Why it is important to have a technically trained engineer run your project
We are often asked – when it comes to medical device project management, what does it take to be a World-Class Project Manager? The answer to the question is an important one, and certainly, things like experience and project management training are important. But we have found that having an education and (lots of) experience in a relevant technical field combined with leadership skills is what sets our people above the rest when providing the best medical device project management consulting.
What do we mean by education and experience in a technical field? When creating a medical device, you might include a combination of electrical, mechanical, biomechanical, software, or pharmaceutical components in your device. To manage a complicated project such as this, Waddell Group looks for people with experience in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, biomedical, software, or a chemistry degree to run this project, along with the requisite leadership skills necessary to successfully lead a team of brilliant people.
Project Managers act as Consultants
In a very real sense, our team members are not just skilled in project management but can act as medical device engineering consultants as well. For example, if the project requires electrical systems, and the PM has an education in electrical engineering and experience in being an electrical engineer for a medical device company, they are much more likely to be considered peers by the technical talent on the team. Another benefit of this experience is that they know what it takes to be a competent engineer and can encourage better performance from their team members.
More than this, though, some consulting companies offer medical device project management consulting without engineering experience. While this can work for some projects (IT comes to mind), without the technical background the project requires there is a risk to the project that the technical talent that is being managed might mislead or take advantage of the project manager’s lack of education or experience to deliver subpar performance. By providing the medical device project manager as a medical device engineering consultant capable of talent, this risk is mitigated, and the problem can be avoided.
An additional benefit from having a technically trained project manager is that when the team encounters a problem, the project manager has the confidence to roll up their sleeves and work with the team to solve the problem. Their technical abilities are an asset and engender respect from the rest of the team as they solve the problem.
To summarize, at Waddell Group, we seek to elevate our team to be the best project management consulting company for the medical device industry. And one of the ways we do that is by hiring talent that is trained and experienced in the technical areas that our clients require projects to be done.
Contact the Waddell Group
We provide strategic level project leaders for the medical device industry. Beyond essential project management skills, our highly experienced consultants know how to lead teams, manage in times of crisis, and influence change. We can help get you on the right track with our project management team, just take a look at our work and see for yourself. Contact the Waddell Group today to get started by calling 952.221.3333