Research process management is a look at how we adapt all of the skills and methods we can bring to bear to fit our current needs. How well we can encounter new types of situations and project a reasonable and realistic approach.

A key indicator of maturity in the role is how well a researcher has internalized the essentials of the "formal" research process, and how well you can play with the activities, order of events, checkpoints, and team dynamics to ensure the project succeeds.

Craft skill development is a function of knowledge, practice, and reflection. This human skill works similarly, but it's a function of knowledge, practice, and reflection scoped to the entirety of research projects or efforts, as they fit into whatever larger context eventually creates them.