CASE 1
First of all, he should have predicted or considered that another project would or may come up before they could even finish the said project on time. If maybe then he had predicted that, he could have managed his and his team mates’ time properly, hence a well planned time management schedule. In this case he can manage both projects at the same time decreasing the project’s chance of failure. He should have also considered how feasible the project is and if whether or not the project should proceed and be executed. From what I’ve read (or at least it wasn’t cited) it seems to me that he or they accepted the project without feasibility planning involved. According to Wikipedia “The feasibility study is an evaluation and analysis of the potential of the proposed project which is based on extensive investigation and research to support the process of decision making.” By that we can come up to a conclusion that we need to first carefully analyze the problems or maybe even the risks that may occur during the project implementation phase. This would also help us understand more on what the project is all about. Yes, I know that they were aware on what the project is and what they think they should do; to convert the entire English site to French site. That was their goal but what are their objectives, scope, their constraints? What is their vision? For the project to be understood clearly they need to have a clear view of the answers from the questions that I’ve stated. A clear and correct understanding of the project may lead you to outright success and also, on the other hand, it may help you decide whether you should accept the project or not. Going back to the feasibility study, after pointing out all the problems and opportunities that may occur during the project implementation the next step would be identifying the appropriate and acceptable solutions to each but we must understand the problem first before jumping and concluding a solution. Coming up with a solution might be hard and sometimes might not work and on rare cases there is no solution at all. In this case, continuing the project might be a bad idea and should be greatly considered. Before deciding whether the project is unfeasible or not we might want to look on some of the key factors of a project being unfeasible. First, the project stake holders won’t participate in the study, which in their case the project manager or the president (who is also a key stake holder) had not thoroughly discussed with them the said project that resulted to problematic issues that the members encountered during the process of analyzing the project, thus the project stake holders must also be greatly considered in starting or accepting a project. Second, are the risks too high? If so it’s a sign of an unfeasible project. It would probably just result to failure if you pursue it but if the reward is much higher than the risk then that is another question. Lastly, the members could also affect the project’s feasibility if whether or not their experiences are already sufficient and enough for the project’s requirements. The members’ skills and experiences should really be thoroughly considered. Are they appropriate for the job? Are their skills enough to complete the project? You need to ask these questions to yourself. What I’m trying to say is that you need to designate the right person for the job. It’s not enough that that person knows how to do it simply means he is already the right one for the job. For example, what if he specializes in multimedia designs but then you designate him as the programmer? He knows how to program, to code but it’s not his field of expertise so from this kind of setup, worst case scenario is that the project would actually fail. And so we should thoroughly assess the internal capabilities and skills of each team member. Oh and I almost forgot, designating the right person for the job is not only the issue here we also need to consider the number of team members needed for the project. In their case they were only three, the project manager, the system analyst, and the web programmer. So in this case we need to question again; is a member of three enough? Base on what I’ve read, it wasn’t. Why? Because he should have also considered another team member who is flexible and is able to work on those three jobs required. With this he can substitute this member to any member of the team. Although feasibility study consumes a lot of time and might delay the project implementation phase, it could help you deliver a quality product that is finished on time and works just how you or your client wants it to be.
Then there’s also what we call a plan and a vision. From what I’ve observed he did not actually envision the outcome of the project instead he just discussed in summary its goals and what they aim to do. As a project manager, he should have a clear vision of the project before accepting it so that he will have a brief idea on whether or not they could make it or complete the project successfully and on time. By envisioning the processes and the outcome of the project, it could also help him determine and distinguish the problems that they may encounter from the symptoms surrounding it. In this case, it will give him a preliminary idea or solutions on how to handle those problems and thus making it easier for him to plan ahead of time. He should also consider the time or the deadline of the project which is due in two months. Can we make it? Is the time enough? These questions needs to be answered clearly and most of all truthfully. Don’t let your pride kick in. If you think that you really can’t finish it on the due date provided by your client then ask if they can extend it (but only before accepting it) or better yet decline and turn down the proposed project.
2.
Handling two projects at a time, finished successfully, on time, and within budget is not really that impossible. But of course, it would be hard and somehow stressful. All we have to do is plan. Yes, the keyword here is plan. During the planning stage the project manager must prepare and present alternative solutions to the probable problems and risks that may occur to avoid delay and of course to eliminate the project’s chances of failure. But planning is not always the case here because somehow it’s very easy for us to plan to fail.
As the project a manager and because of the fact that he himself is the company president, he should have prepared a lot of alternative solutions to the potential risks that they may encounter during the project implementation phase because taking care of a company is hard work and also the project manager has the most crucial responsibility among the team members of the project. He is the team leader, the manager and the planner of the project, the one who distributes the tasks among the team members, and the one accountable when the project fails. Given that, he must possess the ability to be able to handle problems that may arise during the project implementation. One alternative I can suggest is that when the new project came up, he should have devised a new plan for the 1st project with the 2ndproject on mind. He should have considered revising and making an effective time management schedule. With this he can manage both projects proficiently and effectively. This will also enable him to prioritize which at a certain time. Also, it should have been better if he added another team member who is flexible and can work in many different areas with no definite job so that in any case one of the team members drops out of the project he can serve as a substitute. But of course, that was just wishful thinking because in real life we can’t really add another team member without a definite job but he should have at least readily appointed another person as the project manager either for the 1st or 2nd project, who is not currently a member of the team, when things got tight between the two projects he was currently handling or managing. This might slightly affect or increase the company’s budget allotment for the said project but this one is probably the wisest solution to that problem. That does not end there just yet though. Appointing another project manager is also kind of risky since, as I have said, the project manager’s responsibility is crucial and not everyone can handle and is up to the tasks of a project manager. So to rephrase what I’ve said, he should have at least appointed an effective and efficient project manager in place for him. In this case the team could have avoided the heavy impact that exploded to even more problematic issues due to him not being able to function as their project manager. He did appoint somebody to become the project manager of the project but his choice was never been so wrong. Really, appointing the system analyst as the project manager? What is he thinking? Did he hit his head and thought that the system analyst was some kind of a superhuman? He should have at least considered the capabilities and the incapability of his team and more importantly their limits. Can they handle two separate jobs and deliver a quality product finished within schedule? To be a proficient project manager you should not only care for the project itself but also think of the team members because the outcome of the project will also depend on them. But even if he did appoint somebody outside the team as the project manager, by that time the project was already doomed to fail. He should have thought of that ahead of time.
From the situation given, it was clear that their discussion about the project was quite short, 30 minutes to be exact. By that he should have considered the possibility of the team members misinterpreting something about the project maybe about the requirements or maybe the process, the design and so on. One alternative solution to that problem is having a group decision-making session. This could improve the overall estimate accuracy of each team member. By this, it will lessen or most probably eliminate the misinterpretations that may have clouded the minds of the team. This will really help the members see a much clearer view of the project’s objectives and goals. He should have also devised this plan when he got so busy with the 2nd project by discussing with the members about his current affairs and maybe even took the little time he has to devise a new approach or plan for the project’s success. Like, for example, developing a system from which each of them (he and his team members) can interact more. With this he can monitor the project’s progress and the team’s skills and capabilities from which he would know how to handle and bring out the best each of his team members.
Making and preparing alternative solutions are not only practiced in IT related companies but to all kinds of business in the world. Making an alternative is a technique and project managers must acquire it. Every project manager must learn to devise probable alternate solutions to every possible risks and problems that may pop up during every phase of the project. Those alternate options might also be risky and sometimes might throw the team to a different direction but if it means saving a failing project why not be courageous enough and take the risk so at least in the end you did everything you can and you won’t have any regrets successful or not. Always make sure to weigh your risks and benefits though, sometimes it is better to let the project fail than take the risk that will cost you more.
3.
A project does not only revolve around the project manager but also to each member of the team. Every member of the project team has a critical role to the success or failure of a certain project. The project manager may have the most crucial responsibility among the team members but we must always remember that he can’t do it alone that is why he has his own team of specialists for each of the project’s job requirements. Each of the members has a task or tasks on their own and it is up to the project manager where to designate or appoint them. Choosing the right team members for the project is not always easy as it seems because like I said their performance and especially their experiences will affect their role on how much they can contribute to the project’s success. If one member messes up the task he was given it could tip off the balance between success and failure (failure being heavier) and that one fault may lead to more problematic issues that could spread to even more and if not prevented early in the project development, it may blow the team’s direction to doomed failure. Always remember that there are only two possible options to choose from when doing a project; either succeed it or fail it.
Going back to the case, while the ammunition of blame can be directly shot to the project manager, I for one think that the other team members, which are the system analyst and the web programmer, also holds a responsibility for the project’s unfortunate failure. Like I said every team member holds a crucial role for the successful development of the project. When they realized that their president could not function as the project manager anymore they should have initiated a plan for themselves or better yet do their jobs as effectively as possible. In this case it would have lessened the project’s chances of failure and may eventually lead them to the path they’re trying to hike. So for short their initiative might have saved them from downright failure. In the first paragraph I have stated that each of the team members has responsibilities and tasks of their own and it was the project manager who assigned them. If they did their jobs that were given to them excellently then there is really no reason for the project to fail at all. There is also one reason why they also need to be blamed or why they share the fault of project’s failure; the incapability of the project’s team members. We should also consider how capable the team members are. What measures can we use to identify their capabilities and of course their incapability? We could actually measure them on how much they know about the subject being worked on, their skills, specialties, and even their performance at work. Since the case study didn’t mention more about the system analyst and the web programmer I’m going to move on to my next point. From what I have read, when things got tight and problems occurred, the first thing they did was; approached the project manager and consulted him for some questions and clarifications. That was only wise for them to seek first the project manager but unfortunately he was very busy with the 2nd project that came in. It is good to rely on the project manager but at often times, like when they knew how busy their project manager was, they should have relied on themselves instead of waiting for the project manager’s wise words. That may also lessen the factors that may produce a failed product. Also, if a problem occurs it is not just the duty of the project manager to solve every kind of problems or issues they may face during the project development stage. Always remember that you are a team and as part of the team you still share the same tasks as everyone else except that every one of you has a specialty. Problems are already expected and cannot be avoided so every one of the team must have the ability to think and devise appropriate solutions to the risks. Now there is another reason why they need to share the blame of the project’s failure. Remember the time when the president appointed the system analyst as the project manager and then the system analyst, without hesitation, accepted it? The system analyst must have thought he could do it but how can he when the two of them can’t even resolve the earlier issues they have encountered while analyzing the project. It would have been better if he declined the offer and suggested another member to fill in for his lack of responsibility I mean his absence. This way he can focus more on doing his own tasks and what a system analyst should do. This plan might or might not work at all. It would still depend on them. How they plan it and how they should approach and solve upcoming problems they may encounter. In the end it will still depend on how you carefully plan a project’s development process.
In real life though, we can’t or should not really blame anyone of the team for the outright failure of a certain project. Blaming won’t do anything good on the contrary it will just turn things more badly and it especially won’t reverse the outcome of the project. This whole blaming thing will just cause chaos and disbeliefs among the team members not just inside the project group but may also affect their personal and everyday lives (especially that they work at the same company and even worse is that their project manager was the company president himself, yikes!). The irresponsibility of one team member is the irresponsibility of the whole team itself that is why we call it a TEAM. “Win together, lose together” a famous quote for a team motivation and spirit. So when a project fails, there’s no better choice than to accept it.
4.
A project failure can be upsetting and sometimes can be quite depressing. All the hard works and maybe even those sleepless nights are gone to waste. But the real question is did you really work hard to achieve the success you were hoping for? As they say if working hard is not enough then work harder if it is still not enough then work even harder. Failure, even though this word may sound unpleasant for our ears, this will actually help us and enable us to evaluate our work, what we did wrong, and most especially what we lacked that caused the project to fail.
From the situation given, from the very beginning their base as a team was quite vulnerable and can easily break just like a twig that can be effortlessly snapped into two. What they need was a strong foundation, strong enough to withstand the deathly power of the super typhoon Yolanda. With a strong foundation like that they can overcome every single problem that they may encounter as the development of the said project progresses. They also lacked vision. They didn’t have a clear view of the project’s outcome and its objectives. They merely focused on the goal of the project: to convert the entire English site to French site. What they lacked the most was that they did not have a strategic plan for the said project. Discussing the goals is different from planning. They know what to do (?), they know what their expected output is but what kind of approach should they take to complete the project successfully, on time, and within budget? The key to the doorway of success is planning and that was precisely what the project team lacked. From the very beginning they were already doomed to fail because they lacked something very basic. How can I say that they did not plan when it is not even cited or stated in the case study? It’s simply because they were not prepared. If they made an effective plan then maybe they could have prevented the problem that they were encountering from getting worse and readily pick up or perform an alternate solution to that problematic issue. That was also one thing they lacked, they did not predict certain situations that may prolong the delay of the project and as a result they did not come up with any probable solutions that would have save the project from downright failure. They failed to plan and by that they were actually planning to fail.
The most obvious thing that the team was lacking was the project manager himself. They have one but he could not function as one anymore as he was very busy with the other project he was also currently managing. Without him no one will manage the team. No one will lead them. Without him the team may break apart and their ever soft foundation may crumble down to pieces. With that said, (and I had probably kept repeating this from the rest this case study) he should have appointed someone to replace or stand for him as the project manager and by someone I mean someone who is currently not a member of the team, for short another team member. Forcing two jobs to a member just made things worst. The team also lacks proper communication. The project manager was too busy to even answer the questions and clarifications of his team members. He did not have time to interact with them which is very important for him to track down the team’s progress and with that he can or may also bring out the best of his team members by knowing and looking at them more closely.
In a role playing game, in an RPG for short, there are usually three different types of characters, the attacker type, support type, and the strategist. We can relate this to project management because just like in an RPG everyone has their own roles to play. Let us put the project manager as the strategist, then the system analyst as the support, and lastly the web programmer as the attacker. To survive a boss fight they need to work together as a team. The strategist, being the core of a successful fight, he needs to plan and use his pawns carefully and as efficient as possible. But what if the strategist died first among the team? They will have no choice but to fight with their own force and without direction. In the end, they lost. This is basically what happened to them (referring to ABC Company). What I’m trying to say is that they don’t have team coordination. There was still a choice though, they could have retreated and healed or recruited another strategist to devise a plan for them.
Given all the points on what was lacking with the way they handled the project, the most notable that greatly affected the project’s progression was their poor planning (or yet again did they play?). With that they need to properly plan and visualize the process, their mission, and the outcome of the project to discover potential risks and problems that they may encounter during the development stage of a certain project. To do this they need to properly choose what kind of process is appropriate for the project they are partaking for them clearly see the project’s objectives and requirements. With this they can properly instigate a plan, execute it, monitor its progress, and eventually successfully complete it. In order to do this more effectively they need hold and conduct more meetings and communicate or interact with each other to effectively pass important information and so that no one in the team would get lost in the middle of making the project. Good communication with the team will also help improve teamwork and the unity of each member and thus making sure everyone has the same vision and knowledge on what the project is all about. Lastly, they need to overcome their vulnerable parts and make sure to plaster down what they were lacking.
5.
A project manager’s role is very crucial for the successful completion of a certain project. He has the most crucial responsibility among the team. He is responsible for visualizing the project’s aim and making sure that that vision will be accomplished through implementing guidelines and procedures that are appropriate for the project’s successful end, for short he will be the one responsible for the strategic planning of the project. He will be the one that would lead the group to either success or failure. Without him each of the team members’ directions would scatter just like a herd of sheep getting lost without their shepherd.
Being the company president is surely a big responsibility. He is the one whom his employees rely on, the one whom people inside the company trusts and follows. I’m not sure how heavy his workloads are but I imagine it to be very stressful. But even so he must have devoted himself, not just for his own good but also for the company’s good image and credibility, and always be responsible to achieve his reach so that the people that work for him would not lose the trust they put on him.
Frankly speaking, the company president’s performance was bad, bad enough to make an evil villain grin. He did not set his priorities straight. He did not plan. He lacks the most basic fundamental element of managing a project. Why do I think that he did not plan at all? If he did then there is really no reason for the project to fail. If he really did plan then he must have a very poor planning capability and cannot view the project scale in a much larger sight. His dumb excuse of being very busy does not help him neither on the contrary it would just make him look more incapable and more incompetent in his field of work. The project all started pretty well (maybe), discussions were made, but it went downhill when he accepted and handled another project. Did he think he can hit two birds in a single shot? It’s not impossible but in his situation he ended up being the target and got shot big time! But anyway he accepted it and with that comes more responsibility. But before he accepted it would have been wise for him to first thought or evaluate himself if he could manage the workloads of being a project manager of two projects and as well as the heavy burdens of being the president of his own company. He should have also weighed how much it would affect the 1st project he was undertaking. In the end he ended up abandoning the 1st project and left the team without even solving the problems and issues they encountered. He left them to fight and struggle on their own. And that was very unprofessional of him. He started it and he should also be the one to finish it, of course with the help of his team members. Right after accepting the 2nd project he had already decided and planned the 1st project’s road to failure. At the very first place his priority should have been focused more on the 1st project rather than the 2nd one because guess what? It was the project he first accepted. As the company president and as well as the project manager of the current project he is partaking, he should have set an appropriate plan into handling different projects at the same time. In this kind of circumstances, it is a must to think over carefully into coming up with a definite kind of approach. He should have viewed the situation in a much larger extent considering that he was about to take two projects side by side. The first thing he should have done first was conduct a meeting and discussion with his team from the first project before pampering himself with the second project. With that assembly they could have discuss the problems they might encounter if the president gets too busy and counter it with an alternate solution because every problem has a solution, it is up to you find and search for it. Unfortunately though, because they did not produce a strategic plan, the only solution that their project manager came up with was appointing the system analyst to replace and stand for him which was sadly a mistake. We should always remember that choosing the person for a certain job should be greatly considered. He should have first thought whether the system analyst could handle being the project manager or not or if he was knowledgeable enough about the subject, not just in project management but also to what system or product they were to deliver. And the most notable question would be; can he handle two jobs at the same time? He did not consider these factors. What he did was very thoughtless and inconsiderate, not just for the system analyst but also to the project itself. He did not consider and thought through all the consequences that the team may suffer if he leaves and abandons them. Failure was already shining bright when he decided that. After all he was already planning to fail. If he continues to act this way and won’t learn from the mistakes he did, he could end up failing more and more projects and who knows when the company will shut down? It will just be in a matter of time.
His irresponsibility did not only fail the project but it also failed him as a president, and of course as a project manager. It also ruined or stained the image and probably the credibility of his company. He should be ashamed on what he had done and instead of hiding and cowering in a sealed room he should face it bravely and think over what he lacks and what he did wrong so that in the future it may help him undo the things he had done with the said project. These situations only showed how incompetent he is in this type or field of work. He was still incapable and still needs a lot of experiences (basing from the performance he carried out from the entire duration of the project).
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