From lab coat to project float

Like many project managers in the pharmaceutical and life sciences sector, they first started their careers camouflaged in not-so-glamorous lab coats and safety goggles.

Both challenging and fast-paced, the role of a scientist and project manager are not too dissimilar. Every pharmaceutical professional is vital to developing and delivering safe and effective life-changing medicines to patients, however who is really turning all the cogs?

Scientists who have decided to hang up their lab coat and transition into project management have valuable first-hand experience of the drug development process. This includes a key awareness of common resource constraints, technological barriers and high impacting risks. With this understanding, project managers are well equipped to mitigate risks, be scientifically creative and shape positive team dynamics; key to driving drug development programmes forward whilst ensuring governance.

Whilst many project managers in this sector preserve their scientific proficiencies, for example reporting, problem solving, data management and risk analysis, there are new challenges which must be overcome in order to succeed.

Be comfortable being uncomfortable

As the face of a project, project managers are expected to regularly present governance reviews to the executive leadership team, manage strict customer budgets, conduct conflict resolution and engage a multitude of stakeholders. Project managers are constantly thrown out of their comfort zones. Whilst this can be exciting, the responsibility of a project manager can also be daunting especially with patient’s best interests at heart. Fundamentally, project managers exist to serve and empower the team, help them perform to the best of their abilities, remove obstacles and handle risk.

Be agile

To manage customer expectations and strive to meet a critical patient need all whilst having to be guided by scientific evidence is no easy feat. Project managers must expect the unexpected and come prepared with a Plan B to avoid breaking project momentum. It is vital that project managers have the ability to creatively deal with deviations and be willing to negotiate. Project professionals within this sector may find themselves having to disappoint customers and patients with unexpected study results. However, they have the attitude to perceive failures as lessons learned and produce a refined project proposal with enhanced risk management and accelerated timelines.

Be empathetic

The pharmaceutical and life sciences sector is an unpredictable and unique world. Balancing the needs of patients, customers, the organisation and most importantly, the project team requires high emotional intelligence – a key skill for this growing profession.

Project managers are in a powerful position to create a sense of community leading to higher team productivity and company success. Meanwhile, it’s vital that organisations recognise the demands of the project manager role and ensure there are support structures in place to avoid burnout. It’s the people who are first and foremost essential to project success therefore building a team environment based on trust and respect will be beneficial to all, especially the patients.

Conclusion

Once a scientist, a project manager will have first-hand appreciation of drug development, including the challenges of early feasibility studies, the time required for successful design of experiment and the sense of purpose when delivering clinical trial samples. Whilst a science background such as this is advantageous, it’s of course not essential. Project managers have the aptitude and adaptability to lead in any sector, given the right opportunity. Skills such as negotiation, engaging stakeholders, risk management and leadership are just some of the key skills required for project managers to succeed in delivering projects with confidence.

Nevertheless, the pharmaceutical sector is a highly strategic and regulated landscape where project managers are expected to be a ‘Jack of all trades, master of none.’ The demands of project managers continue to expand, and it is important now more than ever that the industry recognise, and respect, that they are the change leaders who deliver revolutionary medicines to patients.