What We Covered00:55 – Ed, Brian and Meranda welcome to the show Paul Long who shares his well-rounded background as a project management consultant and speaks to some of the benefits and challenges of virtual project management17:09 – How Paul manages working with clients virtually19:08 – Tools Paul integrates in his project management process21:17 – Paul provides examples of how project management fits into drug development24:52 – Paul shares some project management tools that he utilizes, including the Gantt Chart29:35 – Paul makes a final case as to why project management is important33:41 – Paul differentiates between a project coordinator and a project manager34:28 – Ed, Brian and Meranda thank Paul for joining the showTweetable Quotes“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.” Relevant LinksDesign Space InPharmatics – LinkedInDesign Space InPharmatics – TwitterEdward Narke on LinkedInPaul Long on LinkedIn