{
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    "title" : "3 Ways to Manage Research Projects Remotely |Digital.gov",
    "description": "3 Ways to Manage Research Projects Remotely",
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    {"title" :"3 Ways to Manage Research Projects Remotely","summary" : "Being a remote team doesn’t mean you should forgo any of your research rituals. It means finding different ways to do them.","date" : "2017-10-03T16:28:00-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"nicole-fenton" : "Nicole Fenton","jamie-albrecht" : "Jamie Albrecht"},"topics" : {
        
            "content-strategy" : "Content strategy",
            "design" : "Design",
            "product-and-project-management" : "Product and project management",
            "research" : "Research",
            "user-experience" : "User experience"
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      "filename" :"2017-10-03-3-ways-manage-research-projects-remotely.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2017/10/2017-10-03-3-ways-manage-research-projects-remotely.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2017/10/2017-10-03-3-ways-manage-research-projects-remotely.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2017/10/2017-10-03-3-ways-manage-research-projects-remotely.md","slug" : "3-ways-manage-research-projects-remotely","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2017/10/03/3-ways-manage-research-projects-remotely/","content" :"\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis post was originally published on the \u003ca href=\"https://18f.gsa.gov/2017/09/27/three-ways-to-manage-research-projects/\"\u003e18F blog\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt 18F, we have employees across the U.S. Over time, we’ve cultivated our \u003ca href=\"https://18f.gsa.gov/2015/10/15/best-practices-for-distributed-teams/\"\u003ebest practices for distributed teams\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https://methods.18f.gov/\"\u003edesign methods\u003c/a\u003e. Yet, doing research as a remote team is still really hard. Here are some things that we’ve found make it easier.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n        src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/business-communication-video-conference-stefanamer-istock-thinkstock-613539594.jpg\"alt=\"Six icons showing different types of video conferencing.\"/\u003e\u003cp\u003estefanamer/iStock/Thinkstock\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"use-tools-like-you-would-in-real-life\"\u003eUse tools like you would in real life\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeing a remote team doesn’t mean you should forgo any of your research rituals. It means finding different ways to do them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere are tools we use:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA virtual room like Google Hangouts or Appear.in\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMural or a similar sticky-note tool\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA collaborative writing tool like Google Docs to develop a report\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA project planning tool like Trello, Waffle, or ZenHub\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese tools almost make it feel like we’re in the same physical room — but it’s not perfect. We’ve been through those long hours of back-to-back video calls and hundreds of open browser tabs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTake regular breaks, together and separately. Food, water, and the occasional block of time to process what you’re learning make a big difference.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"schedule-coworking-time\"\u003eSchedule coworking time\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eResearch is not just for researchers. We believe \u003ca href=\"https://userresearch.blog.gov.uk/2014/08/06/have-you-had-your-recommended-dose-of-research/\"\u003eresearch is a team sport\u003c/a\u003e. Everyone should be involved in each step of the process. To guarantee that happens, schedule blocks of uninterrupted coworking time early in the project and during sprint planning sessions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou can learn a lot in a week. Use coworking time for:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWriting research plans and conversation guides\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConducting interviews\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://18f.gsa.gov/2016/08/16/what-happens-when-the-whole-team-joins-user-interviews/\"\u003eInviting the whole team including stakeholders to observe usability sessions and interviews\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSynthesizing and summarizing research\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUpdating your documentation with findings and project updates\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIdentifying potential design changes and priorities\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s okay if someone needs to miss a session. Meeting regularly will save you time and keep everyone in sync.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBring up research tasks in sprint planning, standups, retros, and demos, too. Make the work visible in your conversations and project management tools so your team understands how much time planning, running, and synthesizing research takes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eResearch isn’t a “phase” – it’s a discipline and a habit, and it’s not something you can shoehorn into an hour or two at the end of a sprint.\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n        src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/video-call-rawpixel-istock-thinkstock-508060428.jpg\"alt=\"Video conference call with one person on a laptop and four other people on the session.\"/\u003e\u003cp\u003eRawpixel/iStock/Thinkstock\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\n\u003ch2 id=\"set-up-a-shared-repository\"\u003eSet up a shared repository\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs you’re getting a research plan together, set up a wiki or shared repository to keep your hunches and findings in one place. Depending on the kinds of work you do, you may want to include the following sections:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProject plan\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eProblem statements\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHypotheses\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUser groups or personas\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eResearch goals or questions\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRecruiting email templates\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eConversation guides or scripts\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFindings and key quotes from users\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRecommendations\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBackground information or reading recommendations\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen you share research materials, always protect the anonymity of interviewees. Don’t include personally identifiable or sensitive information in your public repository, unless you have explicit permission.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYour documentation can continue to evolve as you learn more about your users. You may eventually want to include design principles or an editorial style guide. Here are a few examples from 18F:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://github.com/18F/doi-extractives-data/wiki\"\u003eDepartment of the Interior Extractives Data\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://github.com/18F/crime-data-explorer/wiki\"\u003eFBI Crime Data Explorer\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://github.com/18F/fec-testing/issues\"\u003eFederal Election Commission\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://github.com/18F/fs-online-permitting/wiki/Entry-research-(June-2017)\"\u003eForest Service ePermitting\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://github.com/18F/web-design-standards/wiki\"\u003eU.S. Web Design Standards\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://github.com/18F/18f.gsa.gov/wiki\"\u003e18F website\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSharing findings as you go along will help you stay focused on user needs and keep stakeholders engaged in the research process.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven though we’re a distributed team, we recognize that not all research methods work well remotely. For example, \u003ca href=\"https://methods.18f.gov/discover/contextual-inquiry/\"\u003econtextual inquiry\u003c/a\u003e is most valuable when you can observe people in their typical physical environment. Don’t skip out on face-to-face time between your users and fellow researchers. It will make the periods when you’re remote that much more effective.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHow do you manage remote research projects? Let us know on Twitter: \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/18F/\"\u003e@18F\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDisclaimer\u003c/strong\u003e: All references to specific brands and/or companies are used only for illustrative purposes and do not imply endorsement by the U.S. federal government or any federal government agency.\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}