Strong leadership by the project manager can help the team develop throughout the entire life cycle of the project. Leadership guides the team to the correct decisions regarding the direction of the project and provides a clear vision of what…   Read more»

Slack provides a buffer within an overall plan for projects that can allow you to recover from minor setbacks. Although things rarely go perfectly as planned, having some excess time allows you to avoid turning a minor setback into major…   Read more»

I don’t believe employees or project managers should automatically face punitive action when a project exceeds its deadline or budget. Many times delays occur as a result of factors beyond an employee’s or project manager’s control like price increases, shipping…   Read more»

One way to reduce risks associated with ES, EF, LS, and LF dates is to begin by focusing on the critical path. The reason for this is because those tasks that are on the critical path have zero slack as…   Read more»

I believe, as a project manager, if you see that your team members are experiencing some kind of personal issue with each other, your task is to remain composed and focused on the work and avoid taking sides. If I…   Read more»

I believe that Schedule Risk is likely the most common form of Risk in most Projects due to timelines often failing to match the original plan. While a Project Team may start off very well, many different forms of Unforeseen…   Read more»

I believe PMs are struggling not only with having too many emails, but also figuring out which ones require immediate action. One way to improve managing an inbox may be creating specific guidelines around communication methods. For example, use email…   Read more»

Even with a lack of total industry experience, based on what I’ve observed in biomedical engineering projects, verification failures occur generally due to minor design or communication related issues which are typically not apparent until testing is more representative of…   Read more»

I believe a combination of individual and group-based strategies may be the most effective for a collaborative report project based on the type of project and how it is structured. When individual contributors are working on specific areas or sections…   Read more»

I do believe that much will depend on what the company considers long term versus short term. There are some projects for medical devices that cannot be treated as equal since some produce a higher volume of revenue, or may…   Read more»

I find that Microsoft Project is a great tool for creating a schedule and tracking a timeline. However, Medical Device Projects have the potential to require greater collaboration and coordination than  one single tool may be able to provide. With…   Read more»

Design Controls are very important to medical devices and ensure that no defects occur during the manufacturing process that could cause injuries or financial burdens. They are not only a regulatory requirement but also an improvement to the quality of…   Read more»

I believe that regulatory risk is one of the largest challenges in managing medical devices as a project manager due to its ability to delay timelines and increase budgets throughout an entire project. Even though a medical device may work…   Read more»

I believe that good communication in a project team begins with everyone understanding their roles, due dates and method of communication among the team members. Early established expectations can help prevent misunderstandings down the road. Regularly scheduled meetings even if…   Read more»

I also agree with your comments on the balance of speed and safety in the 510(k) review process. I believe there may be some risk when a device is cleared primarily due to its similarity to an existing predicate device…   Read more»

I would never ignore the conflict or ask my team to continue to work at a higher pace when a team is struggling due to conflict. Instead, I would begin to understand what is causing the conflict with individual conversations…   Read more»

I really liked your comments about the nature vs. nurture aspect of the idea of leadership. While I believe there are definitely some people who will find some aspects of leadership much more natural, I believe most leadership skills are…   Read more»

I completely agree that having a basic level of knowledge about project management can be extremely beneficial, regardless of whether or not someone plans to pursue a career as a manager. Many jobs involve some sort of team based projects,…   Read more»

I thought it was great that you included both advantages and disadvantages of working in groups. I feel like establishing roles at the beginning can really make a difference by avoiding confusion over who will be completing specific assignments. In…   Read more»