Maintaining a good relationship with vendors requires effort, like everything else that is good. On-time payment to vendors is definitely a priority because you are doing business with them and this is the best way to show that you are…   Read more»

The results here don’t particularly surprise me! Everyone wants to have a purpose in life and a lot of times, we draw that from our work since we dedicate most of our time in a given day to doing that….   Read more»

Dr. Simon’s classes are always very practical and teaches the reality of how the medical device industry works. Taking this class has enlightened me on what kind of company I work for (matrix organization), which I didn’t think of before….   Read more»

I believe that Americans are overworking due to a combination of factors including motivation, peer pressure, and more work to complete overall. Motivating factors in this economy is to make as much money as possible to be able to live…   Read more»

I would love to continue as an engineer until I become a principal engineer. Once I am a principal engineer for a few years, then I would consider looking into a management position so that I understand how to manage…   Read more»

One of my biggest motivation at work is to perform in such a way that my manager has minimal to no negative feedback. When I started off with CAD work, my manager came back with a lot of constructive criticism,…   Read more»

Hi ks629, I think you make a valid point but I see why using a different coating from the same supplier may be beneficial. Since the contract is already signed with that specific supplier, it’s easier to change product selection…   Read more»

At work, we have multiple projects going on simultaneously in R&D to enhance some of our product lines. One of the projects involved mixing in a different material to reduce the overall weight of the implant. Another project involved aimed…   Read more»

In my experience, the procurement process is very straight forward but can sometimes be expensive. There have been several occasions where I have found a given product for a relatively cheap price but because it’s not on the approved vendor…   Read more»

Agreeing on the project goals is crucial to get the project up and running. If the whole team is not on board, you can’t continue with the project without it failing or just not producing good quality results. Effective communication…   Read more»

Another way to keep track of a project’s progress is through team meetings in which the whole team gets filled in on each member’s status within the project. Typically, team meetings will go over what has been completed, what is…   Read more»

I have had to modify CAD drawings to accommodate new design changes. This involved changing the rev number, adding redlines, and adjusting the bill of materials (BOM). Once the redlines drawing was approved, I had to go back and remove…   Read more»

Like cdj24 mentioned, it’s hard to say which situation is better without knowing the context of the project and the company. Ideally, having a positive SV and CV is preferred but that’s not always possible. If the schedule is flexible…   Read more»

In my experience, some factors that affect schedule variance negatively involves accounting for unplanned events. Recently we had to complete competitive testing on implants in comparison to our own implants. We had to complete implant characterization but the motors on…   Read more»

Depending on the need to outsource, there are a lot of factors a PM needs to consider when picking a third-party vendor. The PM must consider whether the task at hand is a primary service that the company offers. If…   Read more»

Verification is mostly paper work. All the design inputs such as specifications, government and industry regulations, knowledge taken from previous designs, and any other information necessary for proper function are compared with the design outputs such as drawings, assembly instructions,…   Read more»

When having a stern project stakeholder like Patty in the simulation, it is the project manager’s duty to mediate any issues in concerns. Through clear communication and open-mindedness, the team should be able to tackle any issues that may arise…   Read more»

As many have mentioned above, most company SOPs will not allow for any unethical activity to get around the FDA. And if a company decides to go against the policy, they will have to pay for the consequences. This is…   Read more»

This actually occurred in my team a few months ago. The previous PM got a new job with another J&J branch and one of the principle R&D engineers got promoted to becoming PM. So in our case, it wasn’t a…   Read more»

Gantt charts are used to map out reasonable timelines including the initiation of a project and critical pathways, this way critical milestones can be monitored. The development of network diagrams and gantt charts allows smooth initiation, continuation, and completion of…   Read more»