I feel like the most important concept I learned in this course is how to address and solve problems within a project. One of the most enjoyable parts of this course has been completing the project simulations. A huge part…   Read more»

Something to point out about failure in projects is that failed projects can be incredibly demotivating for a team. Many individuals can feel disappointed by negative results after the time and effort they placed into attempting to succeed. Failure does…   Read more»

To address the aspect of speed in relation to the COVID-19 vaccine program, a great topic to consider was Operation Warp Speed. This project had a goal of accelerating the COVID-19 vaccine development, and saw success primarily because clinical trial…   Read more»

From my co-op experience, I have noticed that one of the biggest motivators has been introducing employees to the people they are helping. The company I work at regularly has seminars with guest speakers who have received and used products…   Read more»

Being in Biomedical Engineering, my biggest motivator is the help I can give. I used to volunteer in the hospital, and through this I was able to see first-hand the amount of good technologies and innovations from the BME field…   Read more»

As someone who is currently starting in the industry, I prefer the role of the engineer. I have little work experience, and thus am unfamiliar with the work environment and its dynamics. Along with this, a majority of my skills…   Read more»

Tackling the aspect of keeping up with fast-evolving technology in terms of biomedical device development, the best way to do so is via proactive action. Rather than keeping up with change, it is best to try and predict what changes…   Read more»

Considering the mini-sim from this week, going for multiple vendors can be more beneficial for next steps in terms of finalizing alternate sources for the coating material. In considering vendors available for a product, fitting the requirements stated within the…   Read more»

To touch upon the mention of scenario-based simulation training, within the company I am currently working in, we are mandated to complete certain virtual training sessions each quarter, keeping us up to date with new technologies brought to the company,…   Read more»

When it comes to project management, communication skills are a must. This helps the project manager facilitate collaboration, prevent conflicts, define goals & expectations, and allows for decision-making in the project to occur. Communication within a project is what allows…   Read more»

Budgets can be high with animal experiments. This has to do with how time and labor intensive the studies are, resources needed for animal care, long-term nature of the studies (if applicable), material and equipment costs, and compliance with regulations….   Read more»

I believe that finding a balance between these two alternatives is dependent on understanding the roles of different team members within a project and the complexity of the information being communicated. Different team members have different roles, and a way…   Read more»

For determining the duration of each task, it’s good to have an understanding of the team members performing the task, and what resources they have access to. Resources team members have access to determine time spent on the procedure. More…   Read more»

Within my experience, a key aspect of project plan execution is checking the feasibility of the project plan before making an effort to follow through on it. Some of my work is incredibly time-sensitive and requires costly resources. Keeping this…   Read more»

Project update meetings are a great way of getting an entire team onboard with the projects occurring, seeing who can help out for certain trouble spots, and making plans for future work based on everyone’s feedback. However, for long term…   Read more»

Within the medical device industry, the FDA device review  is the process in which FDA review teams review submitted data to determine whether to approve the device or not. In this process, there might be a meeting of an advisory…   Read more»

While external hiring can diversify staff, bring new skills to the team, and create a larger talent pool, internal hiring has a large amount of benefits that make it more beneficial to project managers. A reduction in hiring costs is…   Read more»

While I have not managed projects myself within academics or medical device development, in terms of improper estimation of costs I have also seen an extension within the project time-line. If the budget for certain projects is not enough, the…   Read more»

I do not have much industry experience either in addressing project planning, however in what projects I have seen and participated in there have been common factors. Before the initiation of any work such as data gathering, a key detail…   Read more»

This is an amazing definition of the concept of project initiation. Keeping in mind all the objectives of project initiation, I’m curious about what complications can arise within the medical device industry. A business case typically includes a summary of…   Read more»