I'll never forget the time shortly after switching into industry from a purely laboratory workplace, that I had my first encounter with a professional project manager.

I got so pissed off that some un-introduced remote person on a conference call was try to tease out what all my "tasks" where, when they would be done and in what order (as well as when everyone else's would be done). Thus began my career-long love/hate relationship with project management (mostly hate).

While I am sure that scientists and academics can do well with general-purpose time-management skills, I think that industry could perhaps have more to gain by picking up some tips from how scientists work (and ease-off on the obsession with project management).