The planning phase is crucial in the project life as it sets the tone for the coming stages. You want to plan well so as to avoid any future complications. That is where risk management comes in to play so…   Read more»

I think it’s important to build in a discovery period for projects. Usually at the project kickoff meetings, stakeholders will immediately want to know what the final delivery date will be. This may not always be attainable especially in the…   Read more»

At the company I work for, one of the tasks I had to complete was to finish building a lateral compression tester used in our lab to test the firmness of breast implants. This second fixture was to be shipped…   Read more»

As a PM running a risk management meeting, I’d focus on defining risks instead of identifying risks and make sure everyone in the meeting is clear on them. I would have a top-to-down breakdown of the risk sets with room…   Read more»

At my company, design reviews are not as restricting as the capstone design review session. No one is forced to be silent while their project is being evaluated. There’s more of a dialogue between the team and the one who…   Read more»

The role of project stakeholders is very valuable since there is always potential for positive and negative influence of one stakeholder over another. The greater the potential influence, the greater the risk reach project goals. Knowing the weight of each…   Read more»

The initiation phase is the hardest but most crucial part that sets the tone of the remaining phases for the given project. When you are pitching a new idea, you have to make sure it is presented succinctly with minimal…   Read more»

It is very important to pick team members wisely. Depending on the types of projects your team covers, it’s ideal to pick people who have qualities that your team may be lacking in and/or in need of. Also, having people…   Read more»

I’ve practiced the most, if not all of the 9 design controls covered in this week’s lecture in both school and work. For my undergrad senior capstone class we had to practice design controls over the span of two semesters….   Read more»

You bring up a great point – medical device regulation standards do not translate uniformly on a global scale. What may be deemed as a “safe” medical device in Europe for example may not pass US FDA regulations. When working…   Read more»

I think it’s important that all projects are clearly prioritized and that each team member understands the level of priority each project holds. Being able to prioritize projects well ultimately impacts the success of the project and the response from…   Read more»

I believe the ratio of interpersonal skills to technical skills should be 50:50 in the medical device industry. There are instances where you can talk yourself up but you can only do it for so long until your lack of…   Read more»

I currently work at Ethicon as a R&D Engineer co-op. There are three industries that J&J spans which are consumer products, pharmaceutical products, and medical devices. Within these industries, there are many subsidiary companies. Ethicon falls under the medical device…   Read more»

Hi Nicole, You bring up an interesting point in that companies should be questioned if they are not willing to have legal counsel. When legal disputes arise, it forces the contractor to think twice as to why they want to…   Read more»

This is all the more reason as to why being professional in business exchanges is important and should be reinforced. That is not to say table talk needs to be dry and fully factual. Various topics can be discussed but…   Read more»

Hi Fady, The consultant that was hired at your company is in violation of an NDA or CDA for sure. It is quiet irresponsible of him to just copy the document from another company and not edit out the embedded…   Read more»

There definitely needs to be a balance when it comes to organizational behavior and I think a lot of people find it hard to draw the line between what is professional and what is too friendly. If employees are too…   Read more»

Interesting viewpoint here! Being part of an open and welcoming company culture motivates employees to perform better. Instead of fending for yourself, you are more inclined wanting to better your contribution to the overall company community. A good company culture…   Read more»

I think matrix organization structure is most ideal for collaboration projects. To break down what a matrix is, it is an organizational structure that distributes responsibilities among two or more dimensions. A matrix organization structure takes multiple perspectives into account…   Read more»

Hi Fady, I agree that it is not clear as to what exactly “as far as possible” means and what standard it is being compared to. This statement definitely implies that all risks cannot be reduced completely, but should be…   Read more»