MANAGING THE FORMATION OF A RESEARCH PROJECT TEAM BASED ON A COMPETENCY- AND RISK-BASED APPROACH

Abstract

This article examines the issue of forming a research project team, taking into account the competencies of potential participants and the staffing risks that arise and may change during the course of carrying out research tasks. It is argued that the effectiveness of a research project depends to a large extent not only on the professional qualifications of the specialists involved, but also on the alignment of their competencies with the content and complexity of specific tasks, their current workload, the criticality of individual competencies, and the potential for staffing risks to arise. The paper identifies the advisability of moving from a traditional approach to team formation – which focuses primarily on the formal qualifications of team members – to a competence-risk approach, which ensures a comprehensive consideration of the aforementioned parameters. A competence-risk model for forming a research project team is proposed, based on a matrix of ‘research task – required competences – team member – workload – staffing risk’. The model involves defining competency requirements for each research task, assessing the extent to which potential team members’ competencies meet the established requirements, taking into account their actual workload, and evaluating personnel risks. Particular attention is paid to critical competencies, the shortage or loss of which may significantly affect the timelines, quality and feasibility of individual tasks and the research project as a whole. The main groups of staffing risks characteristic of research projects have been identified, and a sequence for team formation has been proposed, based on an integrated assessment of competency alignment and the level of staffing risk. This approach allows potential team members to be compared not on the basis of a single characteristic, but according to a set of interrelated criteria, and enables their allocation across research tasks to be justified. The application of the proposed model helps to improve the soundness of staffing decisions, reduce the project’s dependence on individual key personnel, ensure a more rational allocation of human resources, and guarantee the stability of the team throughout the life cycle of a research project. The proposed approach can be used as a basis for developing methods and tools to support decision-making regarding the formation and subsequent management of research project teams.