Your team member keeps missing deadlines for research tasks. How can you effectively address this issue?

Inicialmente, antes de qualquer julgamento, é essencial analisar a causa raiz dos problemas. Às vezes, o atraso é apenas a ponta do iceberg. Com um conhecimento aprofundado de cada membro da equipe, torna-se mais fácil identificar se algo está desviando o foco e impedindo que o profissional entregue seu melhor. Embora desejemos deixar os problemas pessoais de lado, sabemos que isso nem sempre é fácil. É importante ter sensibilidade e empatia para compreender essas situações.

To address missed deadlines for research tasks effectively, start by understanding the reasons behind the delays and discussing them privately with the team member. Clarify expectations clearly and collaboratively set SMART goals for future tasks. Provide necessary support and resources, monitor progress closely, and offer feedback and encouragement. Emphasize the consequences of continued delays while maintaining a supportive approach to foster improvement and meet project deadlines efficiently

Before jumping to conclusions, it's crucial to assess the situation thoroughly. Speak with the team member to understand the reasons behind missed deadlines, whether personal issues, unclear instructions, or unrealistic workloads. Identifying the root cause allows you to provide tailored support, helping them overcome obstacles rather than simply chastising them.

Um passo importante para toda a equipe é entender suas atividades e o impacto que elas geram na empresa. Fortalecer o senso de dono de cada integrante resulta em um time mais engajado e consciente das entregas, respeitando prazos e a relevância de cada tarefa. Já vivi cenários desafiadores com muitas oportunidades de melhoria, mas não é possível fazer tudo ao mesmo tempo. Por isso, definir expectativas realistas faz toda a diferença para cumprir prazos. Entenda o momento de cada colaborador, trabalhem juntos e aproveitem as oportunidades de crescimento que surgirem.

Set clear expectations after identifying the issue. Emphasize the importance of deadlines and ensure the team member understands their responsibilities. Listen to their concerns and collaborate on a realistic plan.

Monitor progress with regular check-ins and supportive guidance. Foster open communication to address challenges promptly and show your ongoing support.

Acknowledge effort when deadlines are met and discuss ways to improve if missed. Provide specific, actionable feedback that fosters learning and growth.

Typically, the research projects are knowledge exploration and discovery intensive and hence the network of dependency is highly complex. An issue in one node will have impact to multiple nods. So as a research manager, it is important to develop the Dependency-Network and monitor regularly to avoid timeline impacts. Second point is not every researcher members are full time task owners. Meaning if you have a PhD scholar as a team member, apart from the contribution to the research project, he/she will have to do academic responsibilities. Same for the research professors or Industry research experts. These known unknowns should be accommodated while designing the research strategy.