Failure is obviously a great opportunity to grow, it can be a signal to equipment that may not be working, systems that are lagging, and can spotlight alternatives that can be best implemented in future projects. A team can fail…   Read more»

Job satisfaction in the way I’m interpreting it seems pretty broad, I will assume you mean something along the lines of, “are you happy with the role/work you are in?” I believe less it is the entry thought of whether…   Read more»

The project manager is the main driver of the project and is the guide for the team. Naturally they hold a lot of influence in the team’s motivation and attitude towards the project. A motivated project manager that holds passion…   Read more»

I saw the top three as being fitting but I am surprised by a few of the results, especially doing meaningful work as the last of the bunch and having a great manager being higher than I expected. I am…   Read more»

From this course I really understood the value of having individuals from different backgrounds in your team. In some simulations we discuss material properties, some we discuss more biological concepts and its helpful having those experienced in these ranges of…   Read more»

The COVID-19 vaccines were generally able to meet all three notions due to the level of attention and demand the development of the vaccine had globally. Due to the pandemic, the world was rushing to find a way to stop…   Read more»

Hi, this scenario is quite rare and presents numerous challenges to the team. It must be considered why they would pivot to this new role and the status of the previous role member. Are they filling a skill gap that…   Read more»

Hi great question! As someone currently in capstone, I find that it is important that everyone in my group is acquainted with the work of other groupmates. We are in a group of four which doesn’t transfer directly to industry…   Read more»

Great question! I would like to agree with the other replies, having multiple vendors, no matter if it stretches time and cost would allow for your company to adapt and pivot if need be. As a previous reply pointed out,…   Read more»

Often, sudden unexpected delays should be anticipated during project planning, where task windows can compensate for the offset, such as by deploying slack time. However, there are cases in which the project can’t move on without a specific task being…   Read more»

Scheduling and the methods for estimating timelines are a crucial part of project planning. As mentioned in the original post, some tasks need to happen before other and expert judgement can be framed against historical data to set reasonable task…   Read more»

Stakeholders have a lot of impact on a successful project. Stakeholders are a broad term as it is as it includes investors, the client, and those directly impacted by the project. Stakeholders have the power to set deadlines and ask…   Read more»

My capstone team is currently using a Gnatt chart for a medical device project. It is extremely important in understanding our roles and where our deadlines fall. Gnatt charts have the function to both outline the timelines and also note…   Read more»

Effective communication is the core of a successful project team. Yet, there is the issue of lagging the project with frequent meetings. I understand the sentiment of joking that “this could have been an email” and indeed in some cases…   Read more»

In my experience in capstone and various other design teams, we don’t have such strict regulations for implementing procedural changes. This is because we are in small teams where communication is fast and efficient, and training and implementation can occur…   Read more»

I don’t see there being one most important phase; all phases are equally important and require time and effort. Furthermore, the type of project definitely makes some phases more vital then it would be to others. For instance, in the…   Read more»

My team and I are currently in the planning phase for our Capstone project, we aren’t considering ourselves out of the planning phase until we can list what materials we need, what the final design will look like, how it…   Read more»

I am currently completing a Capstone project with my team. We communicate often with a group chat on messages, just because we can get responses quickly, attach any files, and react easily to others’ messages. Say we want a group…   Read more»

This answer would depend on the needs of the company and how large the teams are. In a smaller company focusing on one project, it might be preferable to hire specialized individuals for each role. Hence, they can better distribute…   Read more»

Slack time is a set period of time where the team doesn’t have anything scheduled for the project. This doesn’t mean that this is just a break period; this is the time for the team to plan, catch up on…   Read more»