@archishak Hi there! While project management skills can be beneficial in many fields, I would actually argue against your post that a deep understanding of project management is not always necessary to contribute effectively to a project's success. Many professionals excel in their roles without formally managing tasks but rather relying on specialized expertise. I noticed this during my time in the military with my team leaders. Sometimes too much focus on project management methods can slow down adaptability in my opinion, as rigidity might not suit all work environments. Instead of the expectation that everyone must develop strong project management skills, it may be more realistic to cultivate strong collaboration within teams, which allows specialists of their craft to focus on their strengths while the actual project managers handle the logistics.
I think having a basic understanding of project management is valuable, even if someone isn’t planning to pursue it as a career. In industries like medical devices, where projects are highly regulated and involve multiple teams, knowing how project management works can help individuals understand their role, how their tasks impact others, and how resources are allocated efficiently.
For example, being familiar with project phases, key documents, and timelines can make collaboration smoother and help prevent bottlenecks. Even something as simple as understanding risk management or stakeholder communication can improve workflow and decision-making. That said, the depth of knowledge needed really depends on the role. Not everyone needs to take a full project management course, but some foundational training—like an introduction to project lifecycle models or Agile methodologies—could be beneficial, especially for those working in cross-functional teams.
In the end, it’s less about becoming a project manager and more about understanding how structured project execution influences day-to-day work. A little knowledge in this area can go a long way in improving efficiency and teamwork.
References:
FDA. (2022). Design Control Guidance for Medical Device Manufacturers.
On my opinion, having a basic understanding of project management helps individuals know their responsibilities and how their work affects others. In medical device development, projects follow strict stages and documentation, which makes basic project management knowledge especially useful. Understanding timelines, deliverables, and dependencies can improve communication and reduce mistakes. However, not every role requires deep knowledge of project management tools. The depth of understanding should depend on the individual’s role within the team. For example, team members may only need awareness of project phases and expectations, while leaders need more advanced skills. Taking a basic project management course can be helpful for most positions. Advanced training, however, should be reserved for those who plan to manage or lead projects.
Even for someone who does not plan to become a project manager, a working knowledge of project management is still important because most technical roles operate within a structured project environment. In areas like medical device development, tasks are tightly linked to regulatory checkpoints, design reviews, verification activities, and manufacturing timelines. Without understanding how these pieces connect, an individual can unintentionally create delays or rework, even if their technical contribution is strong.
This is similar to being a player on a soccer team. A defender does not need to know the coach's full strategy playbook, but they still need to understand the formation, timing, and how their position affects the midfield and goalkeeper. If the defender ignores the overall structure and only focuses on their own movements, gaps form and the whole team suffers.
On a personal level, when there is a large and important task to complete it is, of course, natural to create a timeline and set clear objectives to make the task more manageable, which is essentially what a project manager does. Most people are already using some of these skills in their daily academic or personal activities in some form, whether or not they recognize project management's contribution. Skills development in these areas can therefore bring about both team progress and individual personal and career development.
Basic project management knowledge makes everyone a better communicator since knowing about milestones, dependencies and change control makes them more accurate reporters of progress and better able to understand where deadlines and documentation requirements come from. This helps align expectations across engineering, quality, regulatory, and manufacturing teams.
However, the level of knowledge depends on the role; the most basic resources, such as the understanding of phases, deliverables and where one fits into the schedule, are generally enough, while project planning, coordination and decision making require more advanced tools and techniques.
An all-around foundation course, though useful for all positions, would likely be more about awareness than about the management techniques learned in a specialized management course. The question is then how much of this foundational knowledge is required before entering into industry, and how much is best learned on the job.
I completely agree that having a basic level of knowledge about project management can be extremely beneficial, regardless of whether or not someone plans to pursue a career as a manager. Many jobs involve some sort of team based projects, meeting deadlines, and collaborating with other team members, therefore an understanding of project organization can greatly impact productivity and overall success of a project.
I also strongly believe in the importance of understanding various roles and how each role impacts the entire team. When the responsibilities and expectations of each member are clearly understood as communication improves and there is less opportunity for misunderstandings and delays. I feel that a basic knowledge of project management will also help individuals in managing their time and workload more efficiently. I don't feel that everyone needs to receive extensive education. However, having a basic foundation of knowledge regarding project stages and documentation can greatly enhance the effectiveness of a team's collaboration and productivity. Do you think the importance of project management skills increase as a professional continues to gain experience in their respective profession?
The importance of understanding project management depends on whether your role is adjacent to the position or to what degree the project manager's work would impact your role. By understanding their concerns and responsibilities, you can best navigate your position so that you are working in conjunction with the desires of the project manager, so that workflow is optimized. Say you are an engineer, by understanding the general project timeline and pathway, you can best plan the next steps and prepare appropriate documentation and training for the next steps. However, if your position is in human resources or a consumer of the product, any position where the project management impacts are far removed from you, it is not necessary for you to take such courses. However, it is beneficial in practicing how to manage yourself and day-to-day tasks. The fundamentals of project management and its thinking are to optimize how you approach tasks and communicate with others; understanding how to think like a project manager is, hence, a useful soft skill to have. That said, what are the qualities of a great project manager, and who is most impacted by their decisions?
Like many others in this forum, I believe that knowing the basics of project management is critical for one's career even if they are not trying to become a PM specifically. As a mechanical engineer, it is basically a guarantee that they will contribute to a project in some capacity. Knowing the basics of PM would help the individual realize the structural breakdown and pathway of a project. This will help the engineer understand why certain decisions are made, and why their role is crucial for the projects success. There will come a time when a conflict arises during the duration of a project. Familiarity with the hierarchy of a project will allow the engineer to realize who they should talk to in order to resolve such conflict in a professional and effective manner. It also allows the engineer to realize the stages of the project so they can contribute effectively.
If an individual's end goal is not to be a project manager, but they will contribute to projects I think a high level understanding of PM is more than enough. They should not be required to know deep technical knowledge of PM, but like I said above I think this basic understanding would aid in the overall success of the project. Do you believe that having no understanding of project management would put a contributor on a project at a disadvantage?