Using Excel in project managementHoang Bao Long, M.D.

Clinical Research Coordinator

Oxford University Clinical Research Unit

Research project management

Pre-implementation

> Regulatory documents

> Human resources

> Facilities

> Coordination planning

During implementation

> Site checking visits

> Facilities (cont.)

> Data verification

> Data entry & management

> Monitoring

Post-implementation

> Inventory checking

> Data management

> Close-out procedures

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Questions during implementation

Patients enrolled/followed

• How many per site?

• How many per month/week?

Facilities

• How many CRFs/files left?

• How many kits/lab consumables left?

Samples

• How many collected/transferred/stored?

• Any mismatches?

Progress update

• Anyone without training?

• Any monitoring visits to conduct?

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Why to question?

• Progress update:

• Is the study running smoothly? Any sites behind?

• All samples transferred and stored? Any samples missing?

• Inventory check:

• Continuous provision of study facilities

• Limited capacities at study sites

• Better for management of study consumables/inventory

• Handover minutes (related to finance)

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Example: Nga’s CRP study

• Research question: Effectiveness of CRP POC test on antibiotic

prescription rate in patients with mild-to-moderate acute

respiratory infection.

• RCT, 10 sites (9 OPCs & Ba Vi hospital), control:intervention 1:1,

adult:children 1:1

• Targets: 2000 patients (200/site)

• Monitoring visits: 1st – 20 pts; 2nd – 100 pts; 3rd – 200 pts

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Example: Nga’s CRP study

CRP test (site)

Urine sample

CRP test (site)

DAY 0 DAY 3-5 DAY 14

Enrollment (site) Follow-up (site) Interview (OUCRU)

Update study

status

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Example: Nga’s CRP study

• How many patients enrolled / come back for follow-up /

interviewed? (per site / per month)

• How many urine samples collected? Any mismatches (patients come

for follow-up but no urine samples, patients not come for follow-up but have urine

samples)

• How many consumables left? (CRFs, ICFs, urine containers, kits, lancets, tips)

• How many CRFs entered to CliRes?

• Any sites need training? Reached targets for monitoring?

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Using database in project management

• 2-dimension table: the simplest way

• Concepts:

1. Field (columns)

2. Record (rows)

3. Key

• Parameters:

• Raw parameters: direct input from

files/CRFs

• Calculated parameters: based on raw

data

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1

2

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Excel in project management

STRENGTHS

• Good way to create 2-dimension tables

• Functions: rapid calculation of parameters

• Pivot Table & Pivot Chart: a good tool for summary

• Filter: quick access to a subset of records

• More visual than other biostatistical softwares

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Excel in project management

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Excel in project management

WEAKNESSES

• Unable to perform customized and complex summary

• Tricky to unexperienced users (requires knowledge about database

management and functions)

• Very limited reference to other databases

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A new feature since Excel 2007: Tables

• Previous versions: “Area”

• Complicated reference

• Need redefining if the dataset is expanded

• Since Excel 2007: “Table”

• Simple reference: tables and fields have names

• Recognized in every sheet

• Automatically expand when a new field/record is added

• Formulas become universal

Demo: Academic Meeting Demonstration.xlsx

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Designing database

STEP 1: PLAN YOUR MANAGEMENT

• Your questions output data

• Output data input data

• Examples:

• How many patients enrolled per site/month?

• How many CRFs left?

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Designing database

STEP 2: CREATE TABLES

• Create fields for raw parameters (site, date of enrollment, number of

delivered CRFs)

• Create fields for calculated parameters

• Year of enrollment = YEAR([@Date of Enrollment])

• Month of enrollment = MONTH([@Date of Enrollment])

• Remaining No of CRFs = COUNTIFS(…) – COUNTIFS(…)

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Generating reports

• Reporting tables:

• Making use the same principles with other source tables

• Visual (changes seen immediately)

• Can be customized using functions

• Pivot Table/Chart:

• A rapid way to generate reports

• Need to refresh when changing source tables

• Limited customization to some predefined functions

Demo: 05HN CRF Log.xlsx

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Summary

• Resources management is important.

• Timely provision of facilities and support

• Avoid regulatory and financial issues

• Management has to be continuously done.

• Excel: a preliminary but good tool to manage research projects.

• Effective features: tables (since Excel 2007), functions, filter, pivot

table/chart.

• Users need to learn database management and Excel.

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THE ENDThank you for listening!