October 14, 2025

CRO Team Continuity and Transparency: “Will I Actually Be Working with this SME?”

While factors like timelines and study budgets are important criteria in choosing a CRO, the success of your trial ultimately relies heavily on the actual people doing the work.

With that in mind, the best CRO study teams will include individuals that have firsthand experience supporting trials and overcoming challenges that are similar to those which your study may encounter.

Table of Contents:

Why continuity creates better outcomes for sponsors
The problem with the CRO bait and switch
Actions taken by a CRO that prioritizes study team consistency
If changes do occur

Why continuity creates better outcomes for sponsors

When the same team members stay on a study from startup through closeout, sponsors benefit in several key ways:

Maintaining historical context:

When study teams remain consistent, it’s easier to preserve context and apply accumulated knowledge to ongoing decisions. This continuity also extends across partnerships. For instance, PharPoint often staffs repeat clients with the same personnel who already understand a sponsor’s program, preferences, communication style, and expectations.

Avoiding disruption:

Turnover, particularly when it’s frequent or otherwise poorly managed, can derail timelines and stall communication. Continuity helps prevent the need to re-align on expectations, re-train new team members, and catch new staff up on the dynamics and challenges previously faced.

Building relationships:

A consistent team has built relationships with the sponsor, sites, and other study teammates and vendors, allowing for stronger collaboration and faster problem-solving.

The problem with the CRO bait and switch

Both sponsors and CROs know the value a teammate with applicable niche expertise can bring to the table. However, if this value is primarily flaunted as a sales tactic, it can inadvertently lead to a bait and switch down the line.

EXAMPLE:

Perhaps you’re introduced to a lead who’s a perfect fit for your study during a bid defense meeting. You trust this lead’s expertise and recognize that they’d be an asset to your team. You sign a contract with this CRO and begin work with them a few months later… only to discover that the lead you initially met is nowhere to be found.

Alternatively, perhaps this lead DOES start a trial with you. Your study kicks off smoothly. Suddenly, a few months down the line you get an email introduction to someone new – you discover your initial lead was pulled from the team mid-trial to support a larger opportunity, instead.

Even when sponsors are aware of the potential for a bait and switch, it can be difficult to mitigate. While contractual clauses to approve team changes, for example, might help in some instances, these protections rarely extend to the initial promises made in early sales conversations.

So, what can be done?

The Actions Taken by a CRO That Prioritizes Study Team Consistency

PharPoint often hears from biopharma leaders who have been “burned” by the bait and switch.

We believe transparency and mutual respect are the foundation of every good sponsor-CRO relationship. This foundation begins in early interactions before a contract is even signed.

What does this foundational approach look like in action? At PharPoint, it includes things like:

Early interactions for clarity and operational strategy, not just sales:

PharPoint’s early discussions with sponsors bring in operational leadership often and prioritize clarity and alignment of expectations. When we propose a specific named lead to a sponsor, it’s because we’re confident that they’ll be available and well-matched to meet study needs throughout the study lifecycle. If it’s too early to commit specific resources (e.g., perhaps you’re still seeking funding and your study is >1 year out), we won’t overpromise where we know we cannot realistically commit.

A history of long-term study teams:

Once staff is assigned to a project, they are rarely moved. (In fact, in a recent testimonial, a long-term client shared that she’s still working with the same PharPoint biostatistician she initially partnered with ten years prior.)

Employee support and development:

Study team continuity is also dependent in part on low staff turnover, which only happens when a CROs staff is adequately supported. Employees are PharPoint’s most valued resource, and we invest in them accordingly.

Intentionally designed for the long term:

PharPoint’s organizational structure, by design, is created to minimize unnecessary handoffs. This ensures we’re able to act as a true, long-term extension of your team.

If changes do occur

Even when you have full intention to keep a study team consistent, the reality is that clinical trials often span years – and life happens. Sometimes, despite doing everything “right,” turnover is simply unavoidable. Emergencies arise. Career paths shift. These moments, while part of the human experience, don’t always align with the timeline of a clinical trial.

What matters most in these instances is that when changes do happen, they are handled transparently and with care:

Sponsors are informed as soon as possible, and
A plan to maintain continuity and keep operations running smoothly is discussed.

Conclusion

Sponsors should not have to settle for a CRO that passes their study around from one team to the next with little regard for continuity or context.

PharPoint is a CRO that is committed to transparency. We understand the value of study team consistency and actively work to protect it. To learn more about our approach, please reach out to the PharPoint team.

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