UKTMN Guide to Efficient Trial Management

The UK Trial Managers’ Network (UKTMN) Guide to Efficient Trial Management is a comprehensive, practitioner‑authored reference aimed at people involved in managing non‑commercial, academic‑initiated randomised trials in the UK. Developed by a panel of experienced trial managers and overseen by the UKTMN Editorial Board, the guide is freely available and regularly updated, with Edition 7a released in 2024.

On the UKTMN website, the guide is presented as a downloadable document within the “Resources” section under “The Guide to Efficient Trial Management”. In addition to the guideline, the main resource page links to other resources that are open access, whereas others (such as webinars, the Leadership Programme and Trial Management Career Journey) are available to members only.

Content and coverage include:

• Description of the end‑to‑end process of managing randomised trials
• Overview of the trial management framework (legal, regulatory and operational)
• Pragmatic advice, hints, tips and worked examples for common trial management tasks
• References to external resources and further reading

The guide focuses predominantly on late‑phase, interventional, academic randomised trials, while also being useful for other types of studies where many management principles still apply. It is intended as a reference tool for both novice and experienced trial managers, and can be used to support induction and training of new staff or students considering a career in trial management.

For investigator‑initiated clinical studies, the guide is particularly useful because it directly addresses the practical realities of running non‑commercial, academic randomised trials within the UK regulatory framework, offering proportionate, experience‑based guidance that can be applied across trial planning, set‑up, conduct and closure.

The network has also developed another tool, the Competency Framework for Trial Management which is a downloadable excel file. Its aim is to address the lack of recognition of trial management as a profession and to encourage career development and training opportunities for novice, experienced and senior trial management professionals. The framework provides a structured way for trial managers to record their skills, monitor professional development and identify training needs across different career stages.