The biggest takeaway from the class is communication and working in a team. Being in R&D or the industry in general, nothing can be completed without an entire team. Communication comes in the form of meetings, emails, or just even reaching out via video chats to make sure everyone is on the same page or just to check up. These methods not only help you be more productive and ensure everyone is included but also helps to break the ice with members you don't really know. 

Aside from communication, the entire course showed that creativity and collaboration is the key to getting projects done. In our simulations we sometimes had to think outside of the box to find solutions that were not always so straightforward. Having the help of team members allowed for people to put in their input since we all think differently and it assisted in finding different potential solutions. 

One of the biggest takeaways from this class was the skills needed to become a successful project manager. In particulate, the skill that has stuck with me the most has been communication. I was able to really see how much of an impact that skill has on leading a team and how any project would collapse if there was no communication between the team themselves and between the team and the project manager. Other skills that the PM must have can include organization, good work ethic, willingness to listen to the team, and many more but communication is the most pivotal aspect that a successful PM can bring to the table.

There are many skills I learned in this class including project management and how to be a valuable team member. I also learned how to trouble shoot problems and work through things in a group. When working as a team, the outcome of a project is improved because everyone's unique skills are utilized. I thoroughly enjoyed this class and the applicability the lessons I learned have to the real world. 

There have been many great takeaways from this course. Some of the skills that I found most useful was the importance of communication and effective planning. All professions require some form of communication and/or social skill and some scale of planning. This course really does a great job of preparing students and professionals with real-life situations. Through the simulations, classmates worked as a project team and were put into positions where we were essentially given a task and a time frame to complete the task, encouraging communication amongst classmates and planning a course of action. You also learn to listen to others ideas in order to come to a solution. All in all, this course offers practical skills that may be useful across all professions.

Throughout this course I’ve learned a lot of about the “behind the scenes” activities that drive and effect projects. Mainly I think it was extremely helpful understanding the different pathways various types of medical device products need to undergo before getting approved for market use (i.e. 510k, PMA, clinical trials, various other agency applications, etc). Although these may not be applicable in the very short term for my career, this knowledge gives me insight into the decisions made by the companies I work for. The most valuable thing I have learned from this class is understanding the importance of interpersonal skills in managing a team. I can sometimes get caught up in the technical side of engineering and product development, especially when pursuing a technical degree, however, it is even more important to be able to develop the interpersonal skills to be a successful team member and drive success through good project management skills.

One important concept I learned in this class was communication is a key factor to any assignment and in some occasions may be harder to maintain than people originally believe. In this course there were multiple simulations in which we had to work with other people to try to fix an issue with trial and error in most cases. Since this was an online class we were not able to see one another so the first step was to find a way to contact the group we were placed in. In some cases we would just email and or create a group chat. Depending on who was in the group, the next steps would be challenging. If the group was made of students who were continuing their degree right from bachelors it was a bit easier to speak and discuss because the schedules would align more and there would be more connection to a majority of the materials. But there were times where the people were students who came back after a couple years and had jobs that did not have as flexible hours as others could. In these situations communication could take a bit longer or in some cases the group would have to decide whether to send the message with 3~⅘ of the groups members approval for the deadline. 

This experience alone taught me that when working with other team members remotely, there needs to be an air of flexibility while also working with a common timeline. We would need to ensure that each person was doing their part and gave their input so we would work together to complete the simulation.

I feel that this course & Dr. Simon's other course should be taught in undergraduate BME curricula. A lot of this information would be gold to those looking to enter industry. The most important item I'd take away from this course is the breakdown & hierarchy of a good project. Without splitting some of these big projects into manageable chunks; many companies would flounder. I feel that knowing this breakdown & the general SOP of project management is a valuable skill for someone looking for a job. Not having that "uh oh" moment at your first day on the job is a great ace up the sleeve.

One important skill that I learned in this class is teamwork and thorough planning. While working on the simulations in this class, I learned that it is important to communicate effectively so everyone can be on the same page. It is also good to brainstorm and help other teammates think out loud when working on a project like that. It's also important to thoroughly plan out ideas so that if one trial doesn't work, then we have a plan B. It's important to have multiple ideas to see which one works best. My experience during simulations showed me how important it is to be clear and concise when creating an experimental procedure so that there are not any misunderstandings. This class taught me skills that I know I will use when I start working because it helped critically think and solve problems using prior knowledge and bridge a gap between research, business and critical thinking.

As someone with no industry experience, this course was a great introduction to how the industry works and what industry projects might look like. The most important thing I learned is how to approach problems I might encounter when working in the industry. Recent college grads tend to have a lot of work anxiety, and most of it comes from lack of experience and unsurety regarding handling different situations. Some other notable things are the importance of good leadership, communication, and planning. The success of most projects depends on effective planning and communication between team members. A good leader can make the process so much easier and motivate their team to work. And as many have mentioned, a good leader and a good relationship between a manager and an employee,  is what cultivates a healthy working environment.