ELNs, LIMs, and project management

I finally have to jump into a different part of the data management pool–project management. For the past year I have been intermittently asked about electronic lab notebooks and options for them in basic science research. Over the past month I have had office hours flyers up in my basic science building and it caught the eye of a core resource department. They are a fee for service core that needs some help in project management and called me.

My experience with electronic lab notebooks has been minimal. What I have seen so far is that the are too inflexible for practical use, or too expensive for implementation on a single lab level. But with this inquiry, it’s finally time to do some serious looking into the field and seeing what’s available. This group has specific needs, complicated by the need for billing and integration into our network. But it may be possible.

I am waiting to hear back from the about what they want the next step to be. But this also is relevant to me. I am looking at project management software as well. I have tried OneNote and couldn’t stick with it. I am looking at various others. I don;t want a steep learning curve and I need something where I can see everthing at a glance. I’ve tried Trello and am tempted by Basecamp. There are a ton of options out there, but I am trying to limit myself to free options.

This will be a good exploration. Many of my researchers need this kind of management. As far as I know, no one is looking at this type of thing at our university. I need it for personal reasons, but others need it for core groups and institutions. Also, students desperately need structured project management skills. Not many institutions have implemented this kind of software either. I’m not on the leading edge, but there will be room to grow.