Yeah I actually believe that it is almost impossible for a project to focus on just one priority at a time. A project has so many moving parts that focusing one priority would severely slow down the company. A project is most likely be ran by multiple employees and one idea is to split the priorities in between the employees. By assigning a…[Read more]

When dealing with vendors communication is a large part of what your relationship will be in the future. The fact that a company that supplying us did not speak english is a major concern. If you are not able to speak to a vendor you are waiting for their to be a major issue. no matter how good of a vendor the company is you will eventually run…[Read more]

I feel like this class has been one of the more realistic courses I have taken in college. The same way i learned a lot about medical devices in Dr. Simon’s first course, this class allowed me to bridge the gap between my BME knowledge and business knowledge. This class not only teaches some simple formulas but it also teaches real life skills.…[Read more]

Personally I have worked for very unmotivated project managers and it can be the most depressing thing to deal with. It does not mean anyone has to spend a lot of money or do anything to amazing. Simply recognizing when a good job has been done can help employees tremendously.

I believe it is easier to teach skills then it is to teach motivation. An employee that wants to learn and get better can accomplish a lot more in the long run. An unmotivated employee with a decent level of skill is nice in the short term. You save money on training and do not feel as invested if the employees leaves after working for you. It…[Read more]

Company size greatly affects the project that the manager is handling. it could change budget, team member size, and in some cases the quality of the workers that the manager has. It is important for the manager to be able to adapt to different enviornments and handle different companies well. A project manager that has a lot of experience at a…[Read more]

A project without a plan is a project that is planned to fail. while other documents such as the project management plan might touch on topics that are discussed in the WBS, it will not fully accomplish what the WBS can. Deviations and obstacles will still occur with the WBS in place but it will allow these problems to be solved more efficiently…[Read more]

A problem is much easier to handle if it can be avoided. While this sounds redundant and obvious it is often over looked. The work to fix a problem can lead to much larger issues than the one problem being solved. Once a document is opened for revision it often needs significantly more changes then just the one item you opened it to fix. changing…[Read more]

We saw this week the difficulty in having a very specific DSD. Once the product component was considered a critical component it left us scrambling to find another replacement that would exactly meet the criteria. When design the specifications it should not be designed towards the supplier but rather what is actually feasible for the product.…[Read more]

As mentioned before it is clearly necessary for more information to be given, but off the concept of the question it would matter more on the company. Larger companies would most likely be more concerned about the schedule variance as they most likely have a budget that could sustain additional cost. Smaller companies would most likely be more…[Read more]

When handling changes it must always be considered that no change is as simple as it seems at first. When correcting a simple aspect of a bills of materials it could turn in to a design change and could affect other linked projects. Very rarely is a project a linear structure but or of a branching structure. When one aspect of the branch is…[Read more]

Metrics is what allows the project to be tracked quantitively vs qualitatively. It takes away bias and personal opinions replacing them with numeric values of accomplishment. These allow companies to begin to understand what needs to be done with a project. If a project is returning negative values, they know to look at spending and time…[Read more]

Going back on a project is a step backwards but it’s a necessary action to commit. Trying to continue a project without going back and correcting prior mistake will lead to a larger issue further down the road. Also, if the schedule change is coming from higher management it would be hopefully understood if the timeline of the project changes. I…[Read more]

This question reminds me of a saying that I believe is very true to the project manager position. It is called the 6Ps, “Proper Planning Prevents Pretty Poor Performance”. If the PM correctly planned the project, it should allow buffer room for errors and new regulations being involved. With everyone’s access to media it is clear to see how dynam…[Read more]

When dealing with regulations you really can’t fake or placebo the project. If you get away with it, and the product gets released does not mean that you are now good for life. FDA audits can go back as far as they want and can reveal a fake test and then the company will face a huge blow back from it. Anyone involved in the falsified documents, e…[Read more]

As a risk management chairman in my fraternity I fell very strongly that risk is a big deal no matter what you do. Obviously while working as a fraternity member you are more worried about suspensions and school policy. You must be concerned that even something done with good intentions could be perceived as a malicious act and can be detrimental…[Read more]