Project interpersonal skills

This chapter is the first chapter in this book and serves as an introduction The first section of this chapter starts with a discussion of what is a medicinal chemist In this chapter the reader will notice far more attention to the people aspect of the discipline of medicinal chemistry than will be found in later chapters. This is by design. When expert practitioners in the field discuss success in medicinal chemistry the focus is usually very much on the person rather than on the technology. We admire the persistent drug hunters. We remember the individuals who do not give up easily. We appreciate those individuals with the interpersonal skills that facilitate an effective therapeutic project team. We admire those medicinal chemists who think out of the box and come up with the insights that transform a program. In this introduction I have tried to give some credit to this people factor. 

Boddy, D. and Buchanan, D. (1992). Take the Lead interpersonal Skills for Project Managers. Prentice Hall. 

Most of these issues can be addressed through interpersonal skills, which are not the subject of this chapter. However, the staling process of chemometric models can be addressed by performing three important tasks during the project (1) publicize the limitations of your models as soon as you are aware of them, (2) do the hard work early on (experimental designs for calibration, collection and analysis of many samples) in order to avoid embarrassments through model extrapolations, and (3) keep an eye on your methods as they are operating, and update/adjust them promptly. 

Jasmine nodded, "Yes, I have had chance to work as a team leader for a project at the university and also have mastery demonstrations of communication and interpersonal skills in my portfolio. I hope that you found my abilities in the first two interviews aligned with your needs for the Design Engineer position. ... 

Learning outcomes—what students will know and be able to do as a result of the design-implement experience— need to distinguish success in acquiring personal and interpersonal skills, and product, process, and system building skills, from successful performance of the product, process, or system that is designed. It is possible to have substantial learning benefits even if the project is not a complete success in terms of a functional product. 

CDIO programs should provide support for faculty members to improve their own competence in personal and interpersonal skills, and product, process, and system building skills as described in the Syllabus. The nature and scope of faculty development varies with the resources and intentions of each program and institution. Examples of actions that enhance faculty competence include professional leave to work in industry, partnerships with industry colleagues in research and education projects, inclusion of engineering practice as a criterion for hiring and promotion, and appropriate professional development experiences at the university. Enhancement of faculty competence in professional skills related to the CDIO Syllabus is the focus of Standard 9. 

The top management that assigns the team members must also be the coaches for the team, making certain that the team members are properly trained and then allowing the team to proceed with the project. There is no place here for the traditional bossism of the past. The team members must be selected to have the best combination of recognized expertise in their respective fields and the best team skills. It is not always the one most expert in a specialty who will be the best team member. Team members, however, must have the respect for all other team members, not only for their expertise, but also for their interpersonal skills. Only then will the best products result. This concurrency of design, to include these and all other parts of the cycle, can measurably reduce time to market and overall investment in the product... 

Students, faculty, and staff prepare themselves for a global project experience through the development of interpersonal skills, coupled with understanding and recognition of the people and the culture where they will be located. They establish communication with advisors, mentors, and other who may be related to their projects. 

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