The 3 – 5 Year plan: Having a plan is a good plan Piush Mandhane MD PhD FRCPC Interim Divisional Director and Associate Professor Pediatric Respiratory Medicine University of Alberta

Objectives Conflicts of interest Why do you need a 5 year plan A fantasy trip for your career What goes into a 5 year plan Conflicts of interest None to report

Sources of Data Little data on how to develop a 5 year plan Writing a research plan: Science; July 26, 2002 Planning your research program SERC Carleton University http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/research/plan.html Blogs The professor is in http://theprofessorisin.com/2014/05/02/why-you-need-a-5-year-plan/ Hook and eye http://www.hookandeye.ca/2014/05/your-five-year-research-plan-guest-post.html Personal Experience Advice from mentors Learning from my many mistakes Career 5 – year plan AHSA Lessons for Success 5 – year plan (pdf) http://www.asha.org/.../L4S/Lessons-for-Success-Research-Career-Plan-Guidelines.pdf 

Be Proactive not Reactive A 5-year plan is a map for your career as a research science professional provides a framework for your short term career with consideration of your long term goals demonstrate your intellectual vision and aspirations creative and independent thinking Not having a plan means that you are: Responding to what others want Not doing what you actually need to do or can achieve http://www.hookandeye.ca/2014/05/your-five-year-research-plan-guest-post.html http://theprofessorisin.com/2014/05/02/why-you-need-a-5-year-plan/

Control what you can control A research plan means controlling what you can. Control: Submit a grant or paper Not controllable: Peer review Not written in stone: Look up, evaluate, and adjust You’ll miss critical opportunities to publish, get funding, attend meetings, make connections if you spend too much time on the minutiae of your project http://www.hookandeye.ca/2014/05/your-five-year-research-plan-guest-post.html http://theprofessorisin.com/2014/05/02/why-you-need-a-5-year-plan/

Creating a 5-year plan for research What is the overarching theme of all of your research? What are the major topics that you will pursue over the next 3 years? 5 years? Pick a particular topic within your theme to which you plan to devote significant effort now or in the near future. List the “products” that you want to produce that fall within the topic of item Lather, rinse and repeat steps 3 and 4 http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/research/plan.html

Creating a Strategic Plan for Research Stage 1: Development Creating a Strategic Plan for Research Research theme:______________________ http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/research/plan.html Topic A: New or Continuing Plans for obtaining facilities or instruments Available Resources: Needed Resources: Plans for recruiting students and collaborators Stage 2: Implementation What to do if not funded? Beginning Field Work or Setting Up Laboratory Conducting Research Writing Proposals Stage 3: Dissemination Formal Publications Web Sites Initial Presentations Ph.D. Dissertations Student Projects New Research Ideas? Honors & M.S. Theses Independent Studies

Picking a research theme Choose an important subject that you are passionate about Science requires passion. If you aren't passionate about your work, find work you are passionate about. Passion is necessary, but insufficient for research success The work must be important. Believing in the importance of your own work, and Persuading others that your work is important. Consider both your own aspirations, expectations of your institution, expertise of your institution. Be specific.  Need an important goal with interesting, feasible approaches. Being specific is not the same thing as including loads of detail. Being specific means including only as much detail as the job requires But not too much detail that it confuses or bores the reader Writing a research plan: Science; July 26, 2002

Creating a 5-year plan for research Theme Major topics Differentiate graduate or post graduate research topics from ‘new’ areas of investigation. Products http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/research/plan.html

Identifying your major topics What you would like your research program to look like 5 years from now What will be the main focus of your research? What will be your subsidiary interests? What will your lab space be like? What equipment will you have, or have access to? How will you fund your research? Will your research program be integrated with your teaching / clinical? Planning a research program involves both identifying the research question(s) you want to pursue, and deciding what you want to accomplish in your pursuit of those questions. This worksheet is designed to help you focus on the latter – specific, measurable outcomes of your research program, and the timetable you will follow to achieve those outcomes. http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/research/plan.html

Consider the challenges and opportunities What support is available to you to help you achieve your major topics? What impediments stand in the way? Are they insurmountable? How much of your time and energy will they consume? What strategies will you try first to overcome any impediments? Do your major topics take advantage of opportunities that exist and appeal to you? Writing a research plan: Science; July 26, 2002

Carefully examine your major topics. Are they appropriately ambitious, considering your challenges and opportunities? Do they appeal to you? Can you see yourself happily working toward them? If not, go back to step one and revise them as necessary. You want a research program that motivates and excites you. Writing a research plan: Science; July 26, 2002

Creating a 5-year plan for research Theme Major topics Products Manuscripts, conference presentations, reports, field guides, books Networking goals: emerging new research or writing projects http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/research/plan.html

For each product, identify the following: Who will create these products Undergrad, MS, PhD, post doc, or you? Are the products of correct scope for your students or do you need to break them down into smaller pieces? What resources do you need to accomplish each of these projects? Equipment, supplies, funding, collaborations, space or field access List possible sources of funding, equipment Deadlines for completion, submission, and revision How is this ‘product’ related to the others? Do they naturally fall into a sequence that builds upon itself, or do they form a cluster around the central topic? http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/research/plan.html

http://serc. carleton. edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/research/plan http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/research/plan.html Project Role Partners Funders Dates CCHCSP

Intermediate goals Where will you need to be, a year from now, to accomplish your long-term goals? What do you need to accomplish this semester to get on track toward your long-term research program goals? What deadlines do you have /anticipate http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/research/plan.html

Short-term goals What will you do this month to make progress toward your research program goals? What will you do this week to make progress toward your research program goals? What deadlines do you have /anticipate http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/research/plan.html

Need, Nice, No Does your plan fit in with what you are doing already? What are you doing currently? Do they fit with your goals. Assigned priorities for your projects in light of your goals. Need: This is stuff you need to do Nice: This is stuff you want to do No: This is stuff you need to remove off your plate. http://www.hookandeye.ca/2014/05/your-five-year-research-plan-guest-post.html Tobi Kollman; UBC

Plot it out over time You have a list of your major topics and projects Assign priorities and timelines You have your list of “needs” and “nices” Put them together and find your busy and less busy periods Can you move things/projects around to make for more even work flow?

http://theprofessorisin.com/2014/05/02/why-you-need-a-5-year-plan/

Consider a Gantt Diagram

Use an APP – e.g. Anydo No affiliation

Stick to the plan Doing a plan shouldn’t be an occasion for guilt. We are all going to be surprised by opportunities in our work lives It’s a good idea to go back and review goals, shuffle priorities and revise the plan from time to time. From “The Professor is in”: “In sifting through the many reactions to the 5-year plan idea on facebook and twitter and in the comment stream to the post, I have gotten the impression that for many readers, the 5-year plan feels like a large, epic, “major life goals” kind of endeavor. But its really more of a “stay on top of deadlines” kind of endeavor. Staying on top of deadlines is exactly what allows a person to achieve huge life goals.” Success is 10% inspiration, and 90% perspiration Thomas Edison http://www.hookandeye.ca/2014/05/your-five-year-research-plan-guest-post.html http://theprofessorisin.com/2014/05/02/why-you-need-a-5-year-plan/

Thanks Dr. Mark Inman: Mentor Dr. Norm Rosenblum: Mentor Pick an important topic that you can own Dr. Norm Rosenblum: Mentor “Fire in the belly” Dr. Tobi Kollman: Collaborator Need/Nice/No Dr. Dean Befus: Mentor Gantt diagrams

Creating a 5-year plan for research What is the overarching theme of all of your research? Consider both your own aspirations and the expectations of your institution. What are the major topics that you will pursue over the next 3 years? 5 years? Differentiate graduate or post graduate research topics from ‘new’ areas of investigation. Name a particular topic within your theme to which you plan to devote significant effort now or in the near future. List the “products” that you want to produce that fall within the topic of item Manuscripts, conference presentations, reports, field guides, books Networking goals: emerging new research or writing projects For each product, identify the following: Who will create these products (undergrad, MS, PhD, post doc, or you)? Are the products of correct scope for your students or do you need to break them down into smaller pieces? What resources (equipment, supplies, funding, collaborations, space or field access) do you need to accomplish each of these projects? List possible sources of funding, equipment Deadlines for completion, submission, and revision How is this ‘product’ related to the others? Do they naturally fall into a sequence that builds upon itself, or do they form a cluster around the central topic? Lather, Rinse, Repeat

When we are successful, it feels great When we are successful, it feels great. When we’re not, at least planning means that we can choose another path and learn from what happened. Our sense of self-worth does not have to be keyed to how successful we are, but to how we are working to realize our goals. And no matter what, the decisions we make can be in line with what our values are, and what kind of people we want to be, at work and in the other parts of our lives.