I also think our economic market has unintentionally discouraged quality. There are constantly new phone upgrades and newer editions of products. It is somehow expected that the first edition will not be the best, but its okay as long as…   Read more»

@Zbw2 made an interesting point about market competition as a motivating factor for quality. A company wants to make sure their product is better than all the competitors, so they will be concerned with quality. While I think this is…   Read more»

I think this has especially become a problem in American culture where people are constantly looking for a lawsuit. Hoping to win the big bucks, they will take a company down at any cost. Companies are filled with anxiety over…   Read more»

The main reason the stem cells therapy is not FDA approved is for political reasons surrounding stem cells and pro-life movement. Also, even if the stem cells are drawn from the patients own body the FDA considers it a drug…   Read more»

This is a good point. It is good that the FDA is so careful and protects us, but sometimes it may be overdone. For example, stem cell treatments. They are non FDA approved, but are legal in other countries such…   Read more»

Recalls occur when there is a defect in the medical device. This is usually not a theoretical risk, as that would be more obvious and caught in the development stages. It is usually an unexpected health risks or danger that…   Read more»

I believe that animal testing for medical purposes is ethical. This is partially based on the utilitarian argument in ethics. Utilitarianism states that the most ethical choice is one that will produce the greatest good for the greatest number. Yet…   Read more»

As stated, this is regulated by ISO 10993 and the toxicity table. This depends on the application and intended use of the new biomaterial and its placement on the body. Whether it is a surface device, external communicating device, or…   Read more»

This depends on how critical that milestone is. Some milestone will have a larger impact on the overall project and some not as much. In general missing a milestone is definitely a failure, but in life it is important to…   Read more»

Work breakdown structure (WBS) is critical for planning and accomplishing a project successfully. It is basically a family tree listing all the “parent” tasks and then breaking them down into smaller tasks. This helps the team understand what needs to…   Read more»

This is a good point. Before one invests time and money into a project, they need to make sure there is a need for their idea/project and it will bring in money. As much as bme is about helping people…   Read more»

I think the above posts mentioned many good tips, and personally my best advice would be to find a mentor and job internship. These will really help you get far and teach you more skills than you could have possibly…   Read more»

I think there should be options, and thus an equal amount of courses offered in both the academic and practical realm. Depending on if a student is interested in research or academia they can choose the relevant coursework. One student…   Read more»

As I was scrolling through this page, I was truly fascinated by the different forces that motivate people and how diverse the responses are. I personally am motivated by feeling challenged and feeling that my work is meaningful. As Dr….   Read more»

I agree with the above posts. It is critical when selecting a supplier that you create a clear contract stating that they will notify your company of any changes to the product. Otherwise a lot of trouble can be caused…   Read more»

The various budget techniques are crucial to the monitoring and controlling phase. I would go so far as to say they are the most important factor for control of the project’s schedule and budget. To figure out if the project…   Read more»

This raises a good point. I agree with the above comments that it ultimately depends on the company. A small company can’t afford to go over budget, so in that case a positive cost variance and negative schedule variance would…   Read more»

I think the greatest concerns to the PM are quality of the product, time constraints, and cost budgeting. The PM must determine if this particular part can be produced in-house and if so what would the quality be, how much…   Read more»

To add to the above posts, the uniqueness of the Gantt (in comparison to network diagrams) is that it shows task relationships. This includes FS, SF, FF, SS deadlines. Portraying this information, of whether projects must start on the same…   Read more»

I think this raises an interesting point. As many people mentioned, risk is an essential part of the planning process and deciding if its worthwhile to pursue the project. Yet how exactly is the risk/benefit ratio determined? Is seems partly…   Read more»