Project management for laboratory leaders: Skills for success 

3.0 ACCENT credits / 3.0 CME credits
Sunday, July 27, 2025
Afternoon course | 1:30 – 4:30 p.m. US Central Time
McCormick Place Chicago

Description

This course equips attendees with essential project management skills tailored for clinical laboratory project administration. The curriculum begins with an introduction to project management, featuring lightning talks on integrating project managers into organizational structures and fostering a project management culture. Attendees will engage in a hands-on exercise to develop an implementation plan for laboratory automation. The course progresses to foundational project management frameworks, covering both traditional project management and advanced Agile and Lean methodologies used for program management. The benefits and limitations of common project management tools such as Excel, MS Planner, MS Project, and Jira will be presented. Advanced concepts will be explored through case-based scenarios and audience polling, applying methods like work breakdown structure and critical path analysis. The course concludes with a small group exercise where attendees apply learned frameworks to their own projects, ensuring practical, hands-on experience that can be directly implemented in their professional roles.

Target audience

This activity is designed for lab supervisors, lab directors (and/or assistant directors), lab managers (supervisory and/or non-supervisory), point-of-care coordinators, pathologists, and in-training individuals.

Presentation level

Basic

Prerequisite knowledge 

General knowledge of laboratory operations and workflows and fundamental project management concepts (project schedule/timelines, resource management) is recommended but not required.

What to bring

In addition to a laptop or personal device, we recommend bringing details of a current project – working on or planning – for group discussion and troubleshooting.

Learning objectives

After participating in this course, participants will be able to:

• Develop strategies to foster a project management culture.
• Apply project management frameworks to laboratory projects.
• Implement agile thinking methodologies in complex projects.

Skills you will gain

• Understand project management roles and develop effective teams
• Strategically analyze projects to evaluate long-term goals and organizational impact
• Effectively use project management tools for project planning and execution

Faculty

Khushbu Patel, PhD, DABCC, FADLM | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Adam Bidegary, MBA, MS | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Shivani Maikhuri, MHA, MS | Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Course outline

1. (5 min) Welcome and introduction (Khushbu Patel)
   
   
2. (25 min) Lightning talks on project management lightning talks (All)
   Faculty will orient participants to how project managers fit into a department’s organizational structure and project teams, followed by a discussion on turning your operational and clinical leader dyad into a triad with a project manager. They will present examples of how a successful project management culture can engage your workforce and help achieve goals in an efficient and timely manner.
   
   
3. (30 min) How to think like a project manager (Shivani Maikhuri)  
   This session will be dedicated to a small group exercise where the class will be split into two groups.  Groups will spend the first twenty minutes discussing the following scenario: You are implementing an automation track and new instruments in your lab and the task is to develop an implementation plan. One group will be given templated guidelines (Gantt chart, work breakdown and resource management plans, project schedule) and the other will be a control group with no framework/ tools. Each group will then present their plan and instructors will compare and contrast the benefits of using project management tools/ templates.
     
4. (30 min) Project management 101: Building from the basics (Shivani Maikhuri)  
   This session will demonstrate the use of project management skills in tackling complex projects.  Specific topics covered include:
   • Project management tools from basic to advanced: Excel, MS Planner, MS Project, Jira 
   • 4 phases of traditional project management: Initiation planning, planning, execution, and monitoring and controlling  
   • Advanced program management: Agile methodologies and lean program management 
   • Examples of how Scaled Agile Frameworks, Disciplined Agile Delivery, and Scrum are applied to real laboratory projects such as cyber security planning, resource management and stewardship.
     
   (10 min) Break
   
   
5. (50 min) Applying advanced concepts in project management (All) 
   The instructors will introduce additional project management concepts that can be applied within the presented frameworks, such as work break down structure, critical path analysis, sprint planning- stand ups- sprint- retrospectives, program increment planning. They will provide cases where specific project management frameworks were trialed and failed to help assess the fit for frameworks and identify areas were frameworks can be customized. Audience polling will be used to apply frameworks from prior session to laboratory projects/ problems.
     
6. (30 minutes) Small group exercise and project consultation- Bring your own project 
   Participants  will be assigned to a smaller group based on project similarity. During this small group exercise, you will be asked to apply frameworks learned with guidance from the course instructors. Please note: Attendees may submit a project that they are working on or planning to initiate at their institution for this breakout exercise. This is an excellent opportunity to share and advance your personal project planning.