Clinical Research Network (CRN) update #4: the project manager is like the conductor of a large orchestra.

Skillful project management is necessary to capitalize on the strengths and benefits that a clinical network can provide. The inherent benefits of a research network include the opportunity to conduct several different multi-site randomized clinical trials and the ability to include participants from varying diagnostic groups. A talented project manager is crucial to the effective management of disparate but linked projects. The Foundation's $1.5 million Clinical Research Network (PTClinResNet) is a research study network of four projects designed to address the clinical question of how various muscle strengthening interventions reduce disability at the levels of function and quality of life in patients in four groups with different physical disabilities. The CRN project manager acts as the keystone of the study by efficiently and effectively managing these four different projects.

The CRN project manager has the large task of steering the PTClinResNet through its life cycle, from the proposal phase through the clinical trials and data analysis to the information dissemination stage. The main task of this manager is to ensure that productivity is maximized and the project comes to a successful completion by delicately balancing the competing demands of time, scope, and resources across the network.

Effective communication is critical to a successful network. The CRN project manager acts as the conduit through which crucial information flows efficiently and effectively among:

(1) the Coordinating Site (USC) and the project teams (STEPS, PEDALS, STOMPS, MUSSEL),

(2) the project teams and the Data Management Center (DMC),

(3) the DMC and the Coordinating Site, and

(4) the Coordinating Site and the Foundation for Physical Therapy.

The CRN project manager acts as the glue that holds the infrastructure of the clinical network together. The key skills this talented manager uses to achieve this goal are: exceptional organizational skills, the ability to see the big picture while not forgetting the details, and the ability to prioritize efficiently and effectively--in essence, the project manager is conducting a very large orchestra in the performance of a musical masterpiece.