Moderna’s Decision to Go It Alone Shows Importance of Project Management

The drugmaker has made a strategic decision to transition away from IT consultants and integrators to build and manage its own systems.

A hero of the COVID-19 pandemic is Moderna, the drugmaker that brought to market one of the first vaccines, leading to the expedited reopening of the economy and a return to normalcy after nearly a year of global isolation. Normally, vaccine development takes years — if not decades. Through “Operation Warp Speed,” the U.S. government cleared the way for rapid vaccine development by removing many regulatory barriers and sidestepping normal procedures.

But what made Moderna’s breakthrough vaccine possible wasn’t just funding or regulatory relief; it was technology. The company used RNA development methodologies and computer simulations to create, test, and produce its COVID-19 vaccine. This approach proved highly effective.