I feel like I used to always hear from project managers at my old job how hard it is to get people with the right education to stay at the job because for some jobs that are really high in demand, the turnover rate is huge. If management trains people extensively it will be a waste of time because of this, but if they don't then they'll have incompetent workers. A good way to overcome this is promoting from within and making a good relationship with your employees because there are studies that show that the number one reason people leave their job isn't for more money, but because they are sick of their boss.
One issue that all project managers face is being able to keep communication between different departments or people. Information distribution such as sending emails and phone calls to people to get updates on certain assignments is a big task. Sometimes, people do not get along in a project team therefore they do not communicate with one another. Its the project managers responsibility to make sure that theirs a line of professional communication between the all project team members. This also includes scheduling weekly or biweekly status meetings to get updates on the each portion of the project.
I agree with bb254. A very big issue a PM can have is communication. The PM has to make sure their team can communicate and work together. If they do not work together well this can be detrimental to the overall project. Now lets say the team members do get along another problem the PM can face is that not everyone can meet at the same time. Trying to find a time everyone can meet causes some trouble for a PM which then can also be detrimental to the project.
It has been a repeated theme in Dr. Simon's lectures that a PM, especially for the medical device industry, may not have all the necessary safeguards and information for a product. This is because project management for the medical device industry is not as clear cut as in other industries and even if it seems as if everything will run smoothly there are many hurdles to overcome with animal trials and even clinical trials if necessary. The PM can have contingencies in place and attempt to predict problems that might arise, however this is not always an easy task especially with devices that need to integrate in vivo. Therefore, depending on the type of device lack of information on cutting technology can prove to be a hurdle for PM during the execution phase and the best preventative measure is research and attempt to anticipate any problems that may arise.
The failure to identify when to use risk management is one of the issues that is faced by managers. If an issue is not identified early enough in the process, the impacts can snowball downstream and affect other parts of the project. As a project manager there are so many things that you have to consider and there is so much information that proper risk management may be missed. Once in a while, individuals don't get along in a venture group accordingly they don't speak with each other. Its the venture chiefs duty to ensure that theirs a line of expert correspondence between the all venture colleagues.
One significant challenge that project managers face in the context of systems medical management is ensuring that the project meets the needs and expectations of all stakeholders, including healthcare providers, patients, regulatory bodies, and other stakeholders. This can be a daunting task, given the complexity of healthcare systems, the diverse needs of stakeholders, and the regulatory requirements that must be met. To address this challenge, the project manager could take several steps, including:
Engaging stakeholders early and often: The roject manager should engage all stakeholders early in the project planning process to understand their needs and expectations, obtain their buy-in, and identify potential conflicts or issues. The project manager should continue to engage stakeholders throughout the project, providing regular updates and seeking feedback to ensure that their needs are being met.
Developing a detailed project plan: The project manager should develop a comprehensive project plan that outlines the project's objectives, timelines, budget, and resource requirements. The plan should also include a risk management plan, outlining potential risks and strategies for mitigating them.
Adapting to changes: In healthcare systems, changes are inevitable due to the dynamic nature of healthcare environments. Therefore, the project manager should be flexible and adaptable, ready to adjust the project plan and approach as needed to respond to changing stakeholder needs, market conditions, or regulatory requirements.
Communicating effectively: Communication is a critical aspect of project management, particularly in healthcare systems. The project manager should ensure that communication is timely, clear, and effective, with all stakeholders receiving relevant information in a manner that is easily understandable. By taking these steps, the project manager can address the challenge of meeting stakeholder needs in the context of systems medical management, ensuring that the project is successful and meets the needs of all stakeholders involved.
What is one challenge project managers face when handling a project? How would the project manager handle those challenge?
One challenge project managers face when handling a project is managing scope creep, which is the tendency for project requirements to expand beyond the original plan. To handle this challenge, the project manager should establish clear project goals and communicate them effectively to stakeholders, regularly review and adjust the project plan as needed, and prioritize tasks based on their importance to the overall project objectives.
One challenge that project managers face when handling a project is issues regarding the project itself. When working on an engineering project, there are often many modifications or requirements that are made, while the project is in progress. There are also many unforeseen circumstances that arise during the project that may take more time, money, and effort than what was expected at the beginning of the project. Project managers need to have a project plan in place that accounts for any obstacles the team faces and also have a contingency plan when problems like these arise. It's also important for this plan to include any changes or extra resources the team has used to complete the project. It is important for the project manager to be able to communicate the changes to the project stakeholders and obtain approval before any set changes are made. It is also important for the project manager to communicate to the team if there are any schedules, budgets, or requirements so that there are no misunderstandings.
In general, managing a project is a bit complicated and project managers need to keep various aspects of the project in mind before beginning a project. The manager also must take into account various outcomes and even duration to complete the project. Lack of accountability is one of the difficulties a project manager encounters. Finger-pointing and evading responsibility are both counterproductive, thus a project manager should always explicitly define or declare each team member's norms and obligations. This includes managing the expectations of stakeholders who are financing the project but are not directly involved with the project. A project could completely fail due to a lack of accountability. PMs struggle to find resources or workers with the necessary abilities. Project managers occasionally have work to perform but not enough employees accessible or with the necessary expertise to complete it. The PM would need to speak with several corporate members to find a solution, either within the same organization or by going to a different one. The ability to effectively communicate the deadlines of various projects is another difficulty faced by project managers. At the company, there are numerous ongoing projects. The project manager frequently lacks the time to attend several project meetings. He or she will consequently lose out on the crucial information covered at the meeting.
Project managers face a variety of challenges throughout the project lifecycle. Any challenge requires a lot of effort to overcome. However, I think one of the biggest challenges a project manager faces is being a good leader and uniting his/her team. Team members that are united and comfortable working with one another more easily overcome any other challenge they face throughout the project. On the other hand, a project team that does not work well together may struggle to get their work done when faced with common challenges, such as delays, failed tests, etc. Because the personalities of different team members may clash, uniting a team can be difficult, making this one of the biggest and most important challenges of a project manager. To overcome this challenge, a project manager should host team communication sessions early on in the project to allow members to get to know each other and learn how to work together. In addition, project managers should always engage with their team members to demonstrate how positive workplace relationships should be. Has anyone had any experience with a project manager who didn’t unite the team? How well did the team work together when issues arose?
A challenge that a project manager may face is dealing with so many different personalities. Across a project, there may be many individuals that come from backgrounds. For example, a medical device project team may have people with more technical or engineering backgrounds as well as people with business and finance backgrounds. It is the project manager's responsibility to be able to lead the team effectively regardless of the team members' backgrounds. Additionally, the project manager must be able to communicate effectively with all of the team members. It is their responsibility to ensure that the team is well informed of various decisions as well as the progress of the project. Every member should know what their role is in order to complete the project, which should be given to them from the manager. Another issue that project managers may experience is time management and mapping out how long different aspects of a project may last. Since there are so many different challenges that may arise during the project, it is difficult at times to be able to properly assess how long a task could take. Slack is a good way to combat this issue, but sometimes the problems are outside of the project team's hands such as issues with vendors. Therefore, it is important for the project manager to be flexible and to be able to make key decisions with deadlines coming up.
One challenge that project managers commonly face is managing changes to the project scope or requirements. As the project progresses, stakeholders may request changes, or the team may encounter unforeseen issues that require modifications to the original plan. These changes can impact the project's budget, timeline, and resources, and can be difficult to manage without disrupting the team's progress. To handle this challenge, the project manager should establish a clear change management process that outlines how changes will be requested, evaluated, and approved. The team should also establish criteria for evaluating changes, such as their impact on the project's goals, timeline, and budget.
The optimization of supply chains has indeed had a significant impact on every industry, including project management. With the focus on making processes faster and more efficient, project managers are under pressure to deliver projects on time, within budget, and to the expected quality level. This has led to the adoption of new project management methodologies, such as Agile and Lean, which prioritize speed and flexibility and focus on delivering value to customers quickly. In addition, supply chain optimization has led to increased collaboration between project teams and suppliers or vendors, as project managers seek to leverage their expertise and resources to improve project outcomes. This collaboration can help teams to identify potential issues early on, reduce waste, and streamline project delivery. Furthermore, technology has played a significant role in supply chain optimization, and project managers have also adopted technology to improve project management processes. For example, project management software, such as Trello, Asana, and Microsoft Project, can help teams to plan and track project progress in real-time, collaborate remotely, and manage project resources efficiently.
What is one challenge project managers face when handling a project? How would the project manager handle those challenge?
One common challenge project managers face is managing scope creep. I find this occurs especially when a project is going well. If progress is going well and running ahead of schedule, a PM may be tempted to add “extras” to the project in an attempt to impress stakeholders.
To overcome this obstacle, the PM should establish clear project requirements and scope at the outset of the project and ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the agreed-upon scope. It is important to have a change management process in place to evaluate and manage any changes to the project scope, ensuring that any changes are documented, approved, and incorporated into the project plan. PMs can also proactively manage scope creep by regularly reviewing project progress and ensuring that project tasks are aligned with the agreed-upon scope. If any changes are proposed, project managers should evaluate the potential impact on the project timeline, budget, and resources and communicate this information to stakeholders to gain buy-in and approval.
One challenge that project managers face when handling a project is making sure that everything stays on track. There could be numerous reasons why the project goes off track like an employee being transferred to another project and or losing out on a contract supplier. In situations like those, project managers would not be able to control them. Hopefully, project managers would come up with contingency plans like having multiple vendors to contact or having a competent team to work with if those situations were to arise.
Project managers face a big difficulty in the form of scope creep, which calls for a variety of management measures. First, they carefully lay out the project's goals in order to guarantee clarity. Strong change control protocols are also set up for assessing alterations. Proactive observation enables the timely resolution of scope creep indicators, so averting departure from the initial plan. By controlling stakeholder expectations through negotiation, resources are successfully focused by prioritizing changes depending on their impact. To guarantee accountability, permitted changes must be meticulously recorded. By utilizing these strategies, project managers lessen the detrimental impacts of scope creep, guaranteeing stakeholder satisfaction and project success.
