Do you ever find yourself in meetings sketching out how the next major project should be structured or how a complex issue could be resolved—even when it’s not technically part of your role? Do you naturally gravitate toward bringing order to moving pieces and taking the lead when things feel unclear? If so, the universe may be telling you that you’re already a project manager, no matter what your current job title says.
Whether such clues are guiding you toward an “it was meant to be” career change, or you have already made the switch but want to know more about what you’ve gotten yourself into, you can take a deep dive into how the project manager role fits into the clinical research enterprise during a full-day ACRP 2026 Workshop in Orlando in April. Leading the adventure in “Clinical Trials Project Management from Fundamentals to Real-World Application” will be Beth Bieze, MA, CCRA, ACRP-PM, FACRP, Clinical Quality Management Director, ProTrials Research Inc., and Jennifer McLeland, PhD, CCRA, CCRC, ACRP-PM, RPSGT, FACRP, Manager, Division of Clinical Research, Washington University School of Medicine.
“If you’re co-leading your first project with others or even stepping up as a solo project manager, this workshop equips you with the skills and tools to succeed,” says Bieze. “Working through a Phase II trial scenario, we’ll explore essential project management competencies for clinical research—communication, conflict resolution, critical thinking, negotiation, emotional intelligence, time management, and budgeting—from both the site and sponsor/contract research organization perspectives.”
The session covers how to create and manage core project tools—project plans, timelines, budgets, RACI charts (responsible, accountable, consulted, informed), risk management plans, communication plans, and resourcing plans. Attendees will leave with practical, hands-on experience and a toolkit to lead projects confidently—driving efficiency, fostering collaboration, and making a measurable impact in clinical research project management.
“You will know that you should officially be a project manager when you get excited about the chance to perform a higher level task that allows you to flex your project management skills,” says McLeland. “If naysayers don’t stop you from moving forward and reaching your and the project’s goal because you know you and your team can do it, that’s another sign of the role you should be in.”
Something that most project managers didn’t know about the specialty before they got into it themselves is that you never stop learning—and you probably learn the most from the people who work “for” you, Bieze and McLeland note.
But before taking the leap, Bieze offers some signs of caution that you probably need more experience in certain competencies before you apply for that project manager opening:
- If you are having trouble grasping all the terminology that’s being used and/or you’re not familiar with all the technology the team is using, you probably need some additional experience.
- Different companies use different terms and different technology for project management—so the role’s not a universal fit from setting to setting. “There are translatable skills, but you should get familiar with the ‘environment’ you’re working in before you jump in the deep end,” Bieze says. “You want to be able to swim first. Not having a grasp on the basics of the organization can be a serious deficit, and trying to play catch-up when you’re managing a busy project can be really difficult.”
Another consideration centers on the best way to approach telling an organization that you’re working with that it really needs a project manager for a project that’s under consideration or already underway.
Clinical Trials Project Management from Fundamentals to Real-World Application
Join Beth and Jennifer at ACRP 2026 [April 24-27; Orlando, Fla.] as they explore essential project management competencies for clinical research—communication, conflict resolution, critical thinking, negotiation, emotional intelligence, time management, and budgeting. View complete schedule.
“If there are too many voices trying to lead and no consensus on how things should be done, it’s time for a project manager,” McLeland says. “When more time is spent discussing how something should be accomplished than actually getting it done, a project manager is needed to organize the team and keep everyone on track.”
The ACRP 2026 Workshops will be held on Friday, April 24, one day before the Full Conference starts. They are not included with Full Conference registration and require a separate fee. In addition to Bieze and McLeland’s workshop, the complete lineup of ACRP 2026 Workshops includes full-day gatherings on “Mastering Patient Recruitment in Today’s Clinical Research Landscape,” “Top 10 Lessons from ICH E6(R3) Implementation: Insights, Pitfalls, and Change Strategies,” and “Your Blueprint for Inspection Readiness.”
Edited by Gary Cramer
