Creating a project management plan includes:

  • A Project Charter: A document that outlines the purpose, scope, stakeholders, and roadmap for a project.
  • A RACI chart: Defining who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, or Informed throughout the project.
  • A Risk Register: Determining the risks throughout the project and how to mitigate them.
  • A Project Timeline: A timeline will include projected start and end times along with the time periods and due dates for all key activities and milestones.

To get students thinking about project management terminology the following Graduate Project Management Template has been adapted from project management templates used across USask in combination with the roadmap found in the USask Grad Hub and the Student Supervisor Agreement. The Template is intended to be adapted for each department’s purpose. Some lines may be deleted while you may need to add other sections.

It will be advantageous to walk students/postdocs through this document to areas they may not have thought of. For example, do their expectations align with their supervisor’s expectations? Similarly, by having them make a timeline for their research, they will readily see when they have overlapping and even competing priorities.

All graduate students/postdocs leave with project management skills. However, their ability to articulate them and refine them will depend on how intentionally they are fostered throughout their studies.

Project Management Terminology

Note the template below is just one option. Every company will have its own version of a Project Charter and accompanying documents to use.

Project Charter Template

A project charter is a document that outlines the goals, scope, and stakeholders of a project. This resource is a sample project charter template that could be used for a graduate program. Although it contains a RACI matrix, a project timeline, and a risk register, each aspect can be covered individually.
RACI Tool

A RACI tool is used to clarify roles and responsibilities within a project. RACI is an acronym for determining who is Responsible and Accountable and who needs to be Consulted and Informed. This resource will help students determine a list of project tasks, determine key stakeholders and rights holders, and use a RACI matrix to clarify who is responsible and accountable and needs to be consulted, and informed for each task.
Project Milestones and Timelines

This resource can be used to support graduate students/postdocs in making a list of project tasks, determining milestones and key deliverables, and setting start and end dates for each task.
Risk Register

This activity can be used to guide students through creating a list of assumptions about the success of a project, using rating parameters to identify high-risk areas and determine strategies needed to mitigate the potential risk.
Calculating the Cost of Human Resources

The expense associated with human resources frequently constitutes the most significant portion of a project’s budget. Through this exercise, students will get a chance to quantify the indirect investment in human resources, including their own time, dedicated to facilitating their success. This is a good exercise to clarify assumptions about roles and responsibilities and the realities of available time.

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