Paul Long is a Project Management Consultant at Design Space InPharmatics. Paul has supervised government regulatory pharmaceutical industries for over twenty years and has a wealth of business knowledge. He knows how to build and lead high-performing, cross-functional teams, how to prioritize and the importance of meeting budgets and targets. In this episode, Paul, Ed, Meranda and Brian discuss the benefits and challenges of virtual project management during the COVID-19 pandemic, integral project management tools and how project management fits into drug development and the overall CMC space.
“We’re fairly comfortable with the virtual environment that allows us to be flexible in who we staff. That’s a plus. It allows us to be flexible in our time when there is a global project. That flexibility has always been there at DSI.”
“It’s similar to managing the communication prior to the COVID environment. You have to establish how the person wishes to communicate, what level they wish to communicate on. So, when I meet a client, I ask them these questions directly. ‘Are you comfortable with this kind of communication? Do you want a weekly update? What’s the cadence for meetings?’”
“I have to integrate our team and the client’s needs into a common goal and make sure we’re meeting that.”
“The challenges haven’t changed with COVID, but our work environment has.”
“Again it comes down to communication, transparency and open discussion. And that’s one of the things I try to drive as a project manager.”
“Keeping the communication up avoids risk. We don’t want surprises, unless they’re good.”
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