).

Enhanced project scheduling to set due dates, create important milestones, and easily track time so everything stays on schedule.

Project management app integrations that fit your custom business needs.

Automations and dependencies that update you and stakeholders in real-time.

The best project management software is the one that grows with you

A lot of project management software claims similar features, and at a basic level, many of them are the same. But when you choose a project management solution, it shouldn’t just be another tool. It should be a full-fledged project management platform that enables you and your team to get their best work done, with less effort. 

This means you need a platform that continues to grow, expand, and adapt as your company does. The last thing you need is to hit a ceiling just when you’re getting into your ideal workflow. Asana is built for enterprise teams, which means it can support your project management work from the beginning—when you’re a one-person team with an idea—all the way through your Fortune 100 growth. In fact, more than 80% of Fortune 100 companies use Asana*.

With Asana, it’s not just about putting out more deliverables. Instead, Asana focuses on how you can connect and leverage every aspect of your company’s work, goals, and resources to produce the right work. 

Project management software FAQ 

Which software is best for project management.

The best project management software is the one with the features you need. Look for a tool like Asana , a full work management platform where you can integrate the apps you already use, connect goals to work tasks, break down silos between teams, and automate time-consuming busywork.

What type of software is project management software?

Project management software is a type of software used for every aspect of project management. Often, this includes everything from the project planning stages (resource allocation, setting due dates, and building and assigning work task lists) to project scheduling, tracking, and reporting. The best project management software will help you coordinate and automate work not just across projects, but also across portfolios, teams, and departments.

What’s the difference between project management software and task management software?

Task management software is used strictly to manage tasks and is focused on production. Often, this looks like a digital to-do list with more capabilities. Project management software goes beyond task management to the actual planning, coordination, and goals of a project. This incorporates the bigger-picture, high-impact work and the actionable tasks you need to get there. Good project management software will also have task management capabilities, but the reverse isn’t always true.

How does project management software work?

Project management software is a tool to help you coordinate everything you need for project management. Often, this includes capabilities to create and assign tasks, scheduling all aspects of a project, and coordinating with others in your project team. The best project management software will also enable you to work cross-functionally across all teams, departments, and projects within your organization.

Is project management software worth it?

The short answer: yes! Project management software has an almost endless list of benefits. Most people immediately think of productivity as the reason to purchase project management software, but the right project management software can do more than increase your output. If you invest in the best project management software, you can break down silos and connect your entire company to your largest visions and goals. This enables everyone to work better on the projects that matter most.

*Accurate as of September 7, 2022 . Asana makes no representations about updating this number.

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10 of the Best Research Management Software in 2024

Engineering Team

February 13, 2024

Juggling research projects and struggling to keep track of things? Don’t worry. With a spiffy new research management tool at the ready, you could be much more productive.

But what if you don’t have time to sift through dozens of tools and apps for research management to find the perfect fit? That’s where we come in!

We’ve narrowed it down to the top 10 research management software tools to use in 2024, so you can pick from the best of the best. 

It’s time to level up! 🙌 

What Should You Look for in Research Management Software?

3. ganttpro, 4. klipfolio, 5. whatagraph, 8. scispace (formerly typeset.io), 10. databox.

Whether you’re an individual researcher or leading a research team, research management software tools make everything better. Here are some of the features we prioritized when picking the 10 tools on our list:

• Intuitive UI: Most tools will have a learning curve, but a configurable user interface makes it easier to get comfortable
• Compatibility: The best tools offer downloadable software, mobile apps, and web-based apps so your team members can work in Android, iOS, Mac, Windows, Linux, and their favorite web browsers
• Integrations: If you and your team use things like project management software, look for research management tools that’ll integrate with all of them
• Automations: Business process automation takes care of everyday tasks and lets you focus on the good stuff
• Templates: Look for something that’ll streamline your workflow with pre-made templates for things like resource management , project management, process mapping , and research planning

The 10 Best Research Management Software to Use in 2024

OK, let’s stop wasting time and get to the good stuff. Here are our picks for the 10 best research management software tools in 2024.

ClickUp is a cloud-based powerhouse with tons of research and project management software features for your research projects. It’s our top pick for a few reasons.

For one, we’ve spent countless hours refining it to be one of the most helpful tools around. It’s highly rated and at the top of several other lists, including G2’s Best Project Management Software Products & Tools in 2024 .

ClickUp has real-time collaboration features, free Gantt charts , AI writing tools, project documentation tools , and so much more. It does almost anything you ask with customizable ClickUp Dashboards and dozens of handy templates, too.

For example, the ClickUp Research Project Plan Template breaks down complex tasks, organizes your resources, and communicates your progress using data visualization tools . And ClickUp Docs serve as a simple wiki software that lets you create beautiful Docs and wikis that are easy to connect to your workflows.

Did we mention that a lot of this stuff is available on the Free Forever plan? 🤩

ClickUp best features:

• Integration with 1,000+ other tools, including Google Docs, Google Scholar, Google Drive, Google Workspace, Microsoft Excel, Trello, Slack, Evernote, Dropbox, Chrome, GitHub, and Asana
• Customizable dashboards, notifications, spreadsheets, templates, time tracking, automations, and more
• ClickUp AI writing assistant summarizes metrics, compose emails, generate action items, draft metadata, and create social media posts in seconds
• Mobile app, web-based app, and desktop software works on all operating systems
• Task management features organize and automate your research process, whether you’re doing academic research for your thesis or managing your company’s research data
• Multiple views and tools allow you to organize large datasets with complex visualizations to manage references, research, and more

ClickUp limitations:

• Some new users report a learning curve (solved with simple, free tutorials)
• ClickUp AI isn’t available on the Free Forever plan (give it a spin with a free trial first)

ClickUp pricing:

• Free Forever
• Unlimited: $7/month per user paid annually
• Business: $12/month per user paid annually
• Enterprise: Contact for pricing

ClickUp ratings and reviews:

• G2: 4.7/5 (8,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,000+ reviews)

Tableau is a data visualization tool powered by Salesforce. It’s designed to connect data from different sources on a single analytics platform. The reference management software makes it easier to organize complex research data using a drag-and-drop interface and interactive dashboards.

Tableau makes your life easier with access to a range of data analysis and sharing options. And it’s designed for everyone from students and teachers to data scientists and business owners. 

Tableau best features:

• Tableau Cloud provides a cloud-based analytics platform that drives better business outcomes and provides integrated data management
• Tableau Prep is a modern tool that makes it faster and easier to merge, edit, and organize your research data for efficient analysis
• Integration with a wide variety of products to make collaboration, data storytelling, and decision-making easier
• Training modules for onboarding your team minimize the learning curve with Tableau’s many research management tools

Tableau limitations:

• Users report that large files sometimes require long loading times and may result in crashing
• Some reviews mention bugs in new versions of Tableau software

Tableau pricing:

• Tableau Viewer: $15/month per user paid annually
• Tableau Explorer: $42/month per user paid annually
• Tableau Creator: $70/month per user paid annually

Tableau ratings and reviews:

• G2: 4.3/5 (1,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5 (2,000+ reviews)

GanttPRO is a resource management system that uses Gantt charts for efficient project management. It’s also a research and reference management software that’s perfect for managing teams and organizing your workflow.

Import Excel spreadsheets and graphs or use pre-made templates to get your projects going pronto. Of all the research management tools in this list, GanttPRO helps you organize everything you need for thesis research, business data analysis, wiki pages, bibliographies, and more. 🛠️ 

GanttPRO best features:

• Multiple views allow you to create Kanban and scrum boards in addition to Gantt charts for better research and workspace visualization
• Integrations with Slack, OneDrive, Google Drive, and MS Teams collect all your work in one place
• Time logs let you track how much time you spend on each research task
• Collaboration tools make it easy for research teams to work together and communicate in real-time

GanttPRO limitations:

• Some views have limited customization options
• Reviews mention difficulty moving and converting tasks

GanttPRO pricing:

• Basic: $9.99/month per user
• Pro: $15.99/month per user
• Business: $24.99/month per user

GanttPRO ratings and reviews:

• G2: 4.8/5 (400+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.8/5 (400+ reviews)

Klipfolio is a business dashboard tool that monitors your research data in real-time. It’s a metrics-focused platform that helps everyone make better decisions with access to the data they need when they need it. ✨

Individual users and data teams can use this powerful analytics tool to catalog data in a user-friendly platform that provides self-serve access to research information. Draft effective reports for team projects, organize citations for research papers and create useful dashboards for end-users. 

Klipfolio best features:

• Integrations with 100+ other tools and apps, from Ahrefs to Zapier, with dozens of options in between
• Compatibility with Android and iOS mobile devices and most popular web browsers
• Klip Annotations allows you to create, update, and delete annotations quickly and easily
• User-friendly interface helps reduce the learning curve for new users

Klipfolio limitations:

• Some reviews mention a lack of alerts and notifications
• Some users report issues with needing to restart the application after adding elements to their dashboard

Klipfolio pricing:

• Go: $125/month
• Pro: $300/month
• Business: $800/month

Klipfolio ratings and reviews:

• G2: 4.5/5 (200+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.7/5 (100+ reviews)

Whatagraph is a reporting tool that helps manage and visualize research data with customizable templates for efficient marketing projects. Move data, share reports with stakeholders, and build stunning reports. 🦋

Whatagraph replaces multiple tools and collects your team’s work in an easy-to-use data platform with a user-friendly dashboard. This tool is designed with in-house data research and marketing teams in mind. 

Whatagraph best features:

• Integrations with 40+ tools and apps, including YouTube, Google BigQuery, LinkedIn, and BigCommerce
• Automates research data transfer to save your team members hours of work and streamline your workflow
• Generates quality reports in less time using data analytics software
• Analyze and manage web page performance data to give your marketing team the information they need to get results

Whatagraph limitations:

• Some reviews mention slow responses from customer service
• Some users report bugs that slow down their research process
• No real project management software features

Whatagraph pricing:

• Professional: $223/month paid annually
• Premium: $335/month paid annually
• Custom: Contact for pricing

Whatagraph ratings and reviews:

• Capterra: 4.4/5 (80+ reviews)

Looker (aka Google Looker Studio) is a browser-based data analytics platform that uses a unique modeling language to leverage, analyze, and visualize research data. Use it for governed and self-service business intelligence (BI), and to build the best apps for your organization’s metrics. 

Collaborate in real time and capitalize on the fastest analytic databases available. Looker’s lightweight architecture allows developers to create flexible data and researcher apps quickly. 👀

Looker best features:

• Intuitive user interface minimizes the learning curve for new users
• Integrations with multiple tools, including BigQuery Standard SQL and BigQuery Legacy SQL databases
• Customizable charts, tables, and reports allow you to share data insights with your team, classroom, or the world
• Report settings give database users and viewers the option to bookmark existing settings for future use

Looker limitations:

• Users report issues with the varied Google Cloud Pricing structure and the lack of a set monthly fee
• Some reviews report problems with the dynamic tables not displaying full text for headers
• Data focus means few project management software capabilities

Looker pricing:

• Google Cloud Pricing : Contact to request a quote

Looker ratings and reviews:

• G2: 4.4/5 (1,000+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.5/5 (200+ reviews)

Bit.ai is a document collaboration platform designed for quick and easy note-taking, document creation, and research management. It builds dynamic knowledge bases, projects, and technical docs with various sharing and formatting options too. 

Users have access to advanced design options, robust search features, powerful document tracking, and real-time collaboration tools. And teams can work together using this tool from around the globe across multiple platforms and devices. 

Bit.ai best features:

• Collaboration tools allow you and your team to work together to create documents, wikis, notes, and web pages
• Integrations with dozens of other tools and platforms, including YouTube, Google Sheets, GitHub, Loom, and Typeform
• Intuitive collaboration and workflow design makes document creation simple for new users
• Automations allow you to complete research projects faster by taking care of small tasks

Bit.ai limitations:

• Some users mention issues with document creation
• Some reviews report trouble with the user interface and a need for a more user-friendly experience

Bit.ai pricing: 

• Pro: $12/month per user
• Business: $20/month per user

Bit.ai ratings and reviews: 

• G2: 4/5 (10+ reviews)
• Capterra: 5/5 (5+ reviews)

SciSpace, also known as Typeset.io, is a powerful researcher app designed to save you time using the power of AI. Discover and review a network of relevant papers and get simple answers from each one without spending hours deep-diving the content. 

Minimize time spent on menial tasks and let SciSpace do the research for you while you find your answers. And you’ll have access to millions of papers and PDFs to get the info you need. It’s also easy to use in tandem with applications like Zotero and Mendeley. 

SciSpace best features:

• Access to metadata of 200 million+ papers and 50 million+ Open Access full-text PDFs
• Workspace enables publishers, institutions, and researchers to collaborate and work efficiently on research projects
• Automations minimize time wasted with repetitive tasks so you discover information quickly
• Built-in plagiarism checker allows you to check your documents and identify issues that may be preventing you from getting published

SciSpace limitations:

• Some reviews mention issues with LaTeX templates
• Free plan does not include any major features
• Lack of reviews on major platforms

SciSpace pricing:

• Basic: Free
• Premium: $9.99/month
• Teams and Labs: $5.49/month per user

SciSpace ratings and reviews:

• Capterra: N/A

Businesses use EndNote to build bibliographies and access research articles. This specialized reference and research management software lets you manage and format citations. It also protects your workflow with efficient data restoration functions. 📁

Find, share, and use research within your EndNote libraries and work on your research from anywhere, on any device. The integrated document creation tools will make your writing more efficient. 

Endnote best features:

• License requires a one-time fee instead of monthly payments
• Integrations with popular tools like Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and Open Office Writer
• Compatibility with desktop, iPad, and most popular web browsers
• Useful organization and research management tools let researchers drafting and citing their theses or writing in-depth research papers get their work done faster

Endnote limitations:

• Some reviews mention limited integration with word processing software outside of Microsoft and Google products
• You may need to correct occasional citation formatting errors manually
• Document system lacks task and project management software capabilities

Endnote pricing:

• Full License: $274.95 one-time fee
• Student License: $149.95 one-time fee

Endnote ratings and reviews:

• G2: 4.1/5 (100+ reviews)
• Capterra: 4.3/5 (30+ reviews)

Databox is a business analytics tool that connects your data and tracks it from any device. Monitor your research data in real-time using a single dashboard to build and share reports, discover insights, and monitor trends. 📈

Get daily, weekly, and monthly performance updates viewable through email and Slack and automated alerts for changes in important metrics. Everything is done without the need for coding or spreadsheets.

Databox best features:

• Integrations with 100+ popular tools, including HubSpot Marketing, Google Analytics, Facebook Ads, and Google Ads
• Setup is easy to manage for non-technical users and data research teams
• Data reporting makes it easy to progress toward your goals and share research data with clients
• Custom metrics and conversion rates are calculated quickly and easily

Databox limitations:

• Reviews indicate that individual users may find the business-oriented prices too high
• Users mention a lack of customization and visual tools
• Free version does not include access to most features and metrics

Databox pricing:

• Starter: $59/month
• Professional: $169/month
• Growth: $399/month
• Premium: $999/month

Databox ratings and reviews:

Unleash the power of your research.

With such a wide variety of research management software options listed above, you’re sure to find an option that does what you need at a price that fits your budget. So get ready to streamline your workflow, collaborate more effectively, and fall back in love with research. 😍

If you want a tool that does it all at a price everyone can afford, try ClickUp . It’s free! You’ll have access to everything you need for research management, plus many other project management tools that’ll make your work and life more efficient.

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• TECHNOLOGY FEATURE
• 29 June 2020

Four tools that help researchers working in collaborations to see the big picture

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In January 2019, NASA announced that its Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite had discovered a planet about three times the diameter of Earth. The planet, orbiting a dwarf star 16 parsecs (53 light years) away, was found using sophisticated equipment including the satellite itself and the Magellan II telescope at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile. But its discovery also relied on a more prosaic tool, says astronomer Johanna Teske: the project-management software Trello.

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21 Best Project Management Tools For Research In 2022

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• Organizing your research and keeping track of deadlines with the right project management tool helps you achieve more with less.
• We’ve listed 19 of the best tools for research, but it’s important to find one that works best for you. 
• Specify your needs and goals before testing the tools for managing a research project.
• Take advantage of trial periods and online reviews to find a program that meets your needs.

Table of Contents

Why use a project management tool for research at all?

The process of managing an academic research project is challenging, especially for those who are new to research. Some of the common issues include:

• Tracking multiple deadlines and tasks
• Communicating with team members
• Tracking the comments from professors, peer researchers, or vendors
• Managing complex paperwork and data
• Keeping on top of changes and revisions

Thankfully, there are a number of project management tools that can help. 

By using the below project management tools for research, you can create task lists, set deadlines, track progress, and collaborate with other team members. This can help reduce stress and make the research process more streamlined.

What Features Should You Look For In A Project Management Tool For Research?

When looking for the right project management software for research, it is crucial to consider the most important features. Some essential elements to look for include:

• Cost: The tool should be affordable enough for you.
• Ease of use: How intuitive is the tool? Can you easily create tasks, subtasks, and milestones?
• Features: The tool should have all the features you need to manage your research projects, such as task lists, deadlines, chat functions, and file sharing.
• Compatibility with your individual environment: Is the tool available on Mac, PC, or both? Will it work with your other software?
• Compatibility with your research environment: what tools does your institution or organization use? Will they work well together?
• Collaboration: Can you invite other people to collaborate on your project? What features does the tool offer for collaboration?
• Reports: Does the tool offer reporting, or is it more of a to-do list? Do you need this feature for reporting to others such as project sponsors?

Overviews Of The Best Project Management Software for Research

Asana – free project management software .

Asana is the best project management software for people who prefer to work with lists instead of boards.

 It can be tailored to meet the demands of a wide range of academic research projects. Asana was created so that any size team can track their progress and address their research related issues in one location, eliminating the need for endless meetings, email updates, and notes. 

Asana’s free version is excellent for keeping track of your assignments and responsibilities, as well as functioning as a central center for academic research and conferences. 

• Asana is very easy to use and can be learned quickly.
• It has a clean and modern user interface that makes it easy to navigate.
• It has a wide range of features, which makes it a versatile tool. 
• Asana can be challenging for teams with more complex workflows.
• It can be difficult to track tasks when there are a large number of collaborators.
• It is best suited for teams who will be working closely together.

Pricing/Free Version

• Free version available
• From $10.99/user/month

You might also like:

• 15 Best Task Management Tools For Academics
• 30+ Essential Software For Researchers
• Jasper AI Review (2023) – Does It Work For Academic Users?
• Best Online Learning Platforms
• Rytr Review: Is It Worth It?

Trello – free project management software

Trello is the best project management software for people who like to work with boards and images vs. lists. 

It is a great project management software that can be used for a variety of purposes, including research. It’s a very visual tool that allows you to create boards and cards to represent your tasks and projects. This can be helpful in organizing and keeping track of what you need to do. 

Unlike Asana which is designed for customers who want more control and flexibility in the way they view their tasks, Trello is a simple task management tool based on the Kanban system for organizations. 

• Trello works in real-time. Members are free to work on the projects without interfering with the updates.
• A user can add a new member by merely entering the new user’s email address and clicking “Add Member.”
• The system for receiving notifications is excellent. Because every action performed on the platform can be viewed, this is one of Trello’s strongest features.
• Trello’s commenting system should be better.
• It’s not always the best tool for complex projects.
• From $5/user/month
• 30+ Essential Software for Researcher
• 10 Best Literature Review Tools for Researchers 2023
• 15 Best Knowledge Management Software for Academics
• 15 Best Task Management Tools for Academics 2023
• 15 Best Tools for Academic Copyright and IP Management

Jira is a project management software that is used by teams of all sizes to manage their projects. It helps to track tasks, issues, and dependencies. Jira is popular because it is customizable and easy to use. 

Jira Software is part of a suite of tools for managing work in teams of various sizes. Jira was created with the intention of serving as a bug and issue tracker. Jira has since evolved into a robust task management platform for various applications, ranging from requirements and test case management to agile software development.

• Jira is a trendy project management software that many companies use.
• There is a lot of support and help available.
• Jira integrates with a variety of devices, including Mac, Windows, and Linux computers, as well as Android and iOS mobile devices.
• Jira can be pretty expensive, depending on the features you need.
• Jira can also be complicated to use and configure.

• Free version available for 10 users
• From $7.50/user/month
• 15 Best Task Management Tools for Academics 2024
• Best Online Courses for Project Management 2023
• Jasper AI Review (2023) – Does it work for academic users?
• 16 Best Data Cleaning Tools for Academic Research 2024

Wunderlist is a cloud-based task management tool that helps you organize and manage your tasks. It offers a variety of features, such as the ability to create to-do lists, share lists with others, and set deadlines for tasks.

Wunderlist is a task manager and to-do list app that helps people get things done. Wunderlist makes it simple to capture, share, and finish your to-dos, whether you’re sharing a grocery list with a loved one, working on a project, or organizing a vacation. 

• Available on multiple platforms.
• Cross-platform synchronization.
• Integration with other apps and services.
• Limited functionality compared to other project management tools
• No invoicing or time tracking

Pricing/Free version

• Free version available. 
• From $4.99/user/month.
• 15 Best Task Management Tools for Academics
• Best Online Courses for Project Management 
• 16 Best Data Cleaning Tools for Academic Research 

ClickUp is one of the best project management software for research. It is a great choice for both individual researchers and research teams. It is cost-effective, cross-platform, and easy to use. 

ClickUp works to organize your research tasks into lists, and then drag and drop them to create a workflow that best suits your needs. It adds comments and attachments to your tasks to keep track of all the relevant information related to your project. 

ClickUp also assigns tasks to specific team members and then tracks their progress as the project progresses.

• It allows users to view their tasks in a list or board view.
• Users can also add comments to tasks and projects. 
• ClickUp allows users to create tasks, projects, and subtasks. It also allows users to set due dates and priorities for tasks.
• ClickUp does not allow users to create folders.
• Some users have complained that the user interface is not very user-friendly.
• Free version available.
• From $5/user/month.
• 30+ Essential Software for Researchers
• 15 Best Task Management Tools for Academics 
• 16 Best Note-Taking App For Academics 
• 10 Best Literature Review Tools for Researchers 
• 19 Best Mobile Applications For Academic Reminders And Notifications

Wrike is a cloud-based project management tool that helps teams manage projects from start to finish. It offers a variety of features, such as task management, file sharing, time tracking, and reporting. Plus, it’s easy to use and can be accessed from anywhere. This makes it a great choice for researchers who need a tool that’s both versatile and easy to use.

• Wrike is extremely versatile and can be customized to meet the specific needs of your project.
• It has a great user interface that is easy to learn and use.
• Wrike is also very reliable and has a good track record for uptime.
• The pricing can be a bit steep for some users.
• Wrike can be a bit overwhelming for beginners, and it may take some time to get used to all of its features.
• From $9.80/user/month.
• Best Online Courses for Research Project Design 
• Best Online Courses for Research Project Management 

With proofHub all your work will be managed with the click of a button. You can seamlessly collaborate, no matter where you are or who’s participating in what tasks! Proofhub offers an array of features from Gantt charts to time tracking which makes managing projects easy even if their size varies greatly. 

Whether you’re managing a team of 10, 50 or 500 members – ProofHub provides powerful tools to eliminate the need for dozens of other project management software. 

• ProofHub is a versatile project management software that can be used for various purposes, including research projects.
• It is easy to use and can be accessed from any device or computer.
• The pricing is very affordable.
• There is no customer support available on the weekends.
• The user interface could be improved upon.
• Free trial available.
• From $45/month.
• 15 Best Tools For Remote Access To University Resources
• 15 Best Knowledge Management Software For Academics

Zoho Projects

Zoho Projects is a web-based project management tool that helps you manage your projects efficiently and effectively. It offers a range of features such as task management, time tracking, document collaboration, bug tracking, and more. 

You can also create custom workflows to suit your project requirements. Additionally, Zoho Projects integrates with other Zoho applications such as CRM, Invoice, and Meeting Scheduler, so you can manage all your projects from a single platform.

• Zoho Projects is a very cost-effective tool. It is one of the cheapest project management software available on the market.
• Zoho Projects is also a cross-platform tool. 
• The user interface of Zoho Projects is straightforward to use.
• We have witnessed most complaints regarding the customer support which is not very efficient. 

GanttPRO is a powerful project management software that helps you organize all types of projects from different areas. It has an intuitive interface and offers many features, such as sibling tasks or subtasks with set dependencies on milestones for more visibility when managing your work at hand efficiently in one place!

GanttPRO offers features to break down projects efficiently into subtasks, sibling tasks and subprojects with set dependencies. Users can also choose between different types of boards views or task dashboards for more visibility on their workflows throughout the process!

• With a quick learning curve and an intuitive interface, you’ll be up and running in no time.
• Various and adaptable project views.
• Gantt chart templates for professionals.
• Integrations aren’t overly important.
• There aren’t many choices for creating repeating tasks.
• 14-day free trial
• From $8.90/user/month

ProWorkflow

ProWorkflow will help your team stay organized and on top of their game. It’s a complete online project management solution that allows you to track projects from conception until completion. 

It also aids you in reporting back as needed along with any activity with task detail such as start date/finish dates assigned hrs allocations rates for each employee. This is based on what tasks are currently active at a particular time and how much was allocated during the said period!

• For arranging project information, there is an intuitive structure and navigation.
• The system is very expandable thanks to custom fields and no user caps.
• Powerful reporting capabilities make it simple to look back on previous efforts.
• There are no asset/inventory management functions available.
• Budgeting and cost tracking are largely based on hours worked, making profitability difficult to track.
• 14-day free trial.
• From $20/user/month. 

Codebox is a cloud-based platform that provides secure data storage and collaboration for businesses. It allows users to store and share files, create and manage projects, and collaborate with others in real-time. 

Codebox is best for software engineering teams who want to centralize their code repositories and share them with others in real-time. It can also be used by development managers who need an easy way to track project tasks using a Kanban view or project managers who need tools to manage and track bugs and issues.

• It is a great online project management tool that can help with organizing and managing your research projects.
• It’s easy to use and can be accessed from any device.
• One downside of Codebox is that it can be a bit pricey for some users.
• Codebox can be expensive for larger teams.
• From $5/user/month. 

With Workzone, teams of 5+ members can keep their projects in sync and manage various tasks with ease. The software has been designed to answer real-world problems like marketing campaigns that need an operations plan or agencies with many clients at once–it’s powerful but still easy for anyone looking into adopting it!

The company has been developing its product for over 20 years, so it answers those real-world problems with features that make managing campaigns a breeze (even if you’re only working on one).

• Good for managing tasks and projects and collaborating with team members.
• Affordable pricing plans.
• Easy to use and navigate.
• Limited integrations with other software.
• No free version.
• From $24/user/month.

Paymo is a great project management software that can help you manage your research projects more effectively. It offers a variety of features such as task management, time tracking, and invoicing, which can help you stay organized and on track. 

Additionally, Paymo is cross-platform and easy to use, making it a great choice for researchers who need a reliable and efficient tool to help them manage their projects.

• It’s a great tool for managing projects, tasks, and team members.
• The interface is very user-friendly and easy to navigate.
• There are a lot of customization options available within the software.
• It’s affordable and has a free trial available.
• The reporting features could be improved upon.
• There are not a lot of integration options available as of yet.
• From $9.95/user/month.

Airtable is a project management tool that helps users manage their tasks and projects. It offers a variety of features, including the ability to create and share custom templates, collaborate with others, and track progress. It also integrates with other applications, such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and Evernote.

At its foundation, Airtable enables you to quickly create a database containing the data that matters to you, then use it to fuel the visualizations, workflows, and integrations that make up a custom application that is really unique to you.

• Airtable is a great way to keep track of your research projects. 
• It’s easy to use, cross-platform, and best of all, it’s free! 
• It can be difficult to keep track of all the different cells in your table.
• It can be time-consuming to create and edit formulas. 
• From $10/seat/month.

The TeamGantt tool is an excellent option for small businesses who need to plan and track projects but don’t want the bells-and-whistles of more expensive platforms. It offers free plans tailored precisely how you Like them or pay extra if necessary!

With TeamGantt, project managers can view their team’s progress on a Gantt chart. The software also tracks workloads and availability of collaboration features like chat or tagging to help teams work more efficiently together while staying in touch with what they are working towards at all times – no matter how many tasks you have open!

• Projects can be set up and tracked in a variety of ways.
• Share charts without requiring the receiver to log in.
• Task duration can be easily dragged and dropped.
• The functionality of dependencies might become sophisticated.
• There are no in-app alerts.
• Freemium version available.
• From $24.95/month.

Kissflow Project

Kissflow’s project management system is designed to improve coordination, transparency, and productivity. The tracking features are streamlined to provide a clearer view of what matters most in your business or professional life!

With the customisable platform, you can easily manage your team’s projects. You’ll be able to create boards for different tasks with Kanban or List Views and swimlanes that divide up work amongst employees so they don’t get overwhelmed by all of their responsibilities at once! 

• Kanban, lists, and swimlanes are examples of many views.
• For tracking progress, there are three states available.
• Reporting features that are extremely powerful.
• There is no Gantt chart.
• There is no way to set up repeating tasks.
• Not suitable for large-scale projects.
• From $35/month.

MeisterTask

There’s no need to manage your projects manually anymore with MeisterTask. It’s a web-based task and project management software that can be used on simple, kanban style boards for agile software development teams looking for an easy way out of the laborious process! 

• Intuitive functioning and a user-friendly interface.
• It’s possible to automate repeated tasks.
• Timeline feature in the style of a Gantt chart.
• Recurring tasks are only available to paying users.
• There is no desktop application for Linux.
• There are no subtasks available.
• 30-day free version
• From $8.25/month

Workday is a cloud-based software company that provides financial management and human resources software to businesses. Workday offers a suite of applications, including payroll, time tracking, benefits administration, expense management, and performance management.

Workday offers analytics that are embedded, actionable, and available in real time and gives you a single, actionable view of your whole organization, from financials to employees. Workers can securely access insights as needed, collaborate, and take action without ever leaving Workday.

• Workday is a cloud-based platform that is quickly gaining traction among businesses of all sizes.
• It offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing finances, HR, and other business operations.
• The software is easy to use and can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.
• Workday can be expensive for smaller businesses.
• The software can be complex for users who are not familiar with accounting and HR best practices.
• From $99/user/month.

Evernote is a cross-platform note-taking application that helps you organize your life. With Evernote, you can take notes, capture ideas, and track tasks. The best part about Evernote is that it is available on various devices, including desktop and mobile devices.

Evernote groups your notes into Notebooks, which are similar to file folders. It’s meant to be used as a note-taking tool, so you can use it to jot down ideas or things you notice with a text, camera, or voice note.

Some people use it for project management, which is a wonderful concept because it keeps everything in one location. When you combine notes and tasks with others, though, it might get overwhelming.

• Available on all devices.
• Organizes notes in a variety of ways.
• Great for collaboration.
• Some features are not available on free accounts.
• It can be slow to load on older devices.
• It can set tasks and deadlines but no weekly report on who did what.
• It can be challenging to collaborate with others on a research project.
• From $7.99/month

Final Thoughts 

Project management tools are a necessity for any researcher looking to streamline their work. In this roundup, we’ve looked at 19 of the best project management software tools for research. Each tool has its own unique set of features, so it’s important to choose one that will fit your specific needs. 

We hope that this article has helped you find the right tool for managing your next academic research project.

There is more.

Check out our other articles on the Best Academic Tools Series for Research below.

• Learn how to get more done with these Academic Writing Tools  
• Learn how to proofread your work with these Proofreading Tools
• Learn how to broaden your research landscape with these Academic Search Engines
• Learn how to manage multiple research projects with these Project Management Tools
• Learn how to run effective survey research with these Survey Tools for Research
• Learn how get more insights from important conversations and interviews with Transcription Tools
• Learn how to manage the ever-growing list of references with these Reference Management Software
• Learn how to double your productivity with literature reviews with these AI-Based Summary Generators
• Learn how to build and develop your audience with these Academic Social Network Sites
• Learn how to make sure your content is original and trustworthy with these Plagiarism Checkers
• Learn how to talk about your work effectively with these Science Communication Tools

4 thoughts on “21 Best Project Management Tools For Research In 2022”

In my opinion, kanbantool.com is worth researching! I really like the tools. It’s easy to use and effective, and its price is quite good too.

If you want to use a good project management tool, I recommend kanbantool.com. I think research is a process like a lot of other tasks, so managing it with kanban can be helpful.

How come you missed some, like Smartsheet for example?

What makes it special?

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Project management tools for researchers in 2022.

• Author: Lisa Stienen

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Software project management tools in global software development: a systematic mapping study

Saad yasser chadli.

1 Software Project Management Research Team, ENSIAS, Mohammed V University, Rabat, Morocco

Joaquín Nicolás Ros

2 Department of Informatics and Systems, Faculty of Computer Science, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain

José Luis Fernández-Alemán

Juan m. carrillo de gea, ambrosio toval.

Global software development (GSD) which is a growing trend in the software industry is characterized by a highly distributed environment. Performing software project management (SPM) in such conditions implies the need to overcome new limitations resulting from cultural, temporal and geographic separation. The aim of this research is to discover and classify the various tools mentioned in literature that provide GSD project managers with support and to identify in what way they support group interaction. A systematic mapping study has been performed by means of automatic searches in five sources. We have then synthesized the data extracted and presented the results of this study. A total of 102 tools were identified as being used in SPM activities in GSD. We have classified these tools, according to the software life cycle process on which they focus and how they support the 3C collaboration model (communication, coordination and cooperation). The majority of the tools found are standalone tools (77%). A small number of platforms (8%) also offer a set of interacting tools that cover the software development lifecycle. Results also indicate that SPM areas in GSD are not adequately supported by corresponding tools and deserve more attention from tool builders.

Globalization as an economic and social trend has relentlessly pushed businesses to turn from national markets toward a global market in which new forms of concurrence and cooperation have been spawned. In the last decade, software development in particular has undergone a drastic change in its business operations and processes. This concerns not only marketing and distribution but also the way in which software is conceived, designed, constructed, tested, and delivered to customers (Herbsleb and Moitra 2001 ). In particular, global software development (GSD) is now an expanding trend in the software industry (Santos et al. 2012 ) owing to the advantages that it may have over collocated software development (Conchúir et al. 2006 , 2009 ). It helps software companies access highly qualified resources at a lower cost, provides them with easier access to customers and allows 24/7 work shifts. However, it also adds new challenges to the management of the already complex software projects (da Silva et al. 2010 ). The geographic separation of teams, the social and cultural differences among people, along with time zone differences, greatly impact on communication and collaboration and limit the success of projects in a highly distributed environment (Steinmacher et al. 2013 ; Portillo-Rodríguez et al. 2012 ).

Research on GSD has increased since it is becoming an effective technique (Haq et al. 2011 ) and existing descriptions of the software project management (SPM) field (PMI 2004 ; Abran et al. 2001 ) do not consider globalization explicitly. This has therefore led to a new need to study and assess the downsides of GSD in SPM and to provide new methods, techniques and tools with which to alleviate them. As a result, industry has adopted both existing and new tools to deal with GSD. These tools have features that make them suitable as regards reducing temporal, geographic and socio-cultural distance (Portillo-Rodríguez et al. 2010 ).

Lanubile et al. ( 2013 ) published a survey on the key technologies and tools that support group awareness and collaboration in GSD projects. The systematic literature review (SLR) by da Silva et al. ( 2010 ) collected 30 challenges regarding SPM in distributed software development from 54 studies published between 1998 and 2009. Jiménez et al. ( 2009 ) identified ten challenges and proposed a continuous improvement model to counter these challenges. In these two studies, a lack of group awareness, communication, coordination and collaboration are considered to be key factors in the complexity of SPM activities in a highly distributed context. Research is still ongoing to discover factors weighing in the failure of GSD projects. Two studies conducted in 2016 (Niazi et al. 2016a , b ) aim to identify challenges that might undermine the success of such projects. These studies were carried out by the means of an SLR and were validated using data retrieved from questionnaire based survey. Their results indicate that GSD projects still suffer from a lack of communication and coordination between stakeholders.

In this paper we report a systematic mapping study (SMS) on the tools used for SPM in the context of GSD. Its purpose is to identify these tools, to classify them using an international standard [ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 “Systems & Software Engineering—Software Lifecycle Process” ( 2008 )] and to show how they support practitioners’ activities. The information provided by this study includes a list of tools and their attributes, such as: License type, technology type (framework, stand alone tool, plug-in … ) and whether they foster communication, coordination and cooperation between different stakeholders. This may prove useful for software project managers who have to deal with a distributed environment, helping them choose between the variety of tools that are intended to support their activities. Both tool builders and researchers can also identify prominent publication sources for relevant studies and areas of SPM in which the least number of tools is available, thus paving the way for the development of new tools.

The remainder of this paper is organized as follows: “ Related work ” section identifies related work concerning the topic of the SMS. “ Mapping process ” section presents the systematic mapping, including its planning, conduction and analysis. In “ Results and discussion ” section, the results and findings of the study are shown and discussed and the implications for researchers and practitioners are then described. “ Threats to validity ” section states the limitations of the review. Finally, “ Conclusions and future work ” section presents the conclusions of this SMS and possible future work.

Related work

Early research on the subject was conducted by da Silva et al. ( 2010 ) in an SLR carried out in 2010, in which researchers were able to list 24 tools intended for SPM use in a highly distributed environment. The goal of this study was to identify the challenges confronted by project managers in this context, best practices that overcome these difficulties and both the tools and models that support these practices. An evidence-based project management improvement model was ultimately presented. This model aims to provide practitioners and researchers with support as regards attaining a better understanding of the landscape of GSD project challenges and devise more effective solutions to improve project management in a distributed setting. In the same year, Portillo-Rodríguez et al. ( 2010 ) published a survey of 35 tools classified with the use of the processes presented in the ISO/IEC 12207 standard ( 2008 ). A matching between these tools, their features and the distance factor they reduce was presented.

In an SMS published in 2012, Portillo-Rodríguez et al. ( 2012 ) collected 132 tools intended for use in the GSD realm and classified them by considering the areas defined in the SWEBOK (Abran et al. 2001 ). According to their study, 21 tools are used to engineer project management, while the others are more oriented toward the technical process of software development. The same authors also presented a list of empirically validated tools, one of their findings regarding this question being that only 25.8% of the tools listed in their study have been evaluated in a distributed environment.

Tell and Ali Babar ( 2012 ) tackle the same subject as (Portillo-Rodríguez et al. 2012 ) more extensively and classify the tools using various categorizations. In their mapping study, they were able to identify and classify 412 tools intended for the GSD domain extracted from a set of 182 primary studies. The researchers used three classifications schemes, the first being the technology type of the tools, the second being which of the 3C (communication, coordination, cooperation) collaboration model dimensions are supported and the last being which of the software development activities, the tool intends to support. The 3C collaboration model has been proposed by Ellis et al. ( 1991 ) and adopted by Fuks et al. ( 2008 ). It advocates the analysis, representation, and development of groupware by means of the interplay between the 3Cs, namely, Communication, Coordination, and Cooperation. The model became widely accepted for analyzing tools employed to support computer-mediated interactions (Tell and Ali Babar 2012 ) and has also been used as a classification scheme in this SMS.

Portillo-Rodríguez et al. ( 2010 ) and Tell and Ali Babar ( 2012 ) both published a set of tools intended for GSD use as part of an SMS study. These two studies were conducted at nearly the same time while researchers were unaware of the other study for most of their research and can give a useful insight on how the method used can alter the results. The study from Tell and Ali Babar ( 2012 ) offers a list of 412 tools while the study from Portillo-Rodríguez et al. ( 2010 ) offers a list of only 132. Tell and Ali Babar ( 2012 ) aware at the end of the other study discuss these differences and claim it to be essentially due to the search terms used and digital libraries queried. Another difference is that some tools have been classified differently in these studies. These tiny differences occurred not only because they used different classification methods but also because they attributed each tool to a unique class while some tools tend to have more than just one use and can be attributed as such to different classes. Associating each tool to a unique class can hinder the preciseness of the results produced and has been avoided in this SMS.

To the best of our knowledge, no systematic mapping or review of the tools available in GSD has been performed to date with a focus on SPM activities and processes. As stated above, da Silva et al. ( 2010 ) proposed a model for SPM in a GSD context, but they did not focus on the tools used nor classify them according to a widely known standard. Furthermore, although Portillo-Rodríguez et al. ( 2012 ) and Tell and Ali Babar ( 2012 ) present exhaustive lists of the GSD tools that are available, in these studies, project management solely comprises project planning, while other areas such as knowledge management and configuration are not considered as part of engineering project management. In this study, we aim to aggregate and update lists of tools used in GSD, provided by selected secondary studies, while focusing on SPM processes.

Mapping process

SMSs are designed to provide a classified scheme of a broad research area, and to categorize existing research evidence on a topic and its subsequent results. These results can identify gaps in research, and an SLR can then be used to study these gaps in greater depth. In this section, the research questions (RQs) of this study are first laid down and the search string used to query the digital libraries is constructed based on the PICO method. Afterwards, digital libraries used are specified, Inclusion and Exclusion criteria are defined and a quality assessment method is established. Finally the data extraction method is indicated for each RQ. The protocol of this SMS is based on the recommendations of Kitchenham and Charters ( 2007 ), and the method used is presented in the following subsections.

Research questions

The RQs aim to classify the tools available in terms of features and type and to assess their use in the software industry. The RQs and their motivations are displayed in Table  1 .

RQs and main motivations

For the purpose of this study, SPM is defined as the project processes of the ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207 “Systems and Software Engineering—Software Lifecycle Process” ( 2008 ). Project processes include project management processes that are used to establish and evolve project plans, to assess actual achievement and progress against the plans and to control execution of the project through to fulfillment, along with project support processes that support specialized management ( 2008 ). Individual processes are defined in “ Data extraction and synthesis ” section—RQ6.

Search strategy

In order to answer the RQs, a search was conducted using a search string composed of keywords relevant to this study and applied to a number of academic electronic libraries and search engines.

Search string

Following the guidelines of Kitchenham and Charters ( 2007 ) using the PICO method (population, intervention, comparison, outcome), the keywords initially identified from the RQs are:

• Population: Global software development .
• Intervention: Software project management .
• Outcome: Tool .

Comparison is not relevant in this study, since it is an exploratory study. The Intervention keyword has proven to be limiting the group of studies targeted by this SMS. The reason being that most papers do not talk specifically about SPM but rather SPM processes (e.g. planning, version control), consequently, the intervention keyword has been dropped.

The search terms that have similar meanings are organized into groups. Combined terms are obtained using the OR logical operator between search terms in the same group. The final search string is obtained using the AND logical operator between combined terms of different groups. The search string used is: [(global OR distributed OR outsourcing OR located OR offshore OR collaborative) AND (software) AND (development OR engineering OR improvement OR project) OR GSD OR DSD OR GSE OR CSE] AND (tool OR technology).

The search terms used have been inspired from similar research (da Silva et al. 2010 ; Portillo-Rodríguez et al. 2012 ) and the authors suggestions.

Literature resources

Automatic searches using the specified search string has been performed in the following digital databases in January 2015:

• IEEE Xplore ( 2016 ).
• ScienceDirect ( 2016 ).
• Association for computing machinery (ACM) ( 2016 ).
• Google Scholar ( 2016 ).
• Digital bibliography and library project (DBLP) ( 2016 ).

The digital libraries used in this SMS have been selected by using previous SLRs and SMSs in the same field and with a similar scope as a basis. In studies (da Silva et al. 2010 ; Portillo-Rodríguez et al. 2012 ; Jiménez et al. 2009 ; Costa et al. 2010 ), researchers have unfailingly used IEEE Xplore, ACM and ScienceDirect libraries and the studies selected from these digital libraries represent 79, 92, 83 and 80% respectively of the total number of studies selected in each review. Two additional search engines (Google Scholar and DBLP) were also used in order to include more results.

The impossibility of performing the search in all the digital databases and search engines using the same method signified that a specific configuration of the search string was used with each search engine. Command search queries used in each digital library and search engine is available in Appendix 3 .

Study selection procedure

Candidate studies from the automated searches were reviewed by two authors separately, who were asked to determine the relevancy of papers based on their title and abstract. A paper was accepted if both researchers agreed that the study was relevant; it was refused if both researchers agreed that the paper was irrelevant. Those papers upon which the researchers could not reach an agreement were reviewed in a second phase, during which the researchers resolved their disagreements in a meeting in which they exchanged their ideas on the content of the papers and their relevancy after studying the full text of the article.

In the case of a journal article extending a conference paper, both papers are selected as long as they pass the selection procedure. During the study selection procedure, relevant studies were identified using the inclusion and exclusion criteria cited here after:

Inclusion criteria

• The paper studied one or several tools that support SPM activities in a GSD context.

Exclusion criteria

• The paper studied SPM techniques (without tools) used in GSD.
• The paper was a workshop summary.
• Paper was not in English.

The exclusion criteria were applied using “OR” logical operator between them.

Tool identification and classification procedure

Although some tools can be thought not to be related to this research, further investigation of their use in industry and their features proved otherwise. A tool like “Eclipse help system” is primarily a help system for an IDE and would commonly be considered to be outside of this research’s scope. Nonetheless, it allows users to create and modify project documentation, which can then be used by other stakeholders. This feature allows knowledge to be created and shared. This tool can then be included in the group of tools that support the IM process. “Social software” can also be a source of confusion as they are frequently used inside and outside work context, but recent studies indicate that tools such as Skype, Twitter, etc., have been widely used in the GSD industry to provide additional communication channels (Niazi et al. 2015 ; Giuffrida and Dittrich 2013 ).

Information necessary to classify the tools was retrieved primarily from the selected studies. In case information is incomplete or missing, it was retrieved from the tool builder website or generic information on the Internet. The first author was tasked with classifying the tools using available information, the remaining authors were tasked with reviewing each a section of the final list of tools in order to cover the whole list. In case of a disagreement, the authors held a meeting where they exchanged their ideas based on viable information until an agreement was reached.

Quality assessment process

Each of the primary studies selected was assessed to ascertain its quality using four criteria inspired by previous studies (Ouhbi et al. 2015 ; Fernandez et al. 2011 ):

Some papers may present a discussion about our research subject but only in a secondary manner, while the main topic of the paper is different. We consider that these papers are not as interesting for our SMS as those which are entirely dedicated to discussing SPM tools in a GSD context.

Some papers may only present guidelines or recommendations as to how to use or develop tools. These papers might be interesting for our discussion but our main research goal is to list all available tools. The paper achieves the full score if a new tool is presented or an existing tool is assessed.

• QA3 The study uses empirical results for argumentation (yes +1/no +0). The results and conclusions of the study are strengthened by empirical evidence and it provides important and reliable information about future research and practice (Šmite et al. 2010 ).
• Conf: (CORE A* +2/CORE A +1.5/CORE B +1/CORE C +0.5).
• Journal: (Q1 +2/Q2 +1.5/Q3 +1/Q4 +0.5).
• No ranking: +0.

JCR uses the impact factor to rank journals by their field of interest. Those ranked in the first quartile are called Q1 journals. Those in the second, third and last are respectively called Q2, Q3, Q4 journals. CORE2013 uses the following ranking categories, derived primarily from earlier CORE ranking exercises: CORE A* (flagship conference), CORE A (excellent conference), CORE B (good conference), CORE C (other ranked conference).

Although there is a general opinion that journal papers are better than conference papers, Bowyer ( 2012 ) is the opinion that conferences and journals are different by nature and cannot be compared; we also agree with this statement, since both contribute to the dissemination of knowledge in their own way. The quality classification scheme of the selected studies is based on a global unsupervised discretization method (Dougherty et al. 1995 ), a variation of the equal width interval binning in which the upper and lower bins are shorter than others with the intention of discriminating between extreme scores. The classification scheme is presented in Table  2 .

Quality classification scheme

Data extraction and synthesis

The data needed to answer the RQs in Table  1 were extracted by exploring the full text of each selected article. A spreadsheet was used to store the data concerning each article whose structure is presented in Table  3 . Another spreadsheet was used to extract data concerning tools, which is presented in Table  4 . The strategy is hereafter explained for each RQ:

• RQ1 The publication source and channel for each paper is listed and the aggregated results will be presented.
• RQ2 The publication year for each paper is listed, and the aggregated result will provide an overview of the number of related articles per year.
• Evaluation research Existing SPM tools are implemented in a GSD context and an evaluation or a validation of these tools is conducted.
• Solution proposal An SPM tool designed for GSD is proposed. This solution may be a new tool or a significant extension of an existing tool. The potential benefits and the applicability of the solution could be shown with an empirical study or a good argumentation.
• Review An analysis of existing literature concerning SPM tools in a GSD context.
• Other Any other research type not listed above (e.g. experience report, opinion paper, etc.).
• Case study An empirical inquiry that investigates a tool within its real-life context.
• Survey A method for collecting quantitative information concerning a tool (e.g. a questionnaire).
• Experiment An empirical method applied under controlled conditions.
• Non empirical Non empirical research approaches or a theoretical evaluation of a tool.
• Other Any approach not listed above.
• Standalone tool (SAT) an independent software application fulfilling a specific design intent.
• Framework a “semi-complete” application that provides an integrated set of domain-specific structures and functionality.
• Environment a development environment that comprises a set of processes and programming tools used to create software products. Moreover, an integrated development environment is a subset of this group, which identifies a development environment that has a unified interface.
• Platform a set of generic components that form a common structure, from which a set of derivative products can be developed.
• Plug-in a software component that interacts with an existing software application through the use of well defined application programming interfaces (APIs), often designed to enhance it by adding new functionalities.
• Commercial Tools whose license can be obtained by means of payment, although a free trial period may be offered.
• Free Tools whose license can be obtained without payment. In this license type we include licenses such as Apache License, general public license (GPL), etc.
• Research Tools or prototypes developed by research groups which are not freely or commercially available.
• Project planning (PP) The purpose of the PP process is to produce and communicate effective and workable project plans. This process determines the scope of the project management and technical activities, identifies process outputs, project tasks and deliverables, establishes schedules during which the project task will be conducted, including achievement criteria, and states which resources are required to accomplish project tasks.
• Project assessment and control (PA) The purpose of the PA process is to determine the status of the project and ensure that the project performs according to plans and schedules, and within projected budgets, and that it satisfies technical objectives. This process includes the redirection of the project activities, as appropriate, in order to correct identified deviations and variations from other project management or technical processes. Redirection may include replanning as appropriate.
• Decision management (DM) The purpose of the DM process is to select the most beneficial course of project action when alternatives exist. This process responds to a request for a decision encountered during the system life cycle, whatever its nature or source, in order to reach specified, desirable or optimized outcomes. Alternative actions are analyzed and a course of action is selected and directed. Decisions and their rationale are recorded to support future decision-making.
• Risk management (RM) The purpose of the RM process is to identify, analyze, treat and monitor the risks continuously. The RM process is a continuous process by which to systematically address risk throughout the life cycle of a system or software product or service. It can be applied to risks related to the acquisition, development, maintenance or operation of a system.
• Configuration management (CM) The purpose of the CM process is to establish and maintain the integrity of all identified outputs of a project or process and make them available to the parties concerned.
• Information management (IM) The purpose of the IM process is to provide relevant, timely, complete, valid and, if required, confidential information to designated parties during and, as appropriate, after the system life cycle. This process generates, collects, transforms, retains, retrieves, disseminates and disposes of information. It manages designated information, including technical, project, organizational, agreement and user information.
• Measurement (Me) The purpose of the Measurement process is to collect, analyze, and report data relating to the products developed and processes implemented within the organizational unit, to support the effective management of the processes, and to objectively demonstrate the quality of the products.
• Communication When the tool brings improvements to the way in which messages and information are exchanged among people, reducing gaps, ambiguity and the effort needed to understand, establish, and continue a conversation.
• Coordination When the tool focuses on providing people with support in order for them to manage themselves by checking and alerting them to the activities, resources and tasks performed by other people that may influence their work.
• Cooperation When the tool aims to bring improvements to the shared space or the way in which users synchronously or asynchronously interact with shared artifacts.

Article data extraction form

Tool data extraction form

Results and discussion

In this section, results for the selection procedure and quality assessment for selected articles in this SMS are presented. Then, results for the data extraction are exposed, analyzed and discussed for each RQ. Finally, implications and suggestions for researchers and practitioners are given. Figure  1 summarizes the mapping between this SMS’s operations and products.

Summary of the mapping processes

Selected studies

The search string that was applied to the different digital libraries and the search engines returned a high number of results (8993). Based on their title, keywords, abstract and perhaps the full text, the researchers tasked with the study selection process included those articles that might possibly answer the RQs presented in Table  1 . After completing the process explained in “ Study selection procedure ” section, 76 articles were selected. Thirteen articles were judged differently in the first phase but an agreement was reached for these articles on the second phase. The Cohen’s Kappa coefficient was used to calculate the interrater agreement between the two authors in their evaluation. The Kappa coefficient was 0.808 which according to Landis and Koch ( 1977 ), indicates a strong agreement between the two assessments. Figure  2 shows the results of the selection process, where “N” is the number of the remaining identified articles at each stage of the selection process.

Study selection results

Quality assessment

The rules shown in “ Quality assessment process ” section were used to conduct a quality assessment of the selected studies. The score obtained by each study is not systematically a sign of their quality, since studies with lower scores have a different research scope but are still useful as regards answering the RQs.

Kitchenham and Charters ( 2007 ) specifies that some researchers use quality assessment as selection criteria in their SLRs, but it is not mandatory. Following this rule, no studies have been discarded during the quality assessment process. The aim of this SMS is to gather an exhaustive list of the available SPM tools used in GSD, and such tools may be found even in those studies with lower score.

The main motivation of this quality assessment is to provide an overview of the usefulness of the selected papers in this SMS. Results show that 75% have an average score of 2.5 points or higher. Table  5 provides information about the total score of the selected articles. Detailed scores for each of the studies selected are available in Table 9 in Appendix  1 .

Articles quality level and percentage

Table  6 shows the number of articles based on the ranking of the conference or journal in which they were published.

Articles by their journal or conference rank

RQ1: Source and channel of publications

As shown in Table  7 , 38% of the selected papers, were presented at the International Conference on Global Software Engineering and its related workshops. This result clearly shows that the ICGSE conference is the main publication source for our topic. The ranking of the ICGSE is CORE C based on the latest CORE 2013 and it is the premier conference devoted to GSD. It has attracted the attention of several renown authors. For example, the works by Lanubile et al. ( 2013 ) and Prikladnicki et al. ( 2012 ) are derived from the analysis of the articles published in this conference. With regard to journals, IEEE Software is the journal with most publications focusing on SPM tools in GSD. It is ranked Q1 in JCR and four of the articles selected have been published in it.

Publication source and channel

The main publication target for articles related to the use of SPM tools in a GSD context would generally appear to be conferences, as 70% of the selected articles have been published via this channel. Table 9 in Appendix 1 provides more details on the selected articles per publication source and channel.

RQ2: Publication distribution per year

Figure ​ Figure3 3 shows the number of primary studies per publication year. There has been a sizable increase in publications since 2006. This year corresponds to the first ICGSE conference and the increasing academic concern as regards studying the effect of globalization on the software industry; the same conclusion was reached by da Silva et al. ( 2010 ).

Number of publication per year

RQ3: Research type

Of the selected articles, 46% are solution proposals that have been derived solely from academic research. This prevalence hints that there may be a lack of existing tools with which to mitigate the effect of globalization on the software industry. In addition, 25% of the selected papers are evaluation research. Reviews represent 15% of the selected papers while another 14% represent the “Other” category, comprising opinion reports, experience papers and so on.

According to the data shown in Fig.  4 , the number of evaluation research papers is low in comparison to the number of solution proposals up until 2009. SPM in GSD is still a relatively new subject with different areas that have yet to be researched and explored. This has pushed researchers to produce several new tools that are intended for use in the GSD context (Lam and Maheshwari 2001 ; Sinha et al. 2007 ; Simmons and Ma 2006 ; Bowen and Maurer 2002 ). However, in order to carry out further research on this subject, empirical data was needed to assess the use and benefits of different tools used by project managers in GSD projects. This has led to a sizable increase of evaluation research and reviews in comparison to solution proposals.

Number of papers by research type per time period

These results can be explained using the Redwine & Riddle maturation model (Shaw 2002 ). This model stipulates that there is a trend indicating that technologies take 15–20 years to evolve from concept formulation to the point at which they are ready for popularization. The first 10 years of this evolution are spent investigating basic ideas and concepts, then developing a research community that converges on a compatible set of ideas and finally making a preliminary use of the technology and generalizing the approach.

RQ4: Research approach

The existing literature offers a relatively high number of solution proposal studies to support the management activity of GSD projects, and half of them have no empirical data to support their usefulness.

As shown in Fig.  5 , 57% (20 of 35) of the solution proposal studies included in our SMS are not validated empirically, while 31% (11 of 35) are validated through experiments. It has been noted that most of these tools are academic, showing a lack of collaboration between industry and researchers in this field. There have simultaneously been very few evaluations of the existing tools used in industry. Only eight evaluation papers are based on industrial case studies.

Research types and approaches

In our opinion, this situation may have been caused by two factors:

• SPM experiments in GSD are difficult to conduct. GSD settings imply that the subjects of the experiment must be from different geographic locations, different time zones and different cultures. This can complicate the empirical evaluation of tools in industrial environments (Šmite et al. 2010 ).
• Although some examples can be found in literature (Habra et al. 2008 ; Cuadrado et al. 2014 ), software companies are unlikely to collaborate with researchers in project management because they keep their research and tools confidential.

RQ5: SPM tools used in GSD

After synthesizing the data obtained from the selected studies, a list of 102 tools was compiled. Figure  6 displays the number of the tools retrieved from literature based on their type of license and whether they focus on one or several SPM processes. Results show that 48% of these tools are the fruit of academic research which seems logical considering that most of the literature reviewed is research related, 24.5% of the tools are free and open source software (FOSS) while the remaining 28.5% are commercial tools.

Tools by license and number of areas covered

As shown in Fig.  6 , tools focusing on a specific process (mono-activity tool) are dominant in comparison with tools focusing on several processes (multi-activity tool). For example, tools like Travis (Geisser et al. 2007 ), DPMTool (Garrido et al. 2012 ) and Microsoft Office Communicator (Niinimaki et al. 2010 ) focus on a particular process while other tools focus on several activities (see Table 12 in Appendix 2 ). Another example of a single activity tool is Atlassian JIRA (Prikladnicki et al. 2012 ; Lanubile et al. 2010 ) which is considered to be an issue tracker without any other relevant features, thus focusing only on the PA process. IBM Rational Team Concert (Scharff et al. 2010 ; Treude and Storey 2012 ; Wang et al. 2012 ), meanwhile, has PP, artifact management and messaging features. In this case, it is focused on PP, CM and IM processes.

We noted that 24% of research, 17% of commercial and 8% of free tools focus on more than one SPM process. Researchers tend to create tools that cover most of the development lifecycle process. Tools like: Enabler Framework (Sinha et al. 2007 ), GWSE (Gorton et al. 1997a ), Milos ASE (Bowen and Maurer 2002 ), NextMove (Mak and Kruchten 2006 ), PAMPA2 (Simmons 2003 ), PSW (Eskeli et al. 2011 ) and SEES (Simmons and Ma 2006 ) fall into this category (see Table 12 in Appendix 2 ).

The majority of the tools listed in this study (79 out of 102) are SATs that are intended to satisfy a specific design. However, the use of SATs increases context switches, which can be a source of frustration (Sengupta et al. 2006 ). The second largest category is environment, of which there are 9. The third largest category is platforms with eight tools. Note that platforms are dominated by commercial solutions (6 out of 8). This can be explained by the effort required to develop platforms in terms of time and human resources that can barely be afforded by researchers (Sengupta et al. 2006 ). Figure  7 shows the percentage for each category. The extensive list of the tools available that have been obtained from the literature review is provided in Table 12 in Appendix 2 .

Percentage of tools by type

During the data extraction process, two entities were found to be behind several of the studies selected in this SMS. First, the Alarcos Research Group at the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain authored 11 studies regarding tools used in SPM for GSD projects (Portillo-Rodríguez et al. 2010 , 2012 , 2014 ; Jiménez et al. 2009 ; Garrido et al. 2012 ; Lanubile et al. 2010 ; Aranda et al. 2006 , 2011 ; Monasor et al. 2010a , b ; Aranda et al. 2008 ; Palacio et al. 2011 ). Second, the IBM research lab, which involves researchers from India, Japan and the USA, published three papers (Sinha et al. 2006 , 2007 ; Miyamoto et al. 2012 ). IBM is one of the largest developers of solutions for SPM in GSD projects with tools like IBM Lotus Notes, IBM Lotus Quickr, IBM Lotus Sametime, IBM Rational ClearCase, IBM Rational Team Concert.

Considering that globalization affects countries all over the world, presenting a ratio of the selected studies per country may be enlightening in the context of this study. This ratio was obtained by using the following method: each selected study was awarded one point. This point was then divided equally between the researchers involved in the study. Finally, each country accumulated points for researchers based on the location of their affiliated entities. As an example, study (Thissen et al. 2007 ) was carried out by two researchers from the USA, one from Australia and another from India. The USA therefore obtains 0.5 of a point, Australia 0.25 and India 0.25. These results are presented in Table  8 .

Studies ratio per country

In this perspective it will be noted that the USA has the highest percentage followed closely by Finland and that European countries are heavily involved in research on this particular topic. Nonetheless, typically outsourced emerging countries like Brazil and India (Javalgi et al. 2009 ) are also contributing to this research line.

RQ6: SPM areas covered by tools

Figure  8 presents the number of tools per SPM process. It shows a disparity in the number of tools identified between the SPM processes.

Number of tools covering each SPM area

The IM process suffers the most from the effect of high distribution (Portillo-Rodríguez et al. 2012 ), which is considered to be one of the top challenges regarding SPM in a global context (da Silva et al. 2010 ). This area is covered by 52 of the 102 identified tools—a little bit more than half of them. However, it is important to note that in our classification, and in contrast to other surveys (Portillo-Rodríguez et al. 2010 ; Giuffrida and Dittrich 2013 ), we consider that social software and knowledge management tools fall under the scope of the IM process. These tools generally focus on the communication aspect of the 3C Model, since they have integrated features of instant messaging, forums or wikis.

The CM process is covered by 32 tools. They are version control tools which are more focused on collaboration and concerned with the integrity of the project’s outputs (software or documents). Their prominent feature is automatic messaging, which is triggered by new version updates to alert the parties concerned.

PA and PP processes are covered by 26 and 17 tools respectively that enhance collaboration in distributed teams. Eight of these tools propose features that cover both PA and PP processes, namely: ActiveCollab (Lanubile et al. 2010 ), BaseCamp (Prikladnicki et al. 2012 ), Enabler Framework (Sinha et al. 2007 ), GWSE (Gorton et al. 1997a ), Issue Player (Portillo-Rodríguez et al. 2012 ), MILOS ASE (Bowen and Maurer 2002 ), PSW (Eskeli et al. 2011 ), Workspace Activity Viewer  (Prikladnicki et al. 2012 ). However, six of the issue trackers considered in this study fall under the heading of assessment and control processes and are not concerned with planning, thus focusing solely on issue management, such as Atlassian JIRA (Lanubile et al. 2010 ) and Bugzilla (Lanubile et al. 2010 ).

DM, RM and measurement processes have very few tools to support their activities when compared to other SPM areas. Only three tools support RM, three tools support measurement and two tools support DM. Researchers should focus more on these areas as they are inadequately supported by proper tools. RM should particularly attract tool builders’ attention. Controlling the risks in software projects in general (Bannerman 2008 ), and global software projects in particular (Persson et al. 2009 ), greatly contributes to project success.

According to the Capability Maturity Model Integration version 1.3 (CMMI v1.3) (CMMI Product Team 2010 ), Me is considered to be a core process of the 2nd maturity level denominated as “Managed” while DM and RM are considered to be core processes of the 3rd maturity level, which is termed as “Defined”. The fact that these areas are not adequately supported by tools might indicate that SPM processes for GSD projects are not yet mature (Šmite et al. 2010 ). These projects often include ad hoc reactive processes that are unable to anticipate problems.

RQ7: 3C collaboration model comparison

The tools that have been identified have specific features that manage the challenges that high distribution poses as regards the success of GSD projects. Three key areas have been tackled by GSD tools to support group interaction, namely the 3Cs:

• Communication The tools studied integrate a number of features that are intended to reduce the effect of geographical distance and time zone differences on group awareness. These features include instant messaging, forums, e-mail notifications, audio/videoconferencing, and wikis. A total of 49 tools support communication using these features. Lack of communication is considered to be one of the key challenges when managing traditional or agile software development projects in a globally distributed environment (Dullemond et al. 2009 ). Informal communication in particular is frequently used in agile software development (stand-up meetings, face to face communication, etc.), but is, however, poorly represented. In this regard, Dullemond et al. ( 2010 ), Dullemond and van Gameren ( 2012 ) have developed a tool named “Communico” that creates a virtual open space in which users can overhear others’ conversations.
• Coordination Coordination between project actors is ensured through an improved awareness of team members’ activities. A total of 40 tools support coordination by using e-mail notifications or a dynamic visualization interface of team project members and their respective activities. Tools like ActiveCollab (Portillo-Rodríguez et al. 2010 ), WorldView (Prikladnicki et al. 2012 ) and Workspace Activity Viewer (Lanubile et al. 2010 ) provide an overview of ongoing project activities and give managers an overview of project status at different levels of detail. This information can be used by project managers or developers to enhance coordination and task allocation in a globally distributed software development team.
• Cooperation According to Gorton et al. ( 1997a ), the vast majority of the tools used in a collocated development context are designed to support only single-user activity, thus making the exchange of information between users more difficult. This problem is particularly frequent in the CM process in which the project metadata must be shared in a controlled manner. In this SMS, 69 cooperative tools have been identified, which makes cooperation the most prominent feature in SPM tools for GSD. The tools in this category are mainly artifact management or versioning system tools that provide a shared and distributed workspace by using either a centralized or a peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture.

Figure  9 shows how many tools focus on communication, coordination, cooperation or a combination of them. For example, 49 tools have features that focus on communication, and 14 of those also focus on coordination. On the other hand 23 tools focus on communication and cooperation. Finally, eleven tools consider all sides of the 3C model, i.e., communication, coordination and cooperation. See Table 12 in Appendix 2 for more information on this subject.

Number of tools according to the 3C collaboration model dimensions

Implications for research and practice

The results of this research contribute to GSD in many ways. Firstly, they provide the academic community with a better understanding of the SPM activities and tools used in GSD settings and show gaps in the areas in which tooling is insufficient or inadequate. This information can open up opportunities for future advances by both researchers, who will better understand the landscape of GSD and tackle its challenges, and tool builders, who may wish to provide new tools that are capable of mitigating the effect of globalization on the management of software projects. Secondly, project managers involved in highly distributed projects will have an overview of the existing tools intended to support their activities and identify those which are most likely to meet their needs. The recommendations to researchers and practitioners resulting from the conclusions drawn from this SMS are as follows:

• Practitioners such as tool builders and project managers, along with researchers involved in GSD project management, are eager to know about latest research on the subject. They should view articles published in the proceedings of the ICGSE conference and its affiliated workshops. The latter is the main publication source for studies about SPM in GSD. In the same line, researchers are encouraged to send their articles to this conference.
• The results of this SMS indicate a lack of empirical validation of the various solutions proposed. Only 24.7% of the tools identified in our study have been empirically validated. A similar percentage was obtained in a previous mapping study of GSD tools (Portillo-Rodríguez et al. 2012 ). Researchers are encouraged to assess their tools using experiments in order to provide qualitative and quantitative data about tool usage. In this case, we encourage geographically separated research groups with socio-cultural differences to collaborate, thus making it easier to simulate GSD experiments whilst simultaneously benefiting from the advantages of global distribution (Prause et al. 2010 ). We also encourage practitioners to collaborate closely with research groups in order to validate existing tools through case studies or surveys, thus providing useful data which tool builders can use to create tools that are capable of satisfying the demands of GSD project management.
• A number of tools that are, according to literature, intended to support SPM activities in the GSD context have been listed in this study. Practitioners, and particularly project managers, can use this list to select tools that can support their activities. License type and technology type are specified for each tool in order to ease this choice (see Table 12 in Appendix  2 ).
• Decision management, risk management and measurement processes are not adequately supported by tools when compared to the other SPM processes. Researchers are encouraged to engage in lines of research that may enable the reasons for this disparity to be discovered. Practitioners are encouraged to fill the tooling gaps in these processes.

Threats to validity

The validity of the study is concerned with the trustworthiness of its results. The conclusions of this research may have been threatened by bias resulting from the researchers’ subjective point of view. The categorization used in Runeson et al. ( 2012 ), Wohlin et al. ( 2012 ) is adopted to identify the limitations of this SMS. These limitations are classified as follows:

Construct validity

Construction validity refers to the extent to which the operational measures that are studied really represent what the RQs aim to answer. In an SMS, two factors can be easily identified as a threat to construct validity. One is the research string used, while the other is the digital libraries researched. In this study, we have performed a systematic search using an extensive range of terms to widen our scope of research. The search keywords were proposed by two authors in several iterations to ensure that all relevant literature would be included in the study. Another threat to the construct validity is the choice of digital libraries used. This risk was mitigated by the identification of three digital libraries as the main source of related articles according to existing literature. Two digital search engines were also used to provide additional sources for related articles. A manual search of the reference lists in the selected studies in order to complement the SMS is strongly suggested by Kitchenham and Charters ( 2007 ). This process has not been conducted and is considered to be one of the limitations of the construct validity.

Internal validity

With regard to the internal validity of the study, the classification and the decision to assign a specific tool to a specific area of project management can be judged to be subjective. Similar studies (Portillo-Rodríguez et al. 2012 ; Tell and Ali Babar 2012 ) have, for example, classified tools in a different manner and in different fields. In order to decrease this effect, the classification scheme was proposed and the categorization process was carried out by two authors while the others reviewed the final results. Moreover, the steps and activities in this scheme were clearly described to allow the conclusions drawn from the results of this SMS to be reproduced. We have attempted to decrease this threat, by displaying the data retrieved from each of the articles selected in Tables 9, 10 and 12 of Appendices 1 and 2 in order to enable interested readers to check their validity.

Conclusion validity

Conclusion validity is the degree to which the conclusions we reach about relationships in our data are reasonable and is concerned with the ability to replicate these findings. In an SMS, the threat to conclusion validity is a factor that may lead to an incorrect conclusion being reached about a relationship in the observed data. Bias as regards both selecting and classifying primary studies and tools along with analyzing data may therefore affect the interpretation of the results. In order to mitigate this threat, each step of the selection, extraction and analysis of the data was validated by means of the systematic process and the periodic reviews carried out by the researchers involved in this work. Finally, this SMS has inherited the threats to validity of its primary studies.

External validity

External validity concerns how far the results of a study can be generalized. In this case, it concerns the external validity of the tools presented. The ratio of academic tools to commercial tools, along with the fact that the selected studies included in this SMS that discuss industrial tools are written by authors who are involved in both research and industrial fields, lead us to believe that our tool list is not exhaustive and that some of the tools used in industry may not have been included. Furthermore, some details about the tools were difficult to obtain, since our tool list was indirectly built, starting from the primary studies and not from the tool’s experience. Nevertheless, the results of this study may serve as a starting point for SPM for GSD researchers and practitioners.

Conclusions and future work

This paper reports an SMS that explores how tools support SPM activities in GSD. Seventy-six studies were selected and a total of 102 tools were identified in literature and were classified according to the following criteria: license, type, SPM area they support and dimension of 3C collaboration model they focus on. During the process of this SMS, we noticed that although a large number of standalone tools are proposed, fewer tools cover the whole SPM process. A commercial platform and an environment created by international companies have been encountered during research prior to this SMS: IBM Rational and Microsoft Visual Studio. These tools have integrated a number of commercial standalone tools that collaborate and exchange information in a seamless manner, thus ensuring that the project manager’s activities are consistently supported throughout the development lifecycle.

Two studies (Sinha et al. 2007 ; Eskeli et al. 2011 ) present and advocate the use of frameworks that allow the integration of a heterogeneous number of tools in order to collaborate and exchange data while maintaining their independence. This can help project managers who cannot afford to buy expensive integrated platforms to construct their own platform using the standalone tools at their disposal. Teams collaborating on the same task and using different tools can also continue to do so, thus capitalizing on their knowledge of the tools that they are already familiar with. The first tool is called Enabler Framework and proposed by Sinha et al. ( 2007 ). Although this tool was never released, it is to the best of our knowledge the first integrating framework to be proposed in literature. The other is PSW, which was proposed by Eskeli et al. ( 2011 ) as part of the ITEA PRISMA project. The latter has been tested by the project partners, and according to their website, they have achieved major benefits without making any major changes to their tool’s infrastructure ( 2011 ).

The limitations discussed in “ Threats to validity ” section show clear paths for future work on the subject. The ability to consult other digital libraries will greatly enhance the accuracy of the results. Including more tools in the study via search methods other than systematic queries in digital libraries may also be more rewarding. A more fruitful process would, for example, be to use manual research via the Internet or to carry out surveys with collaborators from industry (de Gea et al. 2011 , 2012 ). Limited by the number and availability of the 102 identified tools, only an empirical validation of a set of tools can be conducted. A set of tools providing the most support to group interaction and covering the whole SPM process could be selected and evaluated in order to assess their usefulness for practitioners. Further investigation into the lack of tools in DM, RM and Me will be conducted to identify challenges related to GSD and a tool will be developed to counter them.

Authors' contributions

The protocol was proposed by the SYC and reviewed independently by the remaining authors. SYC and AI carried out independently the selection process based on the mapping process and merged their results to get the final list of selected articles. SYC collected the data from the selected articles and classified the tools according to available information. AI, JNR, JLF-A, JMCG and AT reviewed each a section of the final list of tools. SYC drafted the manuscript. AI, JNR, JLF-A, JMCG and AT revised the manuscript. All authors gave final approval for publication. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Acknowledgements

This work has been supported by the Erasmus Mundus program Action 2: EU Mare Nostrum UE-MARE NOSTRUM (Grant 204195-EM-1-2011-1-ES-ERA MUNDUS-EMA21), the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and European FEDER funds through the GEODAS-REQ Project (TIN2012-37493-C03-02).

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Appendix 1 provides detailed information concerning the selected articles. The information provided is the publication source and channel in Table  10 . The year of publication, research type and approach, along with a detailed quality score for each selected article are provided in Table  9 .

Classification of selected studies, publication year and detailed quality assessment score

Publication channel and source

Appendix 2 provides detailed information on the tools that have been listed by means of this SMS, which SPM area they support, their license, their type and which of the dimensions of the 3C collaboration model they focus on. This information is displayed in Table ​ Table12 12 and the acronyms used are explained in Table ​ Table11 11 .

Acronyms used in ​ in12 12

SPM tools used in GSD

Command search queries used for IEEE Xplore

• “Document Title”:((global OR distributed OR outsourcing OR located OR offshore OR collaborative) AND (software) AND (development OR engineering OR improvement OR project) OR GSD OR DSD OR GSE OR CSE) AND (tool OR technology)
• “Abstract”:((global OR distributed OR outsourcing OR located OR offshore OR collaborative) AND (software) AND (development OR engineering OR improvement OR project) OR GSD OR DSD OR GSE OR CSE) AND (tool OR technology)
• “Author Keywords”:((global OR distributed OR outsourcing OR located OR offshore OR collaborative) AND (software) AND (development OR engineering OR improvement OR project) OR GSD OR DSD OR GSE OR CSE) AND (tool OR technology)

Command search queries used for ScienceDirect

• tak ((global OR distributed OR outsourcing OR located OR offshore OR collaborative) AND (software) AND (development OR engineering OR improvement OR project) OR GSD OR DSD OR GSE OR CSE) AND (tool OR technology)

Command search queries used for ACM

• (Title:((global OR distributed OR outsourcing OR located OR offshore OR collaborative) AND (software) AND (development OR engineering OR improvement OR project) OR GSD OR DSD OR GSE OR CSE) AND (tool OR technology))
• (Abstract:((global OR distributed OR outsourcing OR located OR offshore OR collaborative) AND (software) AND (development OR engineering OR improvement OR project) OR GSD OR DSD OR GSE OR CSE) AND (tool OR technology))
• (Keywords:((global OR distributed OR outsourcing OR located OR offshore OR collaborative) AND (software) AND (development OR engineering OR improvement OR project) OR GSD OR DSD OR GSE OR CSE) AND (tool OR technology))

Command search queries used for GoogleScholar

• allintitle:((global OR distributed OR outsourcing OR located OR offshore OR collaborative) AND (software) AND (development OR engineering OR improvement OR project) OR GSD OR DSD OR GSE OR CSE) AND (tool OR technology)

Command search queries used for DBLP

Research was carried out by typing all possible combinations of the specified search query as DBLP search interface does not offer the possibility to use command search query.

Contributor Information

Saad Yasser Chadli, Email: moc.liamg@ildahcdaas .

Ali Idri, Email: [email protected] .

Joaquín Nicolás Ros, Email: se.mu@rnj .

José Luis Fernández-Alemán, Email: se.mu@namela .

Juan M. Carrillo de Gea, Email: se.mu@1gdcmj .

Ambrosio Toval, Email: se.mu@lavota .

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How to Manage Your Research Project

You hear it everywhere: the project was delayed and over-budget. Whether it be bridges, space shuttle launches, or federally funded science projects, poor research project management can lead to abysmal consequences. Consider the example of the BepiColombo mission, a project to send an orbiter and lander to Mercury. While originally budgeted at 450 million euro for a 2008 mission, only the orbiter was developed in 2013 and at a cost of over 1 billion euro!

In academic sciences, project management for scientists is important. While a contract might be extended for a federal grant, the funders will remember who could not manage a project correctly. Meanwhile, if working on a degree, such as a PhD,  managing a large research project is critical for sticking to a timeline. Given that the typical constraints of a project include the science goals, time, risks, and costs, research project management becomes critical to the success.

Why Project Management Matters in Science

Successfully obtaining and completing a research grant requires intellectual and scientific self-awareness. In this honesty, a scientist can better predict the true costs and requisite time to complete his or her projects. Furthermore, having a detailed and well-designed project plan is foundational to convince a funder that you can do a project efficiently.

Managing a scientific research project often requires a variety of organizational and leadership skills. Scientists naturally acquire these skills over time due to experiences with failed experiments, planning a research question, and writing manuscripts. Yet, a principal investigator also needs to be aware of the more abstract caveats of a research laboratory and its personnel. Research teams are affected by internal politics, including the resources of their institution and the skills and motivation of the team members, The practical demands of any project can be easily over-looked; therefore, management techniques are needed to overcome the constraining factors.

So, what can a scientist do? Being a skilled and creative scientist isn’t enough – they must also manage projects carefully.

Key Areas to Manage

When managing a research project, there are several concerns that an investigator might have. There are various important considerations for conducting science team meetings, which include preparation, participation, conduct, and follow-up. Furthermore, information flow should be carefully maintained to provide sufficient information so that all team members understand the process and the project. Finally, a researcher must be ever vigilant of the boundaries of the project (i.e., the scope of the research). Without careful monitoring, the scope of the research may creep into a new field.  A project might thus lose its focus and the planned goals may never be achieved. It is important to remember the desired outcome and plan tasks, while regularly reviewing the progress and modifying the next steps accordingly.

Management Tools

Several tools exist to help manage a research project, including Evernote for science , citation management software programs (e.g., Endnote or Mendeley) , calendars that can be synced across devices or shared with collaborators (e.g., Google Calendar) , and drives that can help researchers share or backup data for collaborations or protection from cyber attacks that can result in data loss.

In addition to these ubiquitous tools, there are additional management tools that can help a researcher be both a scientist and a project manager. One such tool is LabGuru , which offers a collaborative project planning platform and allows for document storage. Meanwhile, a schedule developer that allows for timelines, flow charts and activities/responsibilities to be communicated, such as Microsoft Project and GANTT charts provide more centralized tools.

  As scientists prepare to manage large research projects, one should make several considerations within the project constraints. Furthermore, many research project management tools are available to facilitate the requisite tasks. As academic sciences become more competitive due to limitations in funding and resources, a well-managed and realistic project plan can be one way to guarantee research success.

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Optimising the Software Development Process with Artificial Intelligence pp 19–65 Cite as

Artificial Intelligence in Software Project Management

• Liyan Song 8 &
• Leandro L. Minku 9  
• First Online: 20 July 2023

595 Accesses

2 Citations

Part of the book series: Natural Computing Series ((NCS))

The success of a software project highly depends on how well the project is managed. This includes crucial activities such as estimating the effort required to develop the software project, creating a software project schedule including allocation of human resources, managing project risks, monitoring progress, etc. Inadequate handling of such activities can thus lead to serious consequences to software companies. However, software project management is also a very challenging task that involves multiple business and human factors, and conflicting objectives. These challenges are exacerbated when dealing with medium- to large-size software projects. Under such circumstances, artificial intelligence has the potential to play a significant role in supporting software project managers, enabling them to make more informed management decisions. This chapter discusses how artificial intelligence techniques can support software project managers with two key software project management activities: software project scheduling and software effort estimation.

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Editors note: The source code linked in this chapter could change after publishing this book. A snapshot of the source code accompanying this chapter can be found at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6965479 .

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Song, L., Minku, L.L. (2023). Artificial Intelligence in Software Project Management. In: Romero, J.R., Medina-Bulo, I., Chicano, F. (eds) Optimising the Software Development Process with Artificial Intelligence. Natural Computing Series. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9948-2_2

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Project Management Research Topics: Breaking New Ground

According to a study by the Project Management Institute (PMI), a significant 11.4% of business investments go to waste due to subpar project performance.

That’s why students need to study project management in college - to move the progress further and empower businesses to perform better. It is crucial for students as it equips them with essential skills, including organization, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership, which are highly transferable and sought after in the professional world. It enhances their career prospects, teaches adaptability, and fosters a global perspective, preparing them for success in a diverse and rapidly evolving job market.

In this article, you will learn the definition of a project management research paper, discover 120 excellent topics and ideas, as well as receive pro tips regarding how to cope with such an assignment up to par. 

Definition of What is Project Management

Project management is the practice of planning, executing, controlling, and closing a specific project to achieve well-defined goals and meet specific success criteria. It involves efficiently allocating resources, including time, budget, and personnel, to ensure that a project is completed on time, within scope, and within budget while delivering the intended results or deliverables. 

Project management encompasses various methodologies, tools, and techniques to ensure that projects are successfully initiated, planned, executed, monitored, and completed in an organized and systematic manner.

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What Is a Project Management Research Paper?

Project management research papers are academic documents that explore various aspects of project management as a field of study. These papers typically delve into specific topics, issues, or questions related to project management and aim to contribute new knowledge or insights to the discipline. Project management research papers often involve rigorous analysis, empirical research, and critical evaluation of existing theories or practices within the field.

Key elements of a project management research paper include:

• Research Question or Problem: Clearly defines the research question, problem, or topic the paper aims to address.
• Literature Review: A comprehensive review of existing literature, theories, and relevant studies related to the chosen topic.
• Methodology: Describing the research methods, such as surveys, case studies, interviews, or data analysis techniques.
• Data Collection and Analysis: If applicable, presenting and analyzing data to support the research findings.
• Discussion: An in-depth discussion of the research findings and their implications for the field of project management.
• Conclusion: Summarizing the key findings, their significance, and potential future research directions.

Project management research papers can cover various topics, from best practices in project management to emerging trends, challenges, and innovations in the field. They are a valuable resource for both academics and practitioners, offering insights that can inform project management practices and decision-making.

Project Management Research Topics Selection Tips

Selecting an appropriate topic for a project management research paper is crucial for the success of your research. Here are some tips to help you choose the right research topic:

• Start by considering your own interests and passion within the field of project management. 
• Choose a topic that has practical applications and can contribute to the discipline.
• Avoid overly broad topics. Instead, narrow down your focus to a specific aspect or issue within project management. 
• Seek guidance from your professors, academic advisors, or mentors. 
• Conduct a preliminary literature review to see what research has already been done in your area of interest. 
• Aim for originality by proposing a research topic or question that hasn't been extensively explored in the existing literature.
• Consider the feasibility of your research. Ensure your research is practical and achievable within your constraints.
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• Think about the practical applications of your research. 
• Ensure that your research topic and methodology adhere to ethical standards. 
• Think about the research methods you will use to investigate your topic. 
• Consider involving stakeholders from the industry, as their insights can provide practical relevance to your research.
• Keep in mind that your research may evolve as you delve deeper into the topic. 
• Be open to adapting your research questions and methodology if necessary.

By following these tips, you can select a project management research topic that is not only relevant and original but also feasible and well-aligned with your academic and career goals. Sounds challenging and time-consuming? Simply type ‘ write an essay for me ,’ and our experts will help you settle the matter. 

Best Project Management Research Topics and Ideas

Here is a list of the 50 best topics for a project management paper. These topics cover many project management areas, from traditional project management methodologies to emerging trends and challenges in the field. You can further refine and tailor these topics to match your specific research interests and objectives.

• Agile Project Management in Non-IT Industries.
• Risk Management Strategies for Large-Scale Projects.
• The Role of Leadership in Project Success.
• Sustainability Integration in Project Management.
• Challenges in Virtual Project Management.
• The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Project Management.
• Project Management Best Practices in Healthcare.
• Lean Project Management Principles.
• Project Portfolio Management in Multinational Corporations.
•  The Use of Blockchain in Project Management.
•  Cultural Diversity and Its Effects on Global Project Teams.
•  Managing Scope Creep in Project Management.
•  Project Management in Crisis Situations.
•  Agile vs. Waterfall: A Comparative Analysis.
•  Project Governance and Compliance.
•  Critical Success Factors in Public Sector Projects.
•  Benefits Realization Management in Project Management.
•  Agile Transformation in Traditional Organizations.
•  Project Management in the Digital Age.
•  Sustainable Project Procurement Practices.
•  The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Project Leadership.
•  Project Management in the Healthcare Industry.
•  Effective Communication in Virtual Project Teams.
•  Agile Project Management in Software Development.
•  The Impact of Project Management Offices (PMOs).
•  Project Management in the Construction Industry.
•  Project Risk Assessment and Mitigation.
•  IT Project Management Challenges and Solutions.
•  Project Management in Startups and Entrepreneurship.
•  Lean Six Sigma in Project Management.
•  Project Management Software Tools and Trends.
•  The Role of Change Management in Project Success.
•  Conflict Resolution in Project Teams.
•  Project Management in the Pharmaceutical Industry.
•  Scrum vs. Kanban: A Comparative Study. 
•  Managing Cross-Cultural Teams in International Projects.
•  The Future of Project Management: Trends and Forecasts.
•  Effective Resource Allocation in Project Management.
•  Project Procurement and Vendor Management.
•  Quality Assurance in Project Management.
•  Risk Assessment in IT Project Management.
•  Benefits and Challenges of Hybrid Project Management Models.
•  Agile Transformation in Large Organizations.
•  The Role of Data Analytics in Project Management.
•  Project Management for Non-Profit Organizations.
•  Continuous Improvement in Project Management.
•  The Impact of COVID-19 on Project Management Practices.
•  The Role of Project Management in Innovation.
•  Project Management in the Aerospace Industry.
•  The Influence of Project Management on Organizational Performance.

Simple Project Management Research Ideas

Here are 10 simple project management research ideas that can serve as a foundation for more in-depth research:

The Impact of Effective Communication on Project Success: Investigate how clear and efficient communication within project teams influences project outcomes.

Project Management Software Adoption and Its Effects: Examine the adoption of project management software tools and their impact on project efficiency and collaboration.

Factors Affecting Scope Creep in Project Management: Identify the key factors contributing to scope creep and explore strategies to prevent it.

The Role of Project Management Offices (PMOs) in Organizational Performance: Analyze the performance, improving project success rates and enhancing overall project management maturity.

Agile Project Management in Non-Software Industries: Study how Agile project management principles can be adapted and applied effectively in non-IT industries, such as manufacturing, healthcare, or construction.

Project Risk Management Strategies: Investigate the best practices and strategies for identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks in project management.

Stakeholder Engagement in Project Success: Explore the significance of stakeholder engagement and its impact on project outcomes, including scope, quality, and stakeholder satisfaction.

Project Management in Small Businesses: Analyze the unique challenges and opportunities of project management in small businesses and startups, considering resource constraints and growth objectives.

Sustainability Practices in Project Management: Investigate how project managers can integrate sustainability principles into project planning and execution, with a focus on environmental and social responsibility.

Change Management in Project Transitions: Examine the role of change management in ensuring smooth transitions between project phases or methodologies, such as moving from Waterfall to Agile.

Interesting Project Management Research Paper Topics

These research paper topics offer opportunities to explore diverse aspects of project management, from leadership and ethics to emerging technologies and global project dynamics.

• The Impact of Effective Communication on Project Success.
• Project Management Software Adoption and Its Effects.
• Factors Affecting Scope Creep in Project Management.
• The Role of Project Management Offices (PMOs) in Organizational Performance.
• Agile Project Management in Non-Software Industries.
• Project Risk Management Strategies.
• Stakeholder Engagement in Project Success.
• Project Management in Small Businesses and Startups.
• Sustainability Practices in Project Management.
•  Change Management in Project Transitions.

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Research Project Topics in Business Management

Here are ten research project topics in business management. They encompass various aspects of business management, from leadership and diversity to sustainability and emerging trends in the business world.

• The Impact of Leadership Styles on Employee Motivation and Productivity.
• Strategies for Enhancing Workplace Diversity and Inclusion.
• The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Effective Leadership.
• Sustainable Business Practices and Their Effects on Corporate Social Responsibility.
• Innovation and Technology Adoption in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs).
• Financial Management Strategies for Small Businesses and Startups.
• Effective Marketing Strategies in the Digital Age.
• The Challenges and Opportunities of Global Expansion for Multinational Corporations.
• Supply Chain Management in a Post-Pandemic World: Resilience and Adaptability.
•  Consumer Behavior and Market Trends in E-Commerce.

Software Project Management Dissertation Topics

These dissertation topics cover a range of critical issues and strategies in software project management, from risk management to AI integration and agile methodologies.

• Effective Software Project Risk Management Strategies.
• Agile vs. Waterfall: Comparative Analysis in Software Project Management.
• Requirements Management in Software Development Projects.
• The Role of DevOps in Accelerating Software Project Delivery.
• Software Project Management Challenges in Distributed and Remote Teams.
• Quality Assurance and Testing Practices in Software Project Management.
• Managing Scope Changes and Requirements Volatility in Software Projects.
• Vendor Management in Outsourced Software Development Projects.
• Project Portfolio Management in Software Organizations.
•  The Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Enhancing Software Project Management.

Remember that research paper topics might also be used to write a dissertation. Check them out as well!

Ten Construction Project Management Research Topics

Offering you ten research topics in construction project management, which delve into various aspects of construction project management, from sustainability and safety to technology adoption and stakeholder engagement.

• Optimizing Construction Project Scheduling and Time Management.
• Risk Assessment and Mitigation in Large-Scale Construction Projects.
• Green Building Practices and Sustainable Construction Management.
• The Role of Technology in Improving Construction Project Efficiency.
• Safety Management and Accident Prevention in Construction.
• Contract Management in Public Infrastructure Projects.
• Resource Allocation and Cost Control in Construction Project Management.
• The Impact of Lean Construction Principles on Project Delivery.
• Innovations in Prefabrication and Modular Construction Methods.
•  Stakeholder Collaboration and Communication in Complex Construction Projects.

Ten Outstanding Project Administration Ideas for Research Paper

Let’s gain insights into the key aspects and focus areas of each research paper topic in project administration. Researchers can further refine these 10 topics to address specific research questions and objectives. 

Innovative Strategies for Effective Project Communication and Collaboration: This topic explores innovative communication and collaboration methods that enhance project team coordination and overall project success. It may include the use of technology, virtual tools, or novel approaches to foster effective communication.

Integrating Sustainability into Project Management Practices: This research examines how project managers can incorporate sustainability principles into project planning, execution, and decision-making, contributing to environmentally and socially responsible project outcomes.

The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Project Leadership and Team Dynamics: This topic delves into the significance of emotional intelligence in project leadership, focusing on how emotional intelligence influences team dynamics, motivation, and project performance.

Agile Project Management in Non-Traditional Industries: Opportunities and Challenges: It explores adopting Agile project management methodologies outside the software development domain, discussing the opportunities and challenges of applying Agile in industries like healthcare, manufacturing, or construction.

Crisis Management and Resilience in Project Administration: This topic investigates crisis management strategies and the development of project resilience to navigate unexpected disruptions, disasters, and unexpected events affecting project progress.

The Impact of Change Management in Successful Project Implementation: It examines the critical role of change management in ensuring smooth transitions between project phases, methodologies, or organizational changes, contributing to project success.

Ethical Decision-Making in Project Management: Balancing Objectives and Integrity: This research delves into the ethical dilemmas and decision-making processes project managers face and explores frameworks for ethical behavior in project management.

Technology Integration and Digital Transformation in Project Administration: It discusses how the integration of technology, such as AI, IoT, and automation, is transforming project administration practices and improving efficiency and project outcomes.

Risk Management and Contingency Planning in Large-Scale Projects: This topic focuses on risk management strategies and the development of effective contingency plans to mitigate risks in complex, large-scale projects.

Project Governance and the Influence of Regulatory Compliance: It explores project governance structures, including the impact of regulatory compliance on project management, risk management, and decision-making processes. In case you need aid with complex senior year papers, consult capstone project writing services . 

Ten Healthcare Project Management Research Topics

These research topics address various aspects of healthcare project management, from facility construction and technology implementation to quality improvement and crisis management. Researchers can explore these topics to contribute to the improvement of healthcare project outcomes and patient care.

• Optimizing Healthcare Facility Construction and Renovation Projects.
• Effective Implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHR) in Hospitals.
• Managing Change in Healthcare Organizations: A Project Management Perspective.
• Telemedicine Project Management and its Impact on Healthcare Delivery.
• Healthcare Project Risk Management: A Case Study Analysis.
• Patient-Centered Care Initiatives and Project Management Best Practices.
• Quality Improvement Projects in Healthcare: Challenges and Success Factors.
• Healthcare Supply Chain Management and Project Efficiency.
• The Role of Project Management in Healthcare Crisis Response (e.g., Pandemics).
•  Measuring the Impact of Lean Six Sigma in Healthcare Process Improvement Projects.

When you find a topic - what’s next? Check out this guide on how to research a topic !

Project management is a dynamic and ever-evolving discipline, offering a rich landscape for research and exploration. Whether you are a student seeking captivating project management research topics or a seasoned professional looking to address real-world challenges, our list of topics provides a valuable starting point. 

The key to successful research in project management lies in identifying a topic that aligns with your interests and objectives, allowing you to make meaningful contributions to the field while addressing the pressing issues of today and tomorrow. 

So, delve into these research topics, choose the one that resonates with your passion, and embark on a journey of discovery and advancement in the world of project management. If you feel stressed or overwhelmed with the workload at some point, pay for a research paper to gain a competitive edge and save valuable time. 

Elevate Your Project Management Research

Let our team of expert writers help you create a comprehensive and well-researched essay, tailored to your specific academic requirements!

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125 Project Management Research Topics Ideas

Are you urgently in need of top-class project management research topics for your upcoming exam? Keep reading for exclusive writing ideas.

Those who have handled a project management thesis before can witness that this is not a smooth affair. The creativity, level of research, and critical thinking necessary for developing such a paper require a mature student. The greatest hurdle comes in when you want to develop your research topic. Our professional writers have everything you need to write an award-winning paper. Scroll down to find out how?

What Is A Project Management Research Paper?

It is an assignment that requires students to integrate the different processes to achieve a particular goal and deliverables. Project management is based on the principle that all tasks are special, and thus, you should not treat two tasks as the same.

In this type of assignment, students have to develop many coordination skills and fairness in dealing with various projects. Since various tasks differ in line with their functional procedures, you have to dig deeper to determine how each yields direct and proportional earnings in the end.

Does all these sound like rocket science to you? Well, the next few lines will make you understand this subject better.

Key Points About A Project Management Thesis

There are different steps involved in writing a project management paper. These will contribute to the body paragraphs’ overall quality, length, and depth. The various practices involved in project management include:

Initiating Planning Executing Controlling Closing the work of a team

When you bring all these processes together, you can achieve a particular goal or specific success within the set time. That brings us to a critical component of project management – time!

Every project has a given time frame within which it is complete. It is the primary challenge as time constraints are always when unexpected issues arise. However, with practice, time will not be a factor anymore; it will be the motivation for completing a particular project.

If you don’t feel those skills are important to you, you can get custom dissertation help from our expert team.

How To Write A Top-Rated Project Management Paper

For you to write a paper that will get the attention of your university teacher, there are various steps that you have to take. Remember that you have to demonstrate to your professor that you understand your topic and can significantly contribute to the topic at the end of the day.

Here is a step-by-step guide that will take you through the full process of project management writing:

• Understand your assignment: You should carefully read the question and point out any confusing part that you may need clarity with your professor. You also set the goal, timeline, length, format, and other requirements.
• Develop an interesting project management topic: The best way to generate a writing idea is by brainstorming. You can ask a friend tutor or get inspiration from other research papers.
• Begin your preliminary research: You can point out arguments that seem important to your topic and find captivating angles to present them. It is advisable to consult sources such as books, journals, or reliable websites. Having research questions in this section will give you ample time.
• Think of an exciting thesis statement: This will be your central argument that will establish your research paper’s position and purpose. Remember to include the evidence and reasoning you intend to support your answer.
• Develop an outline for your paper: It includes the key topics, arguments, and examples that will feature in your paper. Having a structured outline helps you complete the writing process effortlessly.

Once you complete these steps, your writing will be like a walk in the park. You will express your ideas clearly and have a logical paper.

Now let’s explore some of the most sought after project management topics:

Easy Project Management Research Topics

• How to implement capital improvement projects
• Discuss the essence of a good project management plan before the onset
• The role of technology and funding in implementing projects
• Consider the effects of working from home on project management
• How global companies manage projects across various regions
• What is the impact of the world becoming a global village in project management?
• Why is it necessary to segment tasks in a multi-sectorial project?
• Discuss the process of harmonizing systems, people, and resources
• Why is project management as a course in school necessary for the job market?
• Discuss the challenges related to transit projects
• Evaluate the various trends in project management in the digital age
• The role of leadership systems in project management
• Why time management is necessary for the completion of any task
• How to develop achievable goals or aspirations in a project
• The role of risk management before embarking on a project

High-Quality Project Management Topics

• The undisputed role of administrators in any project
• Technological systems that have made project management easier
• Discuss the complexity in completing different projects
• Why should every project have a project tracking instrument?
• Steps towards developing a working budget for a project
• Why do project managers write a proposal before embarking on the actual work?
• How often should the project manager meet to discuss the progress of a project?
• How to develop cost-effective projects in developed nations
• Discuss the various sources of primary funding for projects
• Why are communications skills necessary for any project?
• Compare and contrast the completion rate of government projects versus private projects.
• Discuss the authorization process of a project

Custom Project Management Research Paper Topics

• Discuss the roles of various officers involved in the running of a project
• What makes a particular project require a great number of resources?
• How to develop objectives and scope of work for different projects
• Analyze how the 24-hour economy is impacting the completing of massive projects
• Why it is important to determine the timing of an escalation in a project
• Should project managers remain engaged throughout the lifecycle of a project?
• Discuss some of the leadership qualities necessary for project management
• Why motivation is necessary for the completion of any project
• How to point out signs of retardation in a project
• The essence of addressing emerging issues in a project as soon as possible
• What are the differences at the micro and macro levels of a project?
• Steps involved in the termination process of a project

The Best Project Management Topics For Research

• Compare and contrast the procedural and mechanical parts of a project
• How to yield direct and proportional earnings from a project
• Management of a project during the economic recession
• Evaluate how COVID-19 restrictions impacted project management policies
• The role of integrating people and machines in the completion of projects
• Analyze the role of soft skills in project success rates
• How does cultural diversity impact project performance in the US?
• Why it is important to keep financial records in the implementation of a project
• Evaluate the design and implementation of projects
• A review of the stalled projects and why the project managers are to blame
• An in-depth analysis of procurement procedures in project management
• How organizational characters affect the development of a project

College Project Management Topics For Research Papers

• Investigate the organizational characteristics that affect project completion
• Identify cost-effective key performance indicators in a project?
• Social network analysis tools necessary for project management
• Discuss how emotional intelligence leads to the success of a project
• How to develop an effective project scheduling system for large projects
• Why standard operating procedures are necessary for effective projects
• The role of teamwork and collaboration in project completion
• Why quality control is necessary for any successful project
• Effective resource management techniques for technical projects
• Interpersonal skills that will make a project work
• Ethics involved in project management
• Discuss project mapping and progress reporting

Latest Research Topics For Project Management

• Are all project problems an indicator of more trouble to come?
• The role of identifying job descriptions in the success of projects
• Why it is necessary to incorporate staff retention and training in projects
• Evaluate the various project documentation processes
• How to develop better project control and management tools
• Discuss the differences between contractual and commercial management of projects
• Why delays and disruptions increase the cost of projects
• Impact of timely delivery of projects on economic development of countries
• Effects of sanctions of global projects
• Discuss conflict resolution practices in a particular project
• How to develop credit risk modeling techniques for projects
• Why appraisals and incentives are necessary for project success

Hot Research Project Topics In Business Management

• The role of business planning in a competitive environment
• How different business structures affect their development paradigms
• How to develop effective customer service strategies for businesses
• Why it is necessary to resolve employment issues before they escalate
• Inventory control practices in business management
• Discussing the necessity of keeping a keen eye on tax compliance in business establishments
• The role of record-keeping in the management of business ventures
• How to develop pricing structures that will keep the business afloat
• Discuss the peculiarities of merchandising and packaging
• Evaluate how insurance is necessary for any business
• Marketing strategies that will outshine competitors in a business setting
• How e-commerce is transforming project management in businesses

Innovative Topics For Project Management Research

• The role of decision making and problem-solving in project management
• Why technology and analytics are important components of successful projects
• How to use organizational culture to the benefit of project management
• How to manage international businesses using social media
• Discuss the role of entrepreneurs and founders in project development
• Effective operation strategies for developing projects
• How to adjust and adapt to organizational change
• Performance indicators that are necessary for competitive project management
• The role of feedback in the development of any commercial project
• Why personal productivity is necessary for any project management strategy
• Reasons why health and behavioral science are important in project management
• Discuss the effects of globalization on project management policies

Quality Research Topics In Management

• Discuss the role of government policies and regulations in project management
• How power and influence impact award of tenders for various projects
• Human rights to consider in project management
• The role of incubation hubs in project development
• Cross-functional management in projects
• Team member engagement in project management
• Legal issues in project management
• Political interference in development projects
• Evaluate various workspaces design
• Why should workplace health and safety be a priority in project management?
• Virtual teams and project management
• Why mission statements are necessary for project management

Construction Project Management Research Topics

• Best practices in digital project management
• How English as a language necessitates project management
• Online technologies that offer innovative project management ideas
• Student-centered symposiums in project management
• Cheap project management solutions that offer quality output
• The role of expatriates in development projects
• Discuss the four phases of project management
• How to manage change in a project
• Agile innovation methods for project success
• Quantitative tools for project management
• The revival of the construction project economy
• Developing sustainable construction projects
• The impact of building information modeling
• Collaborative work in project management

Want an Expert to Do Your Research?

Scoring top grades is no longer a wish but a reality with these topics. If you wish to hire professional dissertation writers for your project management task, type ‘do my thesis,’ Our writers will come through for you. Our writing assistance is all you need to ace your project management paper today!

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