by Dan Blade

Created on: March 14, 2010

Completing a study for a program is a common task project managers have to take on. Studies are important because they may determine future decisions for the organization.

When an individual or group of individuals are assigned to conduct a study, the task may seem overwhelming at first. However by following a few simple steps any individual can be quickly on their way  to completing a comprehensive and easy to follow study.

If you find yourself tasked with a study, here are some easy to follow steps to try in order to put together a good study:

*Outline the problem

Outlining the problem is the first step. However, it is important to also determine the scope of the study and the guidance needed from higher ups. There is no sense conducting a study on oranges when your company only deals with apples.  

*Develop a Timeline and Stick to it

The last thing your company needs is the study completed with no chance to use the information to make a decision on future actions. This would be like reporting a imminent threat of cyber-attack a week after a virus has disabled the computer network. 

If  you start to fall behind you will need to address the issue with company leadership to get an extension, or start cutting parts of the research program in order to meet the deadline.

*Form a Small Study Team 

This is your core group that will put everything the study needs together. These are your trusted agents and need to know all the guidance and parameters of the study as these individuals will be your representative at the working groups

*Form Working Groups

A working group for each area of the project needs to be assigned. The study lead heads up the project and assistance leads attend to each working group.

Working Groups should be composed of a wide array of expertise from across the subject area. This is where the "heavy lifting" of the study is done.  All the issues are addressed and the recommendations are developed through working groups

*Accountability of Working Groups

Each working group needs to maintain their scope and not overshadow other working groups.  In part this is your responsibility and the responsibility of the working group leads, who should be reporting to you regularly if you are not able to attend consistently. 

Once all the working groups have completed their portions the results need to be pulled together into as draft report that makes sense.

*Vetting

This is the conditional release of the report to both the members of the working groups and subject matter experts that were not directly involved in the study.  Once comments are gathered and adjudicated the report is able to be finalized.

*Final Products

Normally a study will result in a minimum of a briefing for the company and a overall report for detailed actions to be taken.  It is important that the briefing is a accurate summary of the report.

Studies for a program can present a difficult challenge, especially with a short suspense and many tasks to be completed.  By cutting up the study into smaller manageable areas, the study can be done well and within the allotted time. 

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