Precision engineering works private limited (PEW) is the manufacturing company which focuses on developing the plastic parts required for the telecommunication industry. The increasing rate of new suppliers has affected the profit earned by the enterprise. The company is not able to manage their existing contracts and developing new contracts because the market competitors are providing the equipment and tools at lower price than the PEW organization. The top executives of the organization are looking forward to improve the business operation plan with the aim of increasing turnover and profitability of the enterprise.
The aim of this paper is to analyse the root cause of the project failure and developing the continuous improvement plan for emphasising the growth of the company.
The objectives of the project are as follows:
Identification of the root cause for the decreasing rate of product sale
Development of the continuous improvement plan
Analysis of the risks associated with the project
Management of the required resources
Forecasting the success matrix of the proposed project
The identification of root cause helps in developing the effective plan for increasing the profitability of the enterprise. The evaluation of the case study focuses that the PEW Company is not having effective marketing tools and technologies to explore the features of their product in the eyes of the customers. The company is not indulging communication tools and technologies for managing the good and healthy relationship between the internal and external stakeholders. The limitation of the communication tools and incorporation of the social media platform for marketing and managing flow of information is the major cause of the project failure. The market is changing with the involvement of the new trends and technologies. The customers get attracted towards the companies which are using new technologies. The emergence of the new suppliers increases the level of competition for the PEW organization because the newer suppliers make use of advanced technologies to develop new contracts and attracts customers. The PEW Company is working on the old platform of communication. The organization has no tools and technologies to know the changing requirement, feedback and review of the customers. The market analysis is not conduct by the organization to analyse the difference in the cost which occurred in the price of the PEW products and the newer supplier products. The price of the product should be fixed after analysing the quality and market price of the similar equipment. Some of the major root causes of the project failure are highlighted below:
No means of technologies for promoting the features and quality of the equipment developed by the organization
Inefficient communication system between the internal and external employees.
No analysis of the market price of the developed equipment
No good and healthy relationship with the customers
No analysis of the feedback and reviews of the customers on the quality of the equipment (Rabechini, and Carvalho, 2013)
No program for identifying the new technologies and marketing trends incorporated by the competitors
No tools for promoting the equipment in the eyes of the customers
No development of the recognised brand name for the manufactured equipment
The tools and technologies which help in identifying the problems, gaps, and issues existed with the current working structure of the PEW organization are as follows:
Control Charts: The control charts are prepared for analysing the change in process with the passage of time. The average is drawn from analysing the upper and the lower limit of the control structure used for developing the process control block (Rauber, 2014). The control charts are developed for analysing and monitoring of the quality. The behaviour of the process can be effectively noted down from the developed process chart. The efficiency of the manufacturing process can be analysed by the control charts.
(Source: Rabechini, R., and Carvalho, M. (2013). Understanding the impact of project risk management on project performance: an Empirical study)
Data Tables: The data tables are prepared for division of work between the internal and external stakeholders to effectively achieved the project goal and objectives.
Histogram: The histogram is used for analysing the numerical data of the process. The histogram is used for analysing the continuous data to identifying the gaps and flaws in the process structure.
(Kharaiweish, (2013). Project Monitoring and control measures)
Cause and effect Diagram: The cause and effect diagrams are prepared for analysing the effect on the project goal and objectives by the amalgamative contribution of process, people, machinery, and technology on the development process cycle.
(Moujib and Aziz. (2017). Lean Project management)
Pareto Analysis: The pareto investigation is used for analysing the supply chain management system undertaken by the organization for managing the flow of inventory.
(Source: Jovanovic, F., Milijic, N., Dimitrova, M., Mihajlovic, I. (2016). Risk management impact assessment on the success of strategic investment projects.
Check Sheet: The check sheets are prepared by reviewing the requirement specification plan developed by the project owner for the improvement of the project working operational plan. It helps in analysing the status of the process control block developed for achieving the project goal (Andrades, Barco, Serrano, and Oliver, 2016).
(Otieno, F. (2014). The role of monitoring and evaluation in projects)
Scatter Diagram: The scatter diagram is used for analysing the profit earned by the organization with the deployment of change management strategy.
(Source: Google Image)
The following table shows the assumptions which are made for the successful implementation of the social media platform in the working curriculum of the enterprise.
Table 1
|
Assumptions |
Description |
|
Knowledge, skills, and expertise of the working staff members |
It can be assumed that the working employees of the company are having expertise in managing the communication and operational plan of the project |
|
No training and Development program required |
. No extra cost is incurred on managing the training and development program for the working employees |
|
No Resistance from the employees |
It can be assumed that the employee put no resistance for bringing change in their working tactics. The employees happily accepted the implementation of continuous improvement plan for the betterment of the company |
|
No effect to the employees capability |
It can be assumed that the capabilities of the employees will not be affected by the change in technology and working structure |
|
Completion of the project within the approved cost and time |
Working curriculum of the continuous improvement plan should be completed within the approved cost and time |
The continuous improvement plan is the set of activities which helps in providing effective solution to the top executives for increasing the profit of the enterprise. The focus should be given on analysing the problem domain in the implementation of the social networking communication platform within the working structure of the enterprise (Yang, Yu, Ma, 2008). The proactive mitigation plan should be developed for promoting and managing the complexities of the undertaken project in the project initialization phase so that the uncertainties associated with the project can be significantly minimized and the project can be successfully completed within the given time and cost framework. The continuous improvement plan is prepared by undergoing the PDCA cycle which focuses on four tasks which are classified as plan, do, act, and check (Ren, Ling, Wei, Fan, 2015). The PDCA cycle development for the project is shown below:
|
Plan |
Do |
Act |
Check |
|
Identification of problems Systematic review of business problem Analysis of gaps and flaws |
Development of business strategy Management of risks identified |
The follow-up of action plan should be developed for managing the problems effectively and resolving the issues of complexities |
Quality control and checklist should be prepared for monitoring the project completion with the expected outcome |
The implementation of the social networking platform in the working environment of the enterprise is comprised of various risks, complexities, uncertainties, and issues. The proactive identification of the uncertainties helps in managing the risks effectively. The focus should be given on analysing the risks severity and risks likelihood to set priority and associated ranking of the risks so that the measure of impact on the working process can be analysed and systematically mitigation plan can be prepared effectively. The table below shows the identified risks with its related severity, likelihood, ranking, and impact on the business performance.
Table 2
|
Problems Identified |
Problems Severity |
Problems Likelihood |
Problems Rankings |
Problems Impact |
Description |
|
Inefficiency of the employees in adopting the social networking platform for managing communication |
3 |
2 |
5 |
Medium |
The employees are not having required skills, talents, and expertise in dealing with the program of social networking program for managing operational plan of the enterprise |
|
Resistance from the employees in changing their existing working tactics |
4 |
4 |
8 |
High |
The employees are not ready to change their traditional way of working. The capabilities and throughput of the employees get affected with the deployment of new technologies (Krahn, and Hartment, 2006) |
|
No proper training program |
2 |
1 |
3 |
Low |
The good and efficient trainer is not available to guide the epmoyees for using the social networking platform |
|
Overrunning of the project cost due to the training and development program |
3 |
2 |
5 |
Medium |
The deployment of the training and development program for the employees can increased the estimated cost of the project |
|
Technical Risks (Failure of hardware, software, and network) |
3 |
3 |
6 |
High |
The failure of the hardware, software, and network connectivity will slower down the process of manufacturing because it can resist the exchange of information between the working units of the organization |
|
Social risks |
4 |
3 |
7 |
High |
The employees waste their crucial working time in doing informal communication through the use of social networks which can affect their performance and completion of the project on time |
|
Time management risks |
2 |
3 |
5 |
Medium |
The project is not completed on time due to the inefficiencies of the employees in doing their given tasks on time |
|
Confidentiality risks |
3 |
1 |
4 |
Medium |
The loss of confidentiality is the major risks in deploying the social network because the third party or the hacker can hack the confidential information of the organization (Kharaiweish, 2013) |
|
Loss of data |
2 |
4 |
6 |
High |
The failure of the hardware, software, and network connectivity can result in the loss of data if the backup support of database is not maintained by the organization |
|
Loss of reliability and accuracy of information |
3 |
4 |
7 |
High |
The information exchange between the employees can be modified and manipulated which can results into the reliability and accuracy of the information |
|
Employee throughput |
The capabilities and throughput of the employees get affected with the deployment of new technologies which can have a direct impact on the business operational plan and manufacturing process of the product |
Table 3
|
Problems Identified |
Action taken |
|
Inefficiency of the employees in adopting the social networking platform for managing communication |
The training and development program should be arranged for the existing employees so that they can improve their skills and expertise according to the requirement of managing communication through the social networking platform (Moujib and Aziz, 2017) |
|
Resistance from the employees in changing their existing working tactics |
The employees should be motivated and guided for using the new trends and technologies to improve their skills according to the rising demand of the market (Otieno, 2014) |
|
No proper training program |
The trainee from the external environment should be hired which have a deep knowledge of social networking environment (Jovanovic, Milijic, Dimitrova, Mihajlovic, 2016) |
|
Overrunning of the project cost due to the training and development program |
The development of the budget should include the cost of training and development program arranged for the employees |
|
Technical Risks (Failure of hardware, software, and network) |
The backup database should be managed for resolving the complexities of technical failure hardware, software, and network connectivity program (Gegana, and Agirachman, 2017) |
|
Social risks |
The employees should be guided for following ethical code of conduct in the working environment. They should not waste their crucial working hours in carrying out informal conversation with the colleague (Lindh, 2012) |
|
Time management risks |
The project manager should estimate correct duration for completing the task within the given specified time (Kharaiweish, 2013) |
|
Confidentiality risks |
The network security procedures and methods of cryptography should be used for encrypting and decrypting the message at the sender and receiver end for maintaining the confidentiality of the information |
|
Loss of data |
Backup database should be managed for overcoming the complexities of data loss. The cryptographic procedures should be laid down for preserving the data loss during the message transfer between the sender and receiver |
|
Loss of reliability and accuracy of information |
The third party can manipulate and modifies the data which can affect the reliability and accuracy of the information |
|
Employee throughput |
The employees capability can be improved by giving training and development program |
The resources required for the project are described in the table below:
Table 4
|
Resources |
No. of units |
|
Hardware |
20 |
|
Software |
According to the requirement |
|
Network connectivity |
According to the requirement |
|
Project Manager |
1 |
|
Project Designer |
1 |
|
System Analyst |
1 |
|
Technical assistant |
1 |
|
Project Sponsors |
1 |
|
Communication manager |
1 |
|
Financial Manager |
1 |
|
Quality Manager |
1 |
The follow up action plan should be prepared for analysing the completion of the project activities according to the requirement of the project. The following table shows the follow up action plan:
Table 5
|
Stakeholders |
When |
How |
Whom |
Status of the activities |
|
Project Manager |
During the project initialization and planning phase |
Formal Meetings Round table Conversation Audio and Video conferencing Newsletters Telephonic conversation |
Project Owner Project Partners Project Sponsors |
Completion of the project schedule, resource management plan, and communication plan (Bergmen, Fundin, Gremyr, and Johansson, 2002) |
|
Project Designer |
During the project design phase |
Formal Meetings Round table Conversation Audio and Video conferencing Newsletters Telephonic conversation |
Project Manager System analyst |
Completion of the project design for the implementation of social networking project |
|
System Analyst |
During the project design and execution phase |
Formal Meetings Round table Conversation Audio and Video conferencing Newsletters Telephonic conversation |
Project Manager Technical assistant |
Completion of analysis report of system requirement |
|
Technical assistant |
During the project execution phase |
Face to face Telephonic conversation |
System analyst |
Completion of analysis report of technical system requirement |
|
Project Sponsors |
During the project initiation phase |
Formal Meetings Round table Conversation Audio and Video conferencing Newsletters Telephonic conversation |
Project Manager Project Owner |
Successful provision of funds and budget |
|
Communication manager |
Through the project |
Formal Meetings Round table Conversation Audio and Video conferencing Newsletters Telephonic conversation |
Project Manager |
Successful management of the communication |
|
Financial Manager |
During the project initiation and planning phase |
Formal Meetings Round table Conversation Audio and Video conferencing Newsletters Telephonic conversation |
Project Manager |
Complete, In-process, and Processed |
|
Quality Manager |
During the project implementation phase |
Formal Meetings Round table Conversation Audio and Video conferencing Newsletters Telephonic conversation |
Project Manager |
Meet the quality standard or ot |
The innovative change in the business environment can be deployed in the working curriculum of the enterprise by implementing Six sigma lean project management principles (Bejesthani, 2010). The business strategy for developing continuous improvement plan is described in five phase processes of Six sigma lean project management principles which are classified in the table below:
Table 6
|
Lean Six Sigma project process |
Description |
|
Define |
The problems identified in the existing structure of the PEW company should be clearly defined to take effective decision for improving the curriculum of the enterprise |
|
Measure |
The impact of the risks identified should be measured for setting priority to the action plan |
|
Analyse |
The efficiency of the mitigation plan should be forecasted so that the areas of improvement can be noticed for managing the uncertainties of the project |
|
Improve |
The areas of improvement should be given privilege for developing for improvement plan so that the project can be successfully completed |
|
Control |
The control measures and principles should be developed for the systematic flow of information between the different units of the project |
(Source: Created by author)
The technical management plan should be prepared for systematic implementation of the social networking platform in the existing architecture of the company (Thamhain, 2011). It focuses on the following areas:
Exploration of the concept
Managing technical framework
Managing system requirement
Optimizing component level design
Development of software coding
Development of validation strategy
Analysis of system verification plan
Development of unit testing plan
Upgrading the required changes
Reviewing technical performance (Kolibacova, 2014)
The following figure shows the detailed structure of the technical management plan implemented by the PEW organization for improving the current working structure of the enterprise:
(Source: Krahn, J., and Hartment, F. (2006). Effective project leadership: A combination of project manager skills and competencies in context)
The leadership plays an important role in managing coordination, collaboration, and communication in the work flow architecture of the team members (Singh and Singh, 2014). The leadership quality of the project manager provides following benefits:
Helps in managing grievances of the employees
Manage coordination
Manage cooperation
Manage Collaboration
Focuses on quality standard
Managing communication
Take effective decision in complex situation
Active participation of the employees
Flexibility in adapting changes in the project plan
Increasing efficiency and throughput of the employees by positive motivation (Marion, Richardson, Earnhardt, 2016)
Conclusion
The uncertainties and complexities of the PEW organization are resolved by identifying the root cause of risks. The assumptions should be made by analysing the operational working of the enterprise. The deployment of Lean project methodology and the systematic approach of PDCA cycle helps in achieving the project successfully.
References
Andrades, A., Barco, R., Serrano, I., and Oliver, P. (2016). Automatic root cause analysis based on traces for self-organizing networks. International conference on wireless networks, 23(3). Retrieved from https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/7498071
Bejesthani, H. (2010). Project suggestion planning process.International conference on education and management technology . Retrieved from https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/5657655
Bergmen, B, Fundin, A., Gremyr, I., and Johansson, P. (2002). Beyond root cause analysis. International conference on annual reliability and maintainability. Retrieved from https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/981632
Gegana, A., and Agirachman, F. (2017). File and team management on remotely worked building information modelling project. International conference on research and innovation in information system. Retrieved from https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8002446
Jovanovic, F., Milijic, N., Dimitrova, M., Mihajlovic, I. (2016). Risk management impact assessment on the success of strategic investment projects. Journal of springer, 13(5). Retrieved from https://www.uni-obuda.hu/journal/Jovanovic_Milijic_Dimitrova_Mihajlovic_69.pdf
Kharaiweish, M. (2013). Project Monitoring and control measures. International Journal of computer science and information technology, 5(5). Retrieved from https://airccse.org/journal/jcsit/5513ijcsit03.pdf
Kolibacova, G. (2014). The relationship between competency and performance. International journal of management, Vol. 62. Retrieved from https://acta.mendelu.cz/media/pdf/actaun_2014062061315.pdf
Krahn, J., and Hartment, F. (2006). Effective project leadership: A combination of project manager skills and competencies in context. International conference on new direction in project management. Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/leadership-project-manager-skills-competencies-8115
Lindh, C. (2012). How does information technology impact on business relationships? The need for personal meetings. 1st ed. [ebook]. Retrieved from https://www.impgroup.org/uploads/papers/6732.pdf
Marion, J., Richardson, T., Earnhardt, M. (2016). Project execution: A Research agenda to explore the phenomenon. International journal of modern project management, 4(1). Retrieved from https://www.journalmodernpm.com/index.php/jmpm/article/view/177
Moujib and Aziz. (2017). Lean Project management. 1st ebook. Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/lean-project-management-7364
Otieno, F. (2014). The role of monitoring and evaluation in projects. 1st ed. [ebook]. Retrieved from https://www.irbnet.de/daten/iconda/CIB8942.pdf
Rabechini, R., and Carvalho, M. (2013). Understanding the impact of project risk management on project performance: an Empirical study. Journal of technology management and innovation, Vol. 8. Retrieved from https://scielo.conicyt.cl/pdf/jotmi/v8s1/art06.pdf
Rauber, J. (2014). A Critical analysis of quality management. 1st ebook. Retrieved from https://www.ijmp.jor.br/index.php/ijmp/article/view/121/379
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Yang, Y., Yu, B., Ma, X. (2008). The process modelling of creating work breakdown structure of project based on PDCA. International conference on service operations and logistics, and informatics. Retrieved from https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/4686414
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