It’s always a good idea to account for some leeway in your planning schedule because something will and always does go wrong. It may not even be due to your own fault such as vendor supply issues or a pandemic….   Read more»

I would agree that the regulatory guidelines are definitely a more complex aspect of healthcare that not other industries have to deal with. In addition, these regulations can change with countries such as the FDA in the US and the…   Read more»

I would agree that time is more valuable as at the end of the day, time is money. Though the short term gains of an accelerated timeline is completing the task earlier and saving money on resources, in the long…   Read more»

I think this is a great point that is brought up since technology has greatly impacted our ways of working. Like Dr. Simon mentioned, gantt charts have become more popular including Microsoft project that has made it more easy to…   Read more»

Depending on the company they may have additional financial reserves to tap into for situations like this or you may be lucky enough that another project was under budget and can transfer their funds to you. Though it is beneficial…   Read more»

I think it is important for stakeholders to maintain distance from specific company operations as they are not qualified to do certain tasks and it may slow the process down if they are constantly caught up to speed on what…   Read more»

I don’t see transference as negative as it may come across depending on how it is used. For instance, a company may hand off a risk to a third party to use their resources towards working on other projects. In…   Read more»

I find it extremely valuable working with people from different backgrounds. They all come in with a new perspective and can provide their expertise when needed. However, large groups are equivalent to having too many cooks in the kitchen and…   Read more»

I would agree that the ratio should be a bit more even. As students of a technical path is it without a doubt that our technical background is crucial to the work that we do. However, it is also important…   Read more»

I think the best way to go about solving problems is through a team approach. When trying to brainstorm ideas on the label failure it was helpful to gain insight from other team members and build upon each others ideas…   Read more»

I would have to agree that I also prefer the matrix organization. In my department we all complete similar roles but contribute to different projects. Due to our expertise we can contribute to those projects while also have a strong…   Read more»

It is important to include specifications of what the test entails, how to execute it properly, and what specs will indicate and failing or passing test. The more detailed the plan the more likely it is that everything will be…   Read more»

I agree with @hodafattel that accounting for obstacles is a very important quality to have in a plan. I also work in a lab and almost everything goes wrong always so I’ve learned to keep my expectations low and my…   Read more»

This past summer I managed a co-op and with the fluctuation in covid transmissibility the company restrictions were constantly changing too. I had to be flexible enough to change the timeline of her co-op to ensure she would receive the…   Read more»

This actually was a very interesting topic as I can see both sides of the argument and support parts of them equally. I  understand all processed products will have a degree of undesirable components and that the FDA sets standards…   Read more»

As mentioned by many individuals in this thread, soft skills and the ability to effectively communicate are critical to any team based role especially one where you are the one leading the efforts. While I would agree that is one…   Read more»

I would have to agree with @sam21 as short term projects also provide more instantaneous gratification for the work you have worked on. A lot of projects I’ve worked on in pharmaceuticals are part of initiatives that take years to…   Read more»

I think a good project manager is definitely shaped through their prior experiences and roles. Ideally, having experience in all the roles the PM is managing would give them the greatest exposure to the time requirements and restrictions that are…   Read more»

In my experience, I didn’t know much about project management until I started working and met with a mentor who introduced me to the PMP certification. Since then it has been a topic that I have discussed with many individuals…   Read more»