One of the biggest challenges a project manager will face will be differing personalities within the project team. Being able to manage the members of the team and keep them on schedule and working well will ensure the success of…   Read more»

In estimating project time I think having a team that has worked together before and a leader that has a good understanding of how the members of the teamwork will best remedy the issue of poor time estimations. If the…   Read more»

Similarly to your example about your capstone project, I too have been extensively commenting code that I have written for my Master’s thesis. I am working on a prototype of a diagnostic device, and I have been building the different…   Read more»

The Gantt chart is much more reflective of a “perfect” schedule than it is how the project will actually occur. Things overlap because those specific tasks are independant on one another. With tasks being independent it allows flexibility within the…   Read more»

In the lecture this week, Dr. Simon spoke about the scope management plan. This is a good way to attempt to control scope creep by predicting areas where the scope may grow and having preset methods for handling these changes….   Read more»

Design validation is an important part of the process of completing a project. Shipping a device without properly testing it can cause a number of issues. Without testing, there is no way to determine if the device is safe enough…   Read more»

In the initial phases of my Senior Design project during my undergraduate degree, it was determined that Infra-Red LEDs (IREDs) were needed to illuminate the eyes of a subject for the device we were working on. They had been used…   Read more»

To define one method to cover every experimental failure is quite tough. Each experiment will have its own unique needs and plans for evaluation. But as a sort of outline of the steps would need to be, isolate the problem,…   Read more»

Face to face meetings are definitely the best method for getting the work defined and delegated, but as Dr. Simon said, they can definitely lead to a situation where the meetings can take up time that would be better spent…   Read more»

Obviously this type of catastrophe will have massive ramifications in a world where the majority of manufacturing is conducted in China. A loss of supply of any key raw materials of finished goods can dramatically affect the way a business…   Read more»

Initiating a project is the hardest step because it is the time where the answer to the questions is the vaguest and nebulous. It is here that the very non-specific question of why must be asked. Why should we do…   Read more»

It’s less of a specific product, but programming languages for large systems. If we take a device like an automated insulin pump, which has been on the market for more than 6 years now. If the code was written in…   Read more»

Having worked under a project manager I would say that one major key is understanding the work habits of the people that you are managing. I know that for me being micromanaged or constantly reminded of what I have to…   Read more»

I think the model needs, as Shurah said, a more holistic approach. This needs to start all the way in the beginning of the discussions surrounding the project. When it is first started, the goals need to be laid out,…   Read more»

This is a rather nuanced situation. The easiest way to understand it, in my opinion, is to understand that cash is always king. Projects are always run by companies, and whilst they may start out as well-intentioned, once the company…   Read more»

Lumbar support devices for lower back pain is something that comes to mind for this scenario. They would definitely be placed in category 2. They are often advertised as being a treatment for a number of symptoms ranging from discomfort…   Read more»

These new regulations, combined with the now almost certainty of Brexit, put medical device companies, and especially project managers into a unique and challenging scenario. EU MDR has introduced a whole array of changes to the existing laws, with the…   Read more»

Picking the proper team for a project is critical to the success of that project. It is important that each member of the team will be able to contribute to the team in an equally valuable manner, and is able…   Read more»

Project management absolutely differs between industries. The underlying concepts related to organizing and delegating the work will be similar but each industry requires such a knowledge base that switching industries is not realistic without a lot of education on the…   Read more»

Non-compete clauses are a tricky legal situation. A number of states have made them illegal on the grounds of restricting personal freedoms. That being said most people who work in the United States will have to sign one. When you…   Read more»