Medical Device Courses | Terril_Vallikalam | Activity

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "What’s Your Motivator?" -

Sun, 01 May 2022 14:16:36 -0400

For me, the biggest motivator is the feeling of accomplishment that comes after completing a specific task or project. This feeling of accomplishment feels even greater when the task at hand is very difficult. Knowing that I have completed the… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Project Manager Decisions" -

Sun, 01 May 2022 11:44:12 -0400

Of the many things to consider, one main thing is how reliable the company and their field service engineers or other liaisons are. In the case of this example, though the product is a good quality and is within the… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Skills Learned in this Class" -

Sat, 30 Apr 2022 14:56:03 -0400

This course helped me to better understand the of a medical device company and all the roles that people can play in it. Prior to going into the course, I had known that there was a lot of collaboration between… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "How was this class helpful" -

Sun, 24 Apr 2022 20:06:00 -0400

I’ve learned a lot from this course and I can’t wait to apply what I’ve learned in an industry setting. From this course, I specifically learned a lot about the nuances that go on in project planning and management in… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Quick, Fast, Good? Pick Two" -

Sun, 24 Apr 2022 20:01:03 -0400

I believe the best choices for this would be a good and fast study. Having an expensive clinical trial is not idea, but I feel like medical device companies know the prices of these trials and what’s at stake if… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Overworked Americans vs. Motivation" -

Sun, 24 Apr 2022 01:15:34 -0400

I believe this has a lot to do with whether or not you actually like your current role/job. Personally, I have gotten really into my work and sometimes stayed at work beyond the typical 8 hour work day so I… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Most Important Project Management Knowledge Areas" -

Sun, 17 Apr 2022 14:39:09 -0400

I think the two most important Project Management Knowledge Areas would have to be Time Management and Cost Management. Any company, medical device related or not, is always trying to create a new product in the least amount of time… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Discussion Topic: Scope creep....when your project changes" -

Sat, 16 Apr 2022 23:33:59 -0400

This is a slightly different view point than the other discussions in this thread. At my previous job as a test engineer, one of the things that we had to do was write protocols. Since I had never written… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Changining staff" -

Sat, 16 Apr 2022 23:20:41 -0400

It is always good to have a contingency plan in case something like this were to happen during the course of a project. This is also why during the planning phase of the project it is important to include extra… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Weighing Input of the Timeline" -

Sat, 09 Apr 2022 22:49:49 -0400

I believe that the project manager would have the most say in the timeline of the project. There is the potential that the project manager’s boss or a higher up executive may have an input, but I believe it ultimately… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam posted a new topic "This Week's Simulation 3" -

Sat, 09 Apr 2022 22:42:11 -0400

In this week’s simulation, we read about a marketing manager at a company prematurely give a sample to a potential client of a product that hadn’t been completed or sent to Production. Given that the product did prove to be… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Communication during a project management" -

Sat, 09 Apr 2022 18:11:48 -0400

Great questions @hodafattel! Communication is very important to making sure a project stays on track and also to allow cross collaboration between other groups and teams. At my previous job, we used Microsoft Teams to communicate with each other. Whether… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Tendency for project management in medical devices field" -

Sun, 27 Mar 2022 20:25:46 -0400

From my experience with medical devices, we used designated an individual within our departmental organization as the Project Manager. I believe this is a better idea than using someone outside the company since they may not have as much knowledge… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Improving Team Performance" -

Sun, 27 Mar 2022 13:38:15 -0400

I agree with @tiavance23. I am sure that an abrupt change in the project manager during the middle of the project is not what the team would’ve expected. Thus, it would highly beneficial to sit and meet with the team… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Making connections between people and schools" -

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 23:05:39 -0400

Hi guys,

My name is Terril and I am a Master’s in Chemical Engineering student at NJIT and I also currently work at BASF. Looking forward to connecting with you!

https://www.linkedin.com/in/terril-vallikalam/

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Figuring out tasks." -

Sun, 13 Mar 2022 21:49:52 -0400

It is important to break a large task into much more manageable, smaller tasks. This will ensure that nothing gets overlooked when completing the project. If an SOP is being followed, splitting up tasks according to the way the SOP… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "What you need to get a job in project management" -

Sun, 13 Mar 2022 21:23:06 -0400

I believe the most important thing would be to have experience, not only in project management but from the ground up. I believe the best leaders are people who have climbed the ladder and reached a position of power, rather… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Difference in communication when working from home" -

Sun, 13 Mar 2022 21:14:02 -0400

Like you had mentioned, the hardest thing about working from home is not being able to walk up to a coworker’s office to ask them a question. Instead, you would need to email them back and forth until you could… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Changing thee project" -

Sun, 06 Mar 2022 16:08:21 -0500

At my previous job, unfortunately, there were times when we were at the very end of the project when we needed to go back and change something. To test a specific condition/constraint/requirement for a medical device, my company used the… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Unique Project Challenges for Medical Device Companies" -

Sat, 05 Mar 2022 15:45:11 -0500

Like @njq3 and @ridmehta mentioned, it is vital that your medical device is approved by the appropriate governing agency. In the United States, we have the FDA. The European Union has the EMA. Health Canada is the governing agency for… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Project Planning" -

Fri, 04 Mar 2022 23:11:50 -0500

Like a lot of previous posts have mentioned, communication is key!! Without communication, there is no way the project can succeed. Constant communication between all relevant parties (i.e., project managers, team leads, team members, etc.) is vital to ensure that… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam posted a new topic "Penalization for Going Over Budget and Time?" -

Sat, 26 Feb 2022 18:56:50 -0500

Do you think employees, group leads, or even project managers should get penalized for going over a project deadline or over the allotted expenses? If yes, what should their “punishment” be? A lot of situations can arise during a… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Organizing tasks" -

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 14:37:18 -0500

We used that idea you had mentioned in college! The only downfall to this idea was that we had to take pictures of the wall and then upload those pictures to a Google Drive folder and periodically look at the… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Project Slack Time" -

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 14:24:02 -0500

Like @pv223 said, accounting for slack in project planning is very important. This slack time helps to account for a number of things that can happen during the course of a project. I believe slack is very necessary for a… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Different Types of Teams for Different Size Companies" -

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 21:18:15 -0500

I agree with @mmd55. At both my previous and current positions, I have only had the opportunity to work for large companies. Apart from my day to day job, I am not exposed to much else. At my previous job,… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "From a Stakeholders Point of View" -

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 20:47:53 -0500

Stakeholders should not be involved with the project, other than the financial aspect of it. Stakeholders, like previous replies have mentioned, have more knowledge in finance and related matters; if they were involved in other aspects of the project, it… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Executing Process" -

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 20:36:24 -0500

From my personal experience, I like to give my bosses’ a sometimes two months in advance notice if I am going on vacation when I know there is a strong push in the executing phase of a project. Even though… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Test Method Validation" -

Sat, 12 Feb 2022 22:59:20 -0500

*I forgot the exact terminology from my previous position but I will try my best to try to explain!* From what I have learned about Test Method Validation, through this course and my previous position, it has more to do… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Design Review Meeting" -

Sat, 12 Feb 2022 22:35:27 -0500

I totally agree with Dr. Simon mentioned in lecture and I have personally done this. Typically, deadlines would happen on Friday’s, so I would like to send out documents to the appropriate people prior to approval. More often than not,… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Experiments" -

Wed, 09 Feb 2022 03:33:10 -0500

I feel like the most effective method for resolution after an experimental failure is to take a step back and try and determine what caused the failure. Rather than going full steam ahead with more experiments and testing, it might… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "How to ensure the project is on schedule to meet deadline" -

Sun, 06 Feb 2022 22:00:57 -0500

The lecture for this week mentioned the use of a Gantt chart. I believe this is very useful since it allows you to think about the project and the course you want it to run ahead of time. In the… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam posted a new topic "Leaders: Nature or Nurture?" -

Sat, 05 Feb 2022 23:14:08 -0500

Over the last few lectures, I have begin to think about project managers and the leadership ability that they exemplify. Do you think that these project managers learned to be leaders or are “born leaders”? Is there such a think… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Sizes of Project Teams" -

Sat, 05 Feb 2022 23:06:47 -0500

As part of the undergraduate curriculum at my school, each student needed to complete two semesters of IPRO (Interprofessional Project). The whole idea behind this project was for us to learn how to work with people of different majors. Typically,… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "How to manage priorities in Project Management?" -

Sun, 30 Jan 2022 16:05:44 -0500

I personally have not had the experience of being a PM, but I am able to recall a time that priorities shifted at my previous job. I previously worked for a medical device company that was planning on submitting… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Importance of management skills" -

Sat, 29 Jan 2022 20:23:24 -0500

For a manager to be a good manager, they need to be an effective leader. The manager should be well organized, have good communication skills, and, most importantly, trust the people that they are leading. By being organized, the manager… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Roles of the Regulatory Department" -

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 23:45:19 -0500

Between product development and post-market management, I would like to work for product development. I feel like this role allows you to work closer with the product and ensure that it meets the required end goal. From start to finish,… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "What kind of projects interest you the most?" -

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 20:16:07 -0500

I agree with @cm539! When it comes to a project, I would rather do something that allows me to work with my hands then just solely work on a computer. I also enjoy projects that allow you to be more… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "How do you deal with challenges?" -

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 19:25:15 -0500

Seems like we all had major problems with our senior design group! My senior design group was a group of people that I had never previously worked with; we interacted on occasion and in class, but I didn’t really… Read more»

Terril_Vallikalam replied to the topic "Interest in Project Management?" -

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 16:36:24 -0500

I would like to one day work in a PM role because I want to do the opposite of what previous PMs have done. In a lot job, PM tend to micromanage their subordinates, even if they are capable of… Read more»