I’ve had to catch myself multiple times this semester to stop myself from tunnel vision. Especially, when you think you have a great idea that could be the solution. I think open communication with my group members helped prevent this….   Read more»

Underperformance can be linked to many things – many of times being extrinsic issues (toxic work environment, distracting personal issues, etc.) rather than an intrinsic want to just “skate by” at work. It’s important for a manager to assess what…   Read more»

Auditing suppliers/vendors and their products is a key step to figuring out if a company will be a good fit to your need. Additionally, it is extremely important to create a binding contract to hold the vendors responsible for any…   Read more»

Whether the project was successful or not, there will always be pain-points that can be learned throughout the lifespan of the project. To mitigate these issues in the future, any deliverables or deadlines that are not met during a project…   Read more»

It can be tricky to export medical device to other countries under one clinical trial umbrella. This is due to the many different regulations and standards used in different countries (i.e. EU Standards, Chinese Standards, etc.). It is important to…   Read more»

The COVID-19 pandemic had large repercussions to the initiating and planning phases of many medical device projects. The supply chain issues that continue to reverberate through the industry due to the pandemic have thrown a wrench in the planning/initiating phases…   Read more»

Many reasons factor into why Americans tend to work longer hours than other countries. Mainly, I think this is due to the culture that is embedded into most American companies. I do think it is beginning to slowly shift to…   Read more»

What truly motivates me is helping people, or at least the idea of helping people. Although it can get muddled and diluted in these huge medical device companies, my main driving force to going to work every day and studying…   Read more»

Throughout this course I’ve learned a lot of about the “behind the scenes” activities that drive and effect projects. Mainly I think it was extremely helpful understanding the different pathways various types of medical device products need to undergo before…   Read more»

As a project manager it is important to keep team motivation high in order to drive project success. I think one of the important ways a PM can accomplish this is through leading by example through productivity, morality, and good…   Read more»

I agree with Dr Simons comment about the lines between work and home being blended over the last few years. I’ve tried my best to create that balance while working from home, however I haven’t had too much success. I…   Read more»

Gantt charts are important in the planning stage for PMs and other leadership to understand a rough idea of what resources and time will be needed for a given project. This can help inform a “yah or nah” decision from…   Read more»

This is a question that comes up in a lot of decisions made in my workplace. I don’t think that there should be a a polarized choice between time and money – it is always an profit optimization problem between…   Read more»

I’ve held one design review meeting throughout my current role. Similar to a lot of people I’ve seen answer under this question, I think this meeting is mostly a formality (depending on how complicated the topic is under review). My…   Read more»

I think time and money are both factors that are on either side of the spectrum. On one hand money can acquire the ample resources in order to execute a project timeline ahead of schedule. On the other hand an…   Read more»

Hi everyone, My name is Zack, I’m currently completing my MS in Mechanical Engineering at NJIT while working at BD. Excited to learn about applicable skills/topics during this class and meet new people in the medical device field. Feel free…   Read more»

As a PM or as someone who is looking to become a PM in the future, I think it is important to have or start developing certain traits to be a successful PM. I think leadership, communication, and adaptability are…   Read more»

As a PM I think you need to take several steps to address an underperforming team member. First, I think you need assess why the team member is performing in this manner (i.e. too many tasks, lack of motivation, knowledge…   Read more»

It can be very tricky to navigate a situation and develop a professional relationship with people who think they are always right. It may be easiest to go along with what that person is proposing or insisting needs to be…   Read more»

V&V is typically a huge part of the project timeline and is crucial to the creation of safe and effective medical devices. There are many associated risks on project management when thinking about V&V. I think first and foremost there…   Read more»