You’re working on an R&D project and running out of time. How can you speed up the process?

Start with an assessment of the current status and determine the root cause of the schedule lapse. Revisit the associated risks and the mitigation strategies and determine a pathway to close out the key risks with a timeline that is determined by the team, bottoms-up by evaluating all the required tasks for completing the project. Additionally, assess what is needed from a resource, competency and investment perspective to close out the risks. Design for a minimum viable product and focus efforts on this goal. Update stake holders on the plan and seek buyin for the required resources/investments and the new timeline. Execute and review progress on a frequent basis. Celebrate small wins and focus on successfully completing the project!

Sorry - to accelerate, you need (we all need) deadlines and a hammer/whip. Collaborative teams have increased inefficiency - so you have to know that and work hard to be efficient and not have 10 people in a meeting not paying attention to the meeting.

Deep understanding of project criticalities and regulatory expectations are two most important things to speed up the product development. Few changes can be done as a part of the post approval changes whereas some changes require safety/efficacy re-assessment. So, prime focus should be on the formulation and process related aspects which remain constant throughout a product lifecycle. The factors, which can be modified/updated later on, can be handled as per permitted timeframe. And finally, one has to adopt a risk based approach while ensuring a robust quality product. Thanks & Regards, Riddhish Patadia

As it goes for any project, break down your tasks into small ones and prioritize well. Then, set-up a well defined milestone path and execute the small tasks one by one. Be diligent in resource allocation and realistic in completing the tasks. Keep the communication among the stakeholders clear at every step of the way! review progress and update the timeline and priorities dynamically. Do not forget to celebrate small or big wins along the way!

The best technique to expedite an R&D project when time is limited is to implement a strategy known as "rapid prototyping." Rapid prototyping involves quickly creating iterative versions of the product or solution to test and validate ideas, gather feedback, and make rapid iterations. This technique allows for accelerated learning and refinement of the project while saving time and resources. By embracing rapid prototyping, you can swiftly identify and address potential challenges, prioritize key features, and make informed decisions to expedite the development process while ensuring the final product meets the desired objectives.

To plan resources effectively, assess the current availability of personnel, equipment, and funding. Allocate resources based on project priorities, ensuring that critical tasks have the necessary support. Consider redistributing workload, outsourcing non-core activities, or acquiring additional resources if needed to meet deadlines. Regularly review resource utilization and adjust allocations as necessary to maintain efficiency.

Depois de definir as metas do projeto, o próximo passo é planejar os recursos necessários para alcan?á-las dentro do tempo e do or?amento previstos. é imprescindível listar todos os recursos necessários, fazer a estimativa de custos, desenvolver um cronograma, alocar recursos, monitorar e controlar os recursos, sem deixar de gerenciar riscos todos os riscos.

There’s always two basic ways any project can be expedited : 1) Fastracking - executing activities at the same time rather than sequentially. 2) Crashing - adding more resources (people and tools) to accelerate the timeline. Use these principles in RnD or in any project.

Plan the resources focus them on critical task give to your team a double benefit: 1 you can check and focus critical path in your project 2 you can use your resources on main task letting out unseful activities

Instead of just focusing on the traditional allocation of resources, explore unconventional sources such as crowdsourcing ideas or using open innovation platforms to tap into external expertise. Additionally, consider leveraging AI for resource planning by using predictive analytics to forecast potential bottlenecks and resource needs dynamically.

In my experience having an Agile mindset, culture and a framework greatly helps in efficiently and effectively delivering R&D projects. When it comes to such projects, the most important thing I found helpful is creating a roadmap of the entire Product by breaking it into a smaller set of defined deliverables such that each one when completed adds value to customers. This approach helps in: 1. ensuring there is continuous flow of usable output at regular intervals, which keeps the stakeholders actively engaged as they see the value generated - keeping the team morale high by celebrating successes in each release - leveraging the learnings in subsequent deliverables by adapting to the feedback

In my experience, the work distribution among the team members would help in these situations. This point needs that the team members were happy to do more than their responsibilities, as they were totally satisfied in the research team and had been respected before! It is a win-win contract which must have been considered in the research project, in advance!

The very first thing to do if you want to speed up the project is to have objective clear. Once the foundation is near now keeping tools such as Gantt chart in place will help in defining timelines without wasting much of the time. Distribution of work amongst resources also helps as there are certain activities which could be run parallel.

Agile project management means a goal (as an expected business outcome), some ressources (oncluding a prioritized product backlog with chunked features) and most importantly a deadline. In R&D you don't know exactly what is the deliverable so you deliver chunks, not a fixed deliverable. "To test your assumptions, validate your results, and get feedback from your customers or users", you use Lean Startup approach, not Agile methods.

Time pressure often generates a fare share of chaos, slowing down the project even more. Working more agile in R&D often involves creating an effective task force that closely monitors the completion of manageable work packages along the critical path. Structured follow-up of action items distributed on a weekly or even daily basis is essential. Use methods of real time communication for important content - calls over mails, group chats and shared formats. Acknowledge that mistakes are part of the process and a tool to benefit from. Talk openly and without fear. Don’t cover up. And lastly but most importantly, create ownership through a common understanding of the ultimate goal of the project, and how everyone‘s work contributes to it.

Collaborative work is the need of time. It allows different perspective, guidance and ability to perform work in best ways and a timely manner however it needs a clear communication and good understanding between collaborators.

Collaborate to achieve collective sucess. Many things will be achieved in team setup which alone looks impossible. Collaboration—>Completion —> Celebration ????

There are two ways to speed up the projects: 1: Add more resources 2: Take more risks It is mostly difficult to find the right set of skills and resources in running projects which makes the second option more relevant. With team collaboration, it becomes easier to assess which tasks, currently on the critical path can be processed in parallel while managing the risks.

Collaborate with your team. Schedule a meeting to discuss action items and deadlines. Identify risks and issues for completing the action items. Request assistance from other individuals who would be best to help facilitate and troubleshoot to get the project completed on time.

R&D projects in collaborative than individual setting are 50% more effective at completing the task with engagement of more heads with integrative approaches and boosting their intrinsic motivation.

In such a crunch time scenario, leveraging automation tools can be a game-changer. By integrating AI-driven algorithms or scripting repetitive tasks, the team can drastically reduce manual efforts, boost efficiency, and accelerate project timelines. Additionally, exploring workflow automation platforms tailored to the project's needs can streamline processes and ensure seamless collaboration, ultimately delivering results faster without compromising quality.

Automate repetitive tasks using appropriate tools and scripts to increase efficiency. Identify routine processes within the R&D workflow that can be automated, such as data analysis or testing. Leverage automation tools and technologies to reduce manual effort, minimize errors, and expedite project progress. Regularly review and update automated processes to align with evolving project requirements.

To automate tasks in your R&D project, identify repetitive or manual processes that can be streamlined with technology. Evaluate available tools or develop custom scripts to automate these tasks, such as data collection, analysis, and reporting. Integrate automation into your workflow to save time and reduce human error.

Have your nightly builds running and ensure. Make sure to cover as much cases as possible. This way you won’t run of capacity, and also you really only Sanity check for daily confidence check.

Really in current era we are equipped with many AI tools that are very useful to do our work in a speedy way. It's reduces time and reports are more accurate. Incorporate automaton in the project to complete work timely.

Effective follow up can speed up the whole process. 1. Make a things to do list with timeline. 2. Set priority- Most important, moderate and least important 3. You can use Important & Urgency tool by Stephen Covey. You should complete the important task before becoming it to urgent. 4. Identify bottle neck, you can take advice from senior management during meeting. Communication should be clear, concise and action item need to be addressed. 5. Radiate positive energy, do not procrastinate, your energy will energise the stakeholders, and speed up the project.

Few points to suggest - Setting up a cadence to understand ‘specific’ hurdles and facilitate resolution. - Facilitate focus for team members by avoiding distractions, multitasking - Encouraging decision making at every level.

To accelerate a R&D project: 1. Identify and Focus on critical tasks first. 2. Simplify processes to remove inefficiencies. 3. Utilize available data, tools, and technologies. 4. Discuss and Partner with experts for specialized knowledge. 5. Break the project into smaller iterations for faster progress and keep a track of it. 6. Automate repetitive tasks to save time and Delegate non-core activities to external partners. 7. Keep communication open within the team. 8. Identify and address potential risks early and be willing to adjust timelines as needed based on progress and challenges.

Speeding up an R&D project, especially when running out of time, requires a strategic approach to identify bottlenecks and implement effective solutions. Here are several strategies to consider: Prioritize Tasks: Identify the most critical tasks that will have the biggest impact on your project's success. Use techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance. Focus on completing these tasks first and consider delaying or dropping less critical tasks. Increase Resources: If budget allows, consider adding more team members to work on the project. This could include hiring new employees, bringing in consultants, or reallocating internal resources.

Usage of Rolling wave planning helps a lot in driving RND project successfully. Dealing out the iminent activities and having a daily huddle on what is done and what is not done as well as facilitating for the problem solving help a lot.

Remember this fact: the R&D project that takes the longest (and is the most expensive) is the one you have to do over. Don’t sacrifice quality or integrity on the altar of expedience. Narrow scope if needed, prioritize, find more resources, leverage technology don’t gild the lily’s but make sure the deliverables are reliable and meet the goal as well as meeting the timeline. Also: communicate, communicate, communicate - down laterally and up! Remember you will need the team for future projects. Is alienating or burn them out worth the timeline? Your credibility with your leadership is enhanced by telling the truth.

It is extremely crucial to create a plan which envisages delays considering some degree of uncertainty involved in a new development and have mitigation measures available in the form of a backup approach to stay closer to committed timelines. Taking faster decisions on course corrections required also helps keep the project on track.

When you are running out of time, its time to prioritize and focus on what's absolutely needed for the MVP product (maybe there are still features in the MVP that are not critical). Only highest priority issues need to be addressed keeping product quality front and center (else you will pay for it post-launch). Communication on team recommendations both up and down the chain is critical, to keep everyone abreast of the latest thinking and challenges. A war room philosophy works at such time, as critical decisions need to be made on incomplete information.

Proper assessment of the Complexity of the project and the need to leverage or even develop some tools to deliver from science based is key. My best experiences in the past when time is a constraint is to stop and do a very detailed plan with clear milestones, accountabilities and a good steering team that is validated by the execution team and not the other way around. This time investment gives dividends in a good execution that if encountered with challenges, will be able to solve divert or even escalate the issue to resolve quickly. In the end a positive, focused empowered team with the right level of support will achieve quicker.

When you run out of time it is important to communicate - to your team, to your stakeholder(s). It is all about managing expectations. What is the reason for running out of time, how much extra time is needed, and what will be a consequence of delivery of the project as it is at the proposed delivery time. For yourself it is important to learn from the situation to prevent repetition of such a situation in the (near) future.