DNA Identification in Mass Fatality Incidents
Project Manager
One of the most serious misjudgments a laboratory director can make is failing to recognize the importance of project management. Experience gained during the WTC DNA identification effort, followed shortly thereafter by the crash of American Airlines flight 587 in Queens, New York, showed how crucial it is to avoid the natural tendency to manage a mass fatality incident response as simply another operational activity.
To meet the challenge of maintaining ongoing forensic casework while also responding to a mass fatality incident, a laboratory director should consider appointing a separate project manager to ensure that the response is appropriately executed. If the laboratory director assumes the project manager role, other responsibilities may have to be delegated. This can be an effective solution if the day-to-day operational duties associated with casework or offender analyses can be transferred to other staff. If the laboratory director is unable to delegate some of his or her other responsibilities, a dedicated project manager should be appointed for the mass fatality incident project.
The ideal project manager is someone who understands all facets of a mass fatality incident response. It often is difficult, however, to find someone with this exact skill set. At the least, the project manager should be familiar with all of the disciplines that will be brought to bear, including sample collection, DNA analysis, and information technology. In addition, the project manager should have experience planning and monitoring work and should be comfortable in a team-oriented environment.
The project manager should work with the laboratory director to formulate a strategy for the specific mass fatality incident response. With the laboratory director’s consent, the project manager should implement the necessary policies and procedures. The project manager also is responsible for keeping the laboratory director apprised of the project’s status and for meeting regularly to discuss progress, risks, schedules, and resources.
Even if the laboratory elects to outsource some of the response activities, a large project management role still exists. For example, the laboratory may choose to outsource the DNA analysis to one or more laboratories and make identifications inhouse. This structure requires a project manager to coordinate the movement of samples and data, monitor contract compliance, and ensure that sufficient resources (people, databases, computers, etc.) are available for the identification effort.
Exhibit 10 describes some of the important duties of the project manager.
The project manager can expect the identification process to have two distinct phases. The first phase is characterized by a large number of identifications made in a relatively short period of time. The second phase is characterized by fewer, more difficult, identifications made over a relatively long period of time.
