How to Build Your ResearchOps Function from Scratch

By Philip Burgess | UX Research Leader

Starting a ResearchOps function can feel overwhelming. When I first faced this challenge, I didn’t have a clear roadmap. I knew research was crucial for product success, but organizing it efficiently was a puzzle. Over time, I learned that building ResearchOps is about creating a system that supports research activities, making them smoother and more impactful. If you’re ready to build your ResearchOps function from scratch, I’ll share practical steps and lessons from my experience.

Organized research workspace with documents and tools

Understand What ResearchOps Means for Your Team

ResearchOps is the set of practices, tools, and processes that support research teams. It’s not just about managing studies but about creating an environment where research can thrive. Before you start, clarify what your team needs:

• How many researchers are there?

• What types of research do you conduct (qualitative, quantitative, mixed)?

• What tools do you currently use, and what gaps exist?

• How do stakeholders access and use research findings?

  
  

Answering these questions helps you tailor your ResearchOps function to your team’s unique needs.

Start Small with Clear Priorities

When I began, I focused on a few key areas instead of trying to solve everything at once. Here are some priorities that made a big difference early on:

• Participant recruitment and management: Create a database or system to track participants, their profiles, and availability. This saves time and improves recruitment quality.

• Research repository: Build a central place where all research reports, notes, and recordings live. This makes it easier for everyone to find and reuse insights.

• Scheduling and coordination: Use shared calendars and tools to streamline study planning and avoid conflicts.

  
  

By focusing on these areas first, I reduced friction and freed up researchers to focus on their work.

Choose Tools That Fit Your Workflow

Selecting the right tools is critical. I recommend starting with tools your team already knows or that integrate well with your existing systems. For example:

• Use spreadsheets or simple databases for participant tracking.

• Use cloud storage or knowledge management platforms for research repositories.

• Use calendar apps with shared access for scheduling.

  
  

Avoid investing in complex software before you understand your team’s workflow. You can always upgrade tools later as your ResearchOps matures.

Define Clear Roles and Responsibilities

Even if you’re a small team, defining who handles what keeps things running smoothly. In my experience, having a dedicated ResearchOps lead or coordinator helps maintain focus. This person can:

• Manage participant recruitment

• Maintain the research repository

• Coordinate study schedules

• Train new team members on processes

  
  

If you don’t have a dedicated person, distribute these tasks clearly among team members to avoid confusion.

Whiteboard showing a ResearchOps workflow with tasks and responsibilities

Build Processes That Scale

Processes should be simple but scalable. For example, create templates for:

• Consent forms and participant communication

• Research plans and reports

• Data storage and privacy compliance

  
  

Standardizing these documents saves time and ensures consistency. As your team grows, these processes will help onboard new members quickly and maintain quality.

Foster Collaboration and Communication

ResearchOps is not just about tools and processes; it’s about people working together. Encourage regular check-ins and knowledge sharing. I found that weekly syncs where researchers and ResearchOps coordinators discuss upcoming studies and challenges build trust and improve coordination.

Also, make research findings accessible to the whole organization. Use newsletters, presentations, or internal websites to share insights. This increases the impact of research and helps justify the investment in ResearchOps.

Measure and Improve Continuously

Once your ResearchOps function is running, track what works and what doesn’t. Collect feedback from researchers and stakeholders regularly. For example:

• Are participant recruitment times improving?

• Is the research repository easy to use?

• Are studies running on schedule?

  
  

Use this feedback to refine processes and tools. Continuous improvement keeps ResearchOps aligned with your team’s evolving needs.