Wandering Scientist this week outlines the role of a project manager, saying that "if you are going to tackle multiple projects at once, or even just a single long and complicated project, someone probably has to forgo work doing the hands-on technical and/or scientific work altogether and focus on project management full time." Among the project manager's responsibilities, she says, are knowing project deadlines (and the consequences of failing to meet them), knowing when and where compromises are necessary, knowing "the tasks that need to be completed in order to get the project done, and … their interdependencies," managing communication among all members of a team, acting as a single source for all project information for senior management ("try to protect your team's time," she says), knowing and tracking the project budget, and keeping an "eye on your team's state of mind and availability."

Because she fell into the role, Wandering Scientist says she knows most researchers are less than enthusiastic about taking on the project manager's job. However, she adds, without project managers, "your projects will probably finish late and/or over budget, if they finish at all."