A Research Skills Evolution

Key Insights

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  The Research Skills Framework was developed with input from almost 500 researchers across 30 cities worldwide.

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  The framework divides skills into 47 craft skills and 13 human skills, treating both as equally important.

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  Human skills in research, often labeled as 'soft skills,' are essential for making research usable and impactful within organizations.

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  Product analytics is a highly desirable skill that researchers want to develop more than they currently use it.

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  Research evangelization—the act of amplifying and sharing research within organizations—is rated as the most useful skill by experienced researchers.

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  Researcher growth progresses from focusing on individual task execution to influencing teams, products, and entire organizations.

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  Simon Wardley’s value chain and mapping techniques are adapted to visualize research skill development and organizational impact.

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  Foundational skills like coordination and data management remain necessary but should be delegated or streamlined to free time for strategic research work.

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  ResearchOps emerges as a function to manage foundational research tasks to help researchers focus on higher-order work.

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  The framework enables practical applications such as team retrospectives using skill mapping and the creation of adaptable research playbooks.

Notable Quotes