Single-Point-of-Knowledge Resource Pulled to a Bid
Cobalt Medical Devices has engaged Aventine Engineering to deliver a $3.4M automated packaging line for a new sterile syringe product. The project is in month 7 of 9. Commissioning and validation are scheduled to start in seven weeks. The line's safety control system must be programmed and validated by an engineer certified on the specific safety PLC platform under the client's validation master plan. Aventine has exactly one such engineer, Priya, who is assigned 60% to the project through completion. Yesterday the controls functional manager reassigned Priya to a $9M bid due in three weeks, arguing the bid is 'company-critical' and that Priya's project work can wait. The remaining 40% of her time is already committed to another project. No other Aventine engineer holds the certification, and the client has stated that uncertified programming will trigger revalidation and a two-week delay. Aventine's PM has a steering committee on Friday and must decide whether to escalate, find a contract engineer, or accept a delay.
1. What options should the PM bring to the steering committee, and how should each be evaluated?
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Bring a decision, not a complaint. Options: (1) hold Priya at 60% until safety validation is complete; (2) contract a certified engineer from the PLC vendor or a systems integrator; (3) split Priya's time, with bid work at night; (4) re-sequence commissioning to start non-safety systems first; (5) accept a two-week delay and revalidation. Evaluate each against the critical path, the validation rule, cost, and risk. Quantify the delay: extended schedule, idle trades, client impact, and the cost of revalidation. A vendor-certified engineer may cost $25,000–$40,000 and take two weeks to onboard, but protects the date. Splitting Priya is the weakest option because safety programming is error-intolerant and fatigue is a real quality risk. At the steering committee, state the decision required: 'Approve Priya at 60% through validation, or approve a two-week delay and its cost.' Bring the resource commitment, the certification requirement, and the impact of each option. Do not present the issue as a personality conflict.
2. How should the PM deal with the functional manager and communicate with the client? What should be documented?
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Speak to the functional manager before the steering committee, with data: the certification requirement, the seven-week window, the client's validation master plan, and the cost of delay. Acknowledge the bid's importance and ask for a specific trade: Priya remains 60% until safety validation, and the bid gets a named alternate plus Priya for a defined review window. If the functional manager refuses, escalate through the steering committee, not by email warfare. Document the commitment in the resource plan and RACI. Tell the client early but carefully: 'We have identified a resourcing risk to the validation sequence and have a mitigation plan; we will confirm by Friday.' Do not promise that nothing will change. Record the decision, owner, and date in the risk register and decision log. The longer-term fix is to eliminate the single point of knowledge: certify a second engineer, require vendor training in the contract, and add a succession plan. That is a management responsibility, not just a project problem.