If one genome is big, 100,000 genomes is overwhelmingly huge, and it’s Dr. Madeleine Ball’s job to keep all the data happy. Ball oversees data collection and the public data portals for the PGP, as their Director of Biology. This can be as awesomely geeky as tweaking python scripts to analyze data, or as mundane as packaging blood samples so they can be sent off to be biobanked.

To me, the most interesting stuff is in regard to data formats that only sound like standards.

One of Ball’s largest challenges is the lack of uniformity in personal health records (PHRs). The PGP program participants (who currently number in the low thousands) are very active, uploading all sorts of personal data such as PHRs, X-Rays, and MRI scans. Unfortunately, getting all that information into a consistent format is daunting. “Everyone has their own way of doing a health record,” says Ball, “And they all say, ‘Oh, we have electronic health records,’ as if it solves everything. That’s kind of like saying, ‘We all have Word documents;’ it doesn’t mean they’re all using the same coding systems.”

Danerys also shows another key quality of good project management: She constantly seeks to learn, and she frequently integrates new information into her plans. That allows her to take advantage of opportunities when they arise, where an inflexible project leader (say, King Joffrey) sees only distractions.

At one point, she tells her people, “I swear to you that those who would harm you will die screaming.” Remember that loyalty to your team is important, although threatening blood and fire might not work in the boardroom.