Who hasn’t experienced this? You’re working with a teammate on something, and somehow, it feels like you’re doing all the work. The small part they’re supposed to contribute ends up being delivered in a way that falls far short of expectations. If that already sounds like a nightmare, try leading a project with multiple collaborators—it can easily escalate into compounded frustration.
So what can you do? You might be the project lead, but you’re not the boss of your colleagues. How do you exert influence? One thing is clear: wielding a metaphorical broadsword to make sweeping changes won’t work. Instead, successful collaboration requires adhering to a few key principles.
A Collaboration Project Is, Above All, a Project
It needs to be treated as such. Assuming that everyone involved knows what to do—and will do it—is a mistake. Leading a project with multiple research groups across different locations requires rigorous project management. Certain elements are essential for this:
Alignment and Clarity
Everyone involved in the project needs to understand, throughout its duration, where it’s heading and why their contribution is critical to its success. This starts at the beginning but doesn’t stop there. A clear framework is crucial. For instance, the NIH Memorandum of Understanding Template can serve as a foundational document. Here you can find one version, but there are much more out there: Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) for Collaborating Institutions | OLAW
This template should be supplemented with a project charter and a detailed task distribution plan. Defining responsibilities is critical; otherwise, you create an environment where everyone relies on someone else. It’s also important to emphasize that outstanding individual performance is required to achieve excellent team results. Everyone must pull their weight.
At the outset, the team can collectively define:
- Acceptance criteria: What defines a completed task?
- Communication protocols: How will delays or issues be communicated?
- Escalation strategies, etc.
By starting with this level of clarity, it becomes much harder to underdeliver or fail to raise a red flag when problems arise.
Communication: Frequent and Regular
I understand the hesitation to bother colleagues too often. But let’s face it: many projects fail because of irregular or insufficient communication. I’ve yet to see a project succeed when team members only touch base every few months. Why should multi-center collaborations be any different?
If you were working with a lab right next door, would you only exchange updates every few months? Of course not!
Projects thrive on frequent and consistent updates, especially when tasks are divided across multiple teams or locations. When team members are inherently dependent on one another to produce results, communication naturally becomes part of the workflow. However, this dynamic doesn’t exist when work can be done in isolation, with outputs only assembled at the end. For this reason, regular project status meetings are absolutely crucial. Ideally, the entire team should convene every two weeks to provide updates on progress, discuss any challenges, and plan the next steps.
This approach achieves two important goals:
- It subtly reinforces the project’s priority, ensuring it doesn’t lose momentum simply because it’s “out of sight, out of mind.”
- It enhances accountability, as everyone becomes more conscious of their responsibilities and contributions.
In between these scheduled meetings, asynchronous communication tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Asana can facilitate quick clarifications and smooth day-to-day collaboration. These tools are especially useful for resolving smaller issues that don’t require a formal meeting.
The ultimate goal of this communication structure is transparency. At any point during the project, all team members should have a clear understanding of the project’s status, individual contributions, and areas where additional support may be required. Only with this level of clarity can the team collectively overcome challenges and drive the project toward success.
Establishing Responsibilities
Congratulations on reaching the position of project leader for such a collaboration! With this achievement, however, comes the responsibility to guide the project effectively. You are expected to take on the role of assigning tasks, setting deadlines, sending reminders, and following up as needed.
Yes, this is challenging—and yes, it can be exhausting. But it’s also the only way to ensure that all participants stay on track and deliver their contributions. Some of the burden can be mitigated by establishing rigorous responsibilities from the outset.
Despite this, the collaboration still remains your “baby.” As the project lead, you are ultimately responsible for its overall success. This means you must actively manage the project, ensuring that everything stays on track.
While writing these lines, an idea struck me: One potential way to reduce your workload of project management is to engage an external project manager. This individual could take over much of the logistical coordination, such as monitoring progress, sending reminders, and ensuring accountability. Moreover, as a neutral party, they would bring an unbiased perspective to evaluating the team’s performance and resolving any disputes. However, securing such a resource would depend on whether your funding proposal allows for this additional role.
By rigorously defining responsibilities and streamlining project management, you can create an environment where everyone is clear about their contributions, deadlines are respected, and the collaboration runs smoothly.
Urgency: No Progress Without Deadlines
People rarely work at full capacity when deadlines are far off. Do you dedicate intense effort to a task with a deadline months away? I don’t.
That’s why creating a sense of urgency through short-term goals and milestones is so effective. Breaking the project into smaller, actionable steps keeps progress tangible and motivation high. For example, instead of “Complete Part A of the manuscript by the end of the year,” say, “Finish the methods section within two weeks.”
By framing deliverables this way, you provide team members with achievable goals, making the overall project less overwhelming and encouraging consistent progress.
One of my favorite strategies for eliciting timely feedback is to include a clause like, “Silence will be considered approval.” Of course, I phrase it more diplomatically, but the message is clear: if you don’t provide your input by the deadline, you forfeit the opportunity to make changes. Embedding such policies in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) or similar agreements ensures everyone is aware of and adheres to these principles from the start.
Conflicts and Cultural Differences
Even with the best planning, things can still go awry. Conflicts are inevitable but can often be mitigated if addressed early. Here are some strategies:
- Address issues directly: Don’t ignore minor problems—deal with them immediately before they escalate.
- Consider cultural differences: In international collaborations, misunderstandings can arise from varying expectations or communication styles. For instance, my direct, no-nonsense approach can sometimes clash with cultures that prioritize harmonious communication. However, a simple conversation to clarify intentions can go a long way in fostering mutual understanding.
In summary, successful collaborations require:
- Clear alignment on goals and responsibilities
- Frequent and transparent communication
- Proactive management of deadlines
- Sensitivity to cultural and interpersonal dynamics
By implementing these principles, you can minimize frustration and significantly enhance the likelihood of a successful and rewarding outcome.