You're torn between R&D and manufacturing priorities. How do you strike the right balance?

A company's ultimate goal is to be to create and increase shareholder value and make profits. From and Engineering point of view, Manufacturing will help complete the ultimate goal, make sure your idea for innovation is viable to implement in production without making it any harder to keep production going. Always get people from other teams that will be the users of said innovation and never be afraid to ask for feedback, innovation is used to make the user's life (be the customer or operations team) easier.

Well, solving problems for Manufacturing always trumps R&D activities. Supporting Production may include all the problems with components of a product; supply and availability, compliance and testing. All the expertise in making a product was formed and lives in the Engineering crew- go there first to find answers to the roadblocks.

Like I previously stated, an idea of innovation is to make a change for the best. Not all ideas will be beneficial to all parties involved, when you have an idea of a project it always has to go through a vetting process with all departments that are being impacted. This way you have insight and things to look out for on subjects that are out of your area of expertise. With the gained information you will be able to make changes or even see if your projects are viable.

When implementing an idea for innovation, as the owner of said idea, you are responsible for leading and facilitating meetings in which tasks of the multifunctional team will be tracked. Always ask for help (if needed) and ask if help is needed. You will not only own your task but also own the project timeline. Make sure all parties are on the same page, this way you can be sure that your project for innovation will present no difficulties for the other departments. Never forget to write meeting minutes in an organized matter so all parties can identify their own task.

I believe the most important factor in this regard is still people management. Despite this that R&D initiatives are purely based on strong research and considering the feasibility of operations but even then the way you keep all stake holders looped in is the key that how they would react and align the same goals for business. You've to accept others opinion and then respond them in a way off course technically but using your soft skill as well to make them understand the project importance and it's value addition to business.

In this situation, focusing on time management and people engagement is crucial. Additionally, incorporating strong observation can further enhance our approach. Prioritizing these aspects will help manage the situation effectively.