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Skills Learned in this Class

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(@jmeghai)
Posts: 79
Trusted Member
 

I have personally learnt a lot from this class. One of many is: how to work as a team. The simulation project allowed us to work in groups; where you determine how comfortable we would be working as a team. Though it was a small team but it is a starting point to a larger team. It also exposed me to real life projects and how it is done  and what to expect.
Communication is one skill I also learnt. During the simulation project, I figured out ways I could communicate with my team members even when my work schedule was so busy. Just a simple short response goes a long way to keep the team going and know what steps to take. Assigning tasks was one skill the simulation project taught me. Most times the group I was assigned to, we kind of worked together and just picked  what we will work on based on the area each team member had more knowledge on. 
Currently working in the cosmetic industry as a QC/QA Supervisor. All the skills of a PM I channel into my tasks which I look at as a mini project. I assign tasks to my leads and try to be more of a leader than a boss. Plan each task out everyday and let each personnel under me know their added responsibilities for that day apart from their regular day to day activities. 
In the future I hope to be involved in a big project in a medical device company where I can not only apply the skills I have gained from this class but also learn the techniques and more skills as I grow in my career. Like the saying goes “we learn everyday; there is no end to knowledge”

 

 
Posted : 02/05/2021 3:32 pm
(@traceymraw)
Posts: 81
Trusted Member
 

One of the most important things I've learned in this class is the importance of communication in all parts of project management. Communication plays a role throughout every part of project management and is essential in leading an effective project team. 
I also found it beneficial to learn the similarities and differences in the project management and design controls cycles. Most of the previous courses I have taken focus on the design controls side of a project so it was interesting learning how the project management phases differ. 

 
Posted : 02/05/2021 7:58 pm
(@sts27)
Posts: 75
Trusted Member
 

I really learned about communication and problem solving through this class. (specifically through the simulations). While I have dealt with similar things before, the back and forth set-up required for these simulations encouraged me to try and be more straight forward with my decision making and forced me to manage my time better (although this was not always the case since my teams did not always start the communication section on time). I learned how to speak up and how to take initiative since the success of these projects required both effort and decision making in short time-scales. 

 
Posted : 02/05/2021 8:53 pm
(@mmd55)
Posts: 80
Trusted Member
 

In this class and working in industry, one of the most important things I have learned is the importance of being kind and listening to others. It is very important have soft skills, which is generally something that engineers lack. Building relationships with your team/classmates will only make your life easier. The best way I have found to do this is by having conversations and finding shared interests. People are more willing to go out of their way to help someone who they are friends/friendly with rather than someone who is cold and only discusses work/school matters. 

To me, the best engineer is someone who can work well with the team around them to accomplish a goal, which is something that this class really highlights well. Does anyone else agree/disagree?

 

Thanks,

Matt

 
Posted : 25/04/2022 8:10 pm
(@anthonynjit)
Posts: 78
Trusted Member
 

This class was a closer example to how life will be like after college. My prior education was more technical in the sense it encompassed biological, chemical, material and engineering principles that are related to the BME field, while this course exposed me to the "other side" of medical devices and tought me what I would consider real world skills. Learning how to interact with classmates/coworkers, planning projects, communicating with supervisors, etc. are all skills that I further developed in this class and will be useful for years to come.  

 

 
Posted : 26/04/2022 3:07 am
(@cassiem)
Posts: 78
Trusted Member
 

I learned that working on a team may not always be sunshine and rainbows. I can’t expect to have others to be at the same level as me, in terms of motivation, time management, or drive. I found that people go along for the ride while others pull their weight. While I still have to figure out what feels right to mw when someone may not be putting in effort, I feel this is very realistic of what I will see in the work environment.

 
Posted : 26/04/2022 2:31 pm
(@hodafattel)
Posts: 78
Trusted Member
 

One skill I learned in this class is to plan for the unexpected. I had a different perspective on project managers in the beginning of class. I thought that good planning for a project would ensure the project to go smoothly with no troubles. However, you don’t always get your way. From all the simulations and examples done in class, I learned that you have to plan for the unexpected too. Most of the simulations show unexpected obstacles that emerged in the middle of the project. You have to be quick on your feet and know how to handle all groups from different departments or even customers. It is crucial to have proper communication in order to effectively solve the obstacle. 

 
Posted : 26/04/2022 5:01 pm
(@cb447)
Posts: 79
Trusted Member
 

The most valuable skill I learned in this class is the importance of working in a team. Working in a team enables you to achieve a higher quality of work. In addition, working in a team enables the team to ensure deadlines are met and share responsibilities across the board. I also learned about various skills that one must embody in order to be a great team member. These skills include collaboration, listening skills, accountability, and optimism. 

 
Posted : 28/04/2022 8:35 am
(@ridmehta)
Posts: 79
Trusted Member
 

This class helped me truly value teamwork through the many team projects we had to complete. We were constantly shuffled between different teams which forced us to adapt quickly to different people with their own working habits. It also allowed us to help each other out by picking up the pace if someone else was occupied with a prior commitment and they would help cover for you when you needed it too.

 
Posted : 28/04/2022 4:00 pm
(@nk434)
Posts: 40
Eminent Member
 

The most important skills learned from this class for me is the ability to communicate with Dr. Simon (replicating management) to get results and work against the clock to submit the developed tests. In a company, responses are not always going to be readily available, so prioritizing and strategically planning the progression of the work is essential. When not getting responses from management about the proposed tests, work was still to be done (ie: creating new tests, writing reports, theorizing and planning about possible results, more research, etc). Being proactive in projects and work is a priceless skill, as it allows for better work to be produced. Ultimately, managing the simulations in this class and treating them as real work and projects gave a realistic and positive understanding of how the communication and work between management and employees really is. 

 
Posted : 28/04/2022 6:03 pm
(@knd26)
Posts: 78
Estimable Member
 

Like a lot of the above-mentioned posts, I think one of the biggest ideas that this class taught me was that to be a successful project manager or team member in general you must be good at listening and dealing with problems respectfully. To be a good leader, you must lead by example and show others that you respect them to also gain their respect fully. If possible, to be a pleasant and level-headed manger to make them want to work with you as much as in your control.  The last big take away when working with people is to always give a reason of why you are thanking them or what you appreciate about people because that goes such a long way. Another takeaway was the importance of planning and having multiple backup plans, especially from the simulations. This showed how many different problems could arise, and if a project has not been thought through all the way it will lead to delays and spending of money that should not have been spent. I have seen this happen on a smaller scale in my capstone class, but it drove home the point in this class on a much larger scale, and much more at stake than just a project for a class. 

 
Posted : 28/04/2022 7:05 pm
(@ama224)
Posts: 59
Trusted Member
 

Something that was very different about this class compared to Dr. Simon's other class was the simulations. In school, we learn all these concepts and skills that sometimes we never even get to use once we go into the industry. With these simulations, we were presented with real-life problems that we had to figure out how to solve. That's something they don't teach you in other types of classes. I really enjoyed this class because we weren't given exams about stuff we could just google in real life or math problems we have programs for in real life. In real life, it's all about problem-solving and working with a team and that's something they'll definitely not teach you on the job but rather something you'll gain through experience, so it was nice to get a virtual taste of that. 

 
Posted : 28/04/2022 11:30 pm
(@alextzalav)
Posts: 27
Eminent Member
 

My background is in electrical and computer engineering therefore I had zero experience with project management. Apart from the obvious project management materials and concepts that I learned in this class, it was also helpful that we got some real situation experience. It is the only class that I have ever taken where we are asked to deal with situations that can and most likely have happened in real life. 

Another skill that I got, was learning how to work in a team since the bulk of the work in this class was done while in teams. The fact that teams kept changing meant that we had to adjust to being able to work and cooperate with the new team members. 

Lastly, most problems that we faced during simulations were completely out of my area of expertise so in most cases I had to research concepts that I was not familiar with. Also, I had to think outside of the box when trying to solve the simulation problems. 

 
Posted : 29/04/2022 8:08 pm
(@terril_vallikalam)
Posts: 39
Eminent Member
 

This course helped me to better understand the structure of a medical device company and all the roles that people can play in it. Prior to going into the course, I had known that there was a lot of collaboration between various divisions within a company like Regulatory and Manufacturing and R&D. However, I guess I didn't fully grasp to what extent they communicated with one another. From the mini-simulations that we did throughout the semester, I've learned that it is best to keep the appropriate divisions within a company involved with a new project from the very beginning. That way they may add or make suggestions/alternatives as the project progresses. All in all, communication is key.

This post was modified 3 years ago by Terril_Vallikalam
 
Posted : 30/04/2022 9:55 am
(@pv223)
Posts: 76
Trusted Member
 

Something I will take away from this class and make sure to use in any scenario possible is to do my part in making sure that the project I am working on, whether it be as a manager or a team member, is running like a well oiled machine. That is to say that I will try to have the project as a whole (as a manager) or my responsibilities in the project (as a team member) laid out in a clear and detailed manner, make sure everything integrates well together, and make sure to have safety nets in case something goes wrong so that the project is not held up longer than it needs to be. A project is only as good as the planning that went into it is something that will definitely stick with me throughout the rest of my career so I will most definitely make sure that everything I am responsible for is as planned out as it can be within an appropriate amount of time to try to get the best possible products out there. This is because in our medical device field, the product needs to be quality otherwise the consequences can be dire.

 
Posted : 30/04/2022 2:57 pm
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