I believe the planning phase is often times the most critical phase in project development. Not only is much of the analysis regarding scheduling, order of tasks, and task duration done during this phase, but having to account for any…   Read more»

While all phases of a project are critical for completion, I believe the planning phase is the most crucial, specifically in regards to project task scheduling. The main components of task scheduling are task order and task duration. Once a…   Read more»

Deciding on a timeline for each task within a project is the most difficult part of project planning in my opinion as you have to try anticipate any possible scenario that may delay the completion of a task. This is…   Read more»

This course is different from all the previous courses that I have taken at NJIT in that it teaches real life situations and scenarios. The material Dr. Simon covers can be directly applied to industry, which is why I am…   Read more»

From experience, I believe it is best to overestimate the time a task will take whenever possible. If this is a new task, or a task that a particular project team has little to no experience with, it is almost…   Read more»

Effective communication between team members can either make or break a project. This is especially true now given the remote and virtual world we live in. With lack of in-person meetings, it is now harder than ever to ensure not…   Read more»

A project manager has many responsibilities, and with that, should come many skills. If I had to choose just one particular skill that really sets a project manager apart and results in successful project developments and overall healthy relationships between…   Read more»

This is a very interesting and thought-provoking question. On one hand, I feel like it should be the company’s responsibility to do everything in their power to see approved projects through to completion. This can mean rearranging the budget to…   Read more»

Of the three types of organizations – functional, project-based, and matrix – matrix seems to be the most effective to me based on its project team structure. Although the project and department schedules may conflict and negotiations must be made…   Read more»

Like you said, the characteristics and requirements for Class I and Class III medical devices are quite clear-cut. Class II devices are a little more complicated as these devices are often times a combination of the two classes, leaning slightly…   Read more»

Design verification always comes before design validation. Using the PDCA acronym, verification would fall under C (check), whereas validation would fall more under A (act). Verification is a way to check that all inputs = outputs, meaning the current project…   Read more»

Although I am an undergraduate student and do not have any experience working in industry yet, I had my first real project management experience over the past year. One of my required biomedical engineering courses was to plan and execute…   Read more»

To analyze the questions asked regarding managing projects of all types, it helps to separate the term project manager into its constituent parts: project and manager. Projects from different businesses and industries are obviously different in their overall goals and…   Read more»

Coming up with an idea for a project is often times the most challenging part of project development as this step usually requires the most creativity and critical thinking. Initiating a project requires first narrowing down your project ideas and…   Read more»

From my personal educational experience so far and from what I’ve learned about the success of companies and businesses, it is my belief that the importance of interpersonal skills far exceeds that of technical knowledge. However, as already mentioned, the…   Read more»

I believe virtual communication has improved immensely from the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic to now, mostly due to trial and error over the last 10 months. Platforms, such as WebEx, Zoom, and Google Classroom, were rarely utilized before…   Read more»