From my own experience and from most of the replies on this thread, Microsoft Project seems to be the most popular software. During my undergrad, and even working in the industry, I have found the software hard to come by,…   Read more»

The most important things is will. What is achievable, understandable, and affordable? While these are absolute in their importance and relevance, they’re all ultimately subjective. Your idea could be achievable, understandable, affordable, and solving a very important problem but the…   Read more»

Multiple project managers could be a good idea depending on the scope and hierarchy of the project. In a large scale project, large or complicated tasks could be delegated to other managers. It is important that the hierarchy and accountability…   Read more»

I think hands down MP (Microsoft Project) is the most comprehensive and most popular PM (Project Management) software out there. It’s a part of the Office Suite of software from Microsoft that easily integrates with other Office software. For example,…   Read more»

Missing a milestone for a project should definitely be considered a failure. Failure to complete tasks on-time stems from poor estimation during the planning phase. Inexperienced project managers might place unrealistic timelines on certain tasks, which can significantly delay the…   Read more»

I agree with you Jafar, I think it’s a good idea to have RA (Regulatory Affairs) in the first meeting as well. Having input from RA could help prevent issues in the future of the project. I personally know of…   Read more»

Hello All,  I too work in a laboratory like both of you mentioned above, but I focus on cytogenetics in a pathology lab. My background is in biology and i am pursuing this degree to transition into the biomedical engineering…   Read more»

The “Jack of all trades and master of none” is definitely the best way to describe BME. While I can see the potential in knowing something of every field and having background in many different areas of BME, I will…   Read more»

Missing a milestone can be due to poor planning or you find an error that needs to be fixed because it could pose a threat to the end user. I work in a tissue bank where we receive donated human…   Read more»

I have experienced great project managers and okay ones. The great ones have very good soft skills. They can communicate effectively, set realistic deadlines, be flexible when needed, approach problems with an open mind, have a solid technical background to…   Read more»

The project I am currently working on actually had 2 project managers for a couple of months. The reason was this: project manager A was the main one on the project however she went on maternity leave. This is when…   Read more»

I was working as a service advisor at Ford and Lincoln motors company in a middle eastern country. The main issue that forced us to contingency plans was lack of resource such as spare parts, and technicians. So, it may…   Read more»

Adding to what Dr. Simon said, I believe that personality and cognitive curiosity play a large role in the selection of a degree to pursue. From my own experience, I pursued biomedical engineering as a means to help people directly…   Read more»

As stated by others before me, the debate between academia versus industry simply comes down to personal preference. There are plenty of advantages and disadvantages to both. Personally, I have had no experience with industry but have had some research…   Read more»

I agree with some others who claim that the ratio of practical to informational courses should be dependent on the goals of the student. Obviously, if someone would like to one day go into industry, they should take more practical…   Read more»

Perhaps I can share my thoughts as a Mechanical Engineering student. When starting my degree, I always had intentions of working in the medical device industry. The fact that BME is a “broad degree” is true, and even more true…   Read more»

I agree that questioning as much as you can in the initiation phase is a good practice. Although, I do not have any project management experience within industry, within my college experience, I had completed a senior capstone class in…   Read more»

Like many before me, I agree that in order to be a good project manager, you must master some vital soft skills. These soft skills include good communication, organization, leadership, and much more. Obviously, as discussed in the lecture for…   Read more»

In every project, there is always going to be so much that could go wrong. From the initial planning phase, to actually executing the project tasks, minor setbacks can have major consequences. Within industry for example, if a certain machine…   Read more»

In all honesty, determining if missing a milestone is a success or a failure depends on why the milestone was missed. If it was missed because certain tasks weren’t completed in a timely manner or because there were errors in…   Read more»