​The Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, provides its students with STEM education and research through experiential learning. More recently, the WPI received $594,000 in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to research computer security.

An assistant professor and researcher, Shahin Tajik will help WPI ward off malicious attacks on their computer system through this research project. Tajik and his team will use the NSF funding to research technologies that prevent malicious attacks on computer hardware and chips.

The 5-year project includes a graduate course that Tajik will create related to micro-systems security. The course will also recruit undergraduate students.

Tajik likens research in hardware security to solving a puzzle, and then moving on to deal with more challenging problems that hackers cause. This work is important because it gives researchers a chance to explore and find solutions to hardware security weaknesses, an area that has long been overlooked.

The NSF award is part of its Faculty Early Career Development Program, which focuses on assisting faculty members at the beginning of their careers and helping them potentially become academic role models. So far, the NSF has awarded Tajik and another faculty member this award, with the other research project looking at ways to use bacteria to clean contaminated soil. For more information on the NSF grant or WPI research project, please visit wp.wpi.edu/stajik/.

​Automation is instrumental in enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and boosting productivity across various sectors. It enables businesses to redirect human resources towards more strategic endeavors. In manufacturing, automation reduces material waste by enhancing accuracy and consistency in production processes. Additionally, automated data collection and analysis enable more informed decisions regarding resource management, further promoting sustainability efforts.

Automated systems can precisely control energy consumption, reducing excess usage and lowering operational costs. For example, smart sensors and controllers in automated buildings adjust lighting, heating, and cooling based on occupancy and time of day, leading to substantial energy conservation. In healthcare, automation improves patient data management and diagnostic accuracy. In turn, this enables healthcare professionals to deliver superior care.

The financial sector also benefits from automation from the faster transaction processing and enhanced fraud detection that automation offers. It helps in ensuring secure and efficient operations. For instance, the customer service industry benefits from automated response systems, and chatbots handle inquiries promptly. They aid in providing timely assistance, boosting productivity.

A notable example of automation's transformative potential is RoboSno, developed by students at Tufts University. It's a battery-powered snow blower that can be controlled via a smartphone or tablet, designed to make snow removal more efficient and less physically demanding. This innovation demonstrates how automation can enhance convenience and productivity in everyday tasks by automating the labor-intensive process of snow clearing. It saves time and reduces the physical strain on users, showcasing the broader benefits of automated solutions.

​Depending on industry and business, project management can be a complex undertaking that requires a framework to accommodate many moving pieces. One commonly used technique, work breakdown structure (WBS), is situated within the planning portion of the project life cycle.

It seeks to break larger projects into smaller, more manageable segments and deliverables. The overarching project objective is placed at the top with a tree-like hierarchy, and its dependent components are arranged below. At the bottom of the chart, such dependencies are broken down and defined as specific tasks.

The WBS concept was initially developed at US agencies such as NASA and the Department of Defense (DOD) and utilized in shepherding the Polaris missile program and other ambitious projects to completion.

One foundation of WBS is the 100 percent rule, a requirement that every element needed to achieve the completed project (defined at the top of the tree) be accounted for. Additionally, adding up all tasks within each level within the hierarchy should account for 100 percent of the work that needs to be completed, all described at that level.

The tasks presented should encompass critical path items or project elements that must be undertaken in order. It also should include elements that can be delayed or accomplished in parallel to other work, with minimal impact on budget or timeline. To avoid duplication and unnecessary redundancies, each piece of work within the tree should be unique and not identical to any other.

Workers engaged in siloed work within larger projects benefit from a WBS visual representation guiding them, as they know exactly the desired result and where their efforts fit within the larger picture. In addition, breaking down a complex project into small components helps create greater efficiencies, as achievable milestones are laid out on the way to completion. Tracking progress is also simplified, as it's often possible to define just what percentage of work remains to be accomplished.

An example of a WBS tree structure is one in which a house's construction sits at the top of the hierarchy. This is broken down into three levels: 1. internal, 2. foundation, and 3. external, each arranged parallel to the others, with lower levels extending downward. The 2. foundation level has two major subcategories: 2.1 excavation and 2.2 steel erection. Within 2.1 excavation, another sub-hierarchy of defined tasks exists: 2.1.1 pour concrete and 2.1.2 cure and strip forms. Within the 2.2 steel erection levels, the subtasks are different: 2.2.1 steel columns, 2.2.2 beams, and 2.2.3 joists. Naturally, this structure or arranging tasks can be expanded infinitely, depending on the project's complexity.

Another example of a WBS tree guides the development of a new mobile app. Within the parent objective of "launching a new app," there are three primary level-two dependencies: design a user interface, create a database, and develop back-end logic, each broken down into further tasks and subtasks.

In today's technologically informed planning environment, project management software is often employed in laying out and executing work breakdown structures. WBS often uses Gantt charts (horizontal bar charts) to define hierarchies, enabling the accurate scheduling of work needed to execute specific project elements. As each task progresses, results are automatically collated as real-time progress is defined and measured. This culminates in projects that reach completion with peak efficiency, within the deadline, and with the minimum expenditure of time and money.

​Business process optimization (BPO) is a systematic and strategic methodology for enhancing operational efficiency and ensuring seamless alignment with overarching organizational objectives. It encompasses a series of well-defined steps that collectively contribute to refining core processes.

The initial BPO journey involves meticulously identifying processes that may require optimization. This initial step sets the foundation for a targeted and optimization effort.

An important aspect of BPO is the creation of comprehensive process maps that visually outline the intricacies of the current workflows. These maps provide a clear understanding of the existing processes, facilitating the identification of bottlenecks, redundancies, and areas for potential improvement. This analysis is instrumental in uncovering pain points and areas where adjustments could yield significant gains in efficiency.

Measurement metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) provide a quantifiable dimension to the optimization process. Metrics like cycle time reduction, error rate decrease, cost savings, and improved customer satisfaction serve as benchmarks for measuring the success of BPO initiatives.

The above metrics offer an objective way to track progress and assess the impact of process improvements. By utilizing these metrics, organizations can validate the efficacy of their optimization efforts and communicate achievements to stakeholders. This communication highlights the value of strategic process refinement in achieving measurable results.

Prioritization of improvement initiatives is a prudent practice within BPO. By evaluating the potential impact of each enhancement, organizations can strategically allocate resources and efforts to interventions that promise the most substantial benefits.

A mission-driven approach is integral to the success of BPO. By aligning optimization endeavors with the overarching mission and vision of the organization, the process changes become purposeful and resonate with the company's broader strategic direction.

Conducting a comprehensive assessment of current processes enables organizations to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their workflows critically. This self-awareness is key to crafting effective optimization strategies.

A crucial technique employed during BPO is "gap analysis. This method discerns disparities between the current performance of processes and the desired outcomes, providing a roadmap for targeted improvements.

Informed decision-making forms the bedrock of BPO, with data serving as a primary driver. By harnessing data analytics, organizations can make evidence-based choices, resulting in optimized processes grounded in real-world insights.

BPO is a journey of continuous improvement. After implementing initial enhancements, it's essential to institute mechanisms for ongoing monitoring and refinement. This iterative building, refining, and improving approach ensures that optimization remains a dynamic and evolving process.

The integration of technology is a strategic move within BPO. Organizations can streamline complex processes, enhance accuracy, and expedite workflows by incorporating automation and specialized tools. This synergy between technology and process optimization can yield transformational outcomes for organizations seeking a competitive edge.

Risk assessment is crucial in business process optimization. Evaluating potential risks and challenges is vital for successful implementation. This involves identifying disruptions that could impact optimization.

Addressing disruptions during implementation and ensuring operational continuity with strategies is essential. Doing so safeguards the process and fosters resilience in the face of challenges.

In BPO, adopting a learning-oriented approach is essential as it emphasizes continuous improvement by deriving insights from optimization efforts, enhancing flexibility and adaptability. Regularly assessing optimization outcomes and refining processes based on real-world results aids organizations in staying responsive to evolving business needs.

External benchmarking is another imperative part of business process optimization. By comparing your processes with industry best practices or competitors' processes, you gain insights into areas for improvement. This practice helps pinpoint performance gaps and informs decision-making. Incorporating successful practices from the industry landscape enhances your optimization efforts, resulting in more impactful process refinement.

​Project management is no walk in the park. There are several tasks to complete and elements and processes to track. When a project manager is not worrying about the different outcomes and the best route to get there, they are trying to anticipate the bumps in the road. Some challenges are universal, while others are project-specific.

One of the biggest project management challenges is the lack of clear goals. If more projects began with clearly defined goals and success criteria, there would perhaps be fewer challenges. Clear goal-setting ensures each process, task, and activity is aligned with the overall project goal. It also makes it easy to track progress, quantify success, and monitor and evaluate results.

To set clear goals, one may use the SMART and CLEAR approaches. SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. CLEAR goals are collaborative (brings all relevant stakeholders together), limited (has a start and endpoint), emotional (creates a sense of ownership among players), appreciable (broken into small, manageable objectives), and refinable (can be iterated as priorities and circumstances change.

Not having a clear set of objectives opens the door for several other project management challenges, like scope creep. Scope creep occurs when a project’s scope overshoots the intended reach. It’s characterized by such things as budget overshoot.

While scope creep is expected in any project, the extent and impact of it can be managed by having clearly set objectives. The “refinable” aspect of CLEAR goals anticipates scope creep, and “limit” ensures the changes in the initial project approach do not derail the project purpose and deliverables.

Communication can make or break the project. Miscommunication can derail a project because it affects workflow. As such, communication should be accurate and timely right from the start of the project.

To avoid miscommunication, project managers may rely on project management software, like Kissflow, to ensure everyone is up to date and aware of their duties and responsibilities at all times. For members working remotely, regular team meetings can go a long way toward ensuring everyone is on the same page.

Speaking of teams, another major project management challenge is a lack of accountability. Accountability tends to be easy when only one person is responsible for a project. But the more people are involved, the harder it is to keep tabs on all of them.

Lack of accountability exposes a project to risks such as delays, resource misuse, and budget overshoot. Some ways to improve accountability include assigning each team player clear and specific tasks and standardizing processes and tasks by having key performance indicators (KPIs). Having a clear leadership structure or hierarchy also makes managing scattered teams easier, as it identifies with whom the buck stops.

Project management is always going to entail surprises. Nothing ever goes exactly according to plan, not even with the best-designed and clearest goals in place. As such, poor risk management exposes projects to failure.

Savvy project managers bake risk management into their processes. They continually ask “what if” questions and devise contingency plans, all while hoping for the best. They break down a huge project into A, “appreciable,” small parts. This way, the failure of one part or process does not halt or significantly affect the entire project.

Some project management challenges have minimal impacts. Others can stop everything altogether, increase costs, or impact team performance. As such, project management comes down to managing risk by ensuring no event - foreseen or not - brings the entire project to a grinding halt.