Implications for the Decisions Made
While developing a list of objectives, it is highly important to work out a set of definitions, processes, and schedule within which all processes should be accomplished (Project Management Institute, 2008). Therefore, activating such departments as human resources, technology and innovation, marketing and finance, and design development are among the leading ones which should be reconsidered.
Specifically, the analysis of human resource management is confined to understanding how the employees could use the new software effectively, as well as launching a specialized training program that would motivate them to use it future and realize its full potential. External activities should also be involved.
This is of particular concern to meeting the internationally accepted standards that focus on installing and configuration, testing, and prototype development. All these processes are carried out at different levels with strictly established deadlines. As per personnel development, it is purposeful to develop an optimal instruction for ensuring the safety and clarity in operating and handling new software.
Most of the processes initiated by GenRays are adequate and relevant. Nevertheless, some of the assignments are not justified in terms of costs and scheduling. In particular, one month is not enough for purchasing new computers and ensuring that all computers have met the standards specification.
More importantly, the installing and testing procedures require more than one month, not mentioning the official process of reporting to management.
This decision, therefore, cannot be approved because managers should be more concerned with the selection of software and design at the initial stage of the project accomplishment. As per the rest of the procedures, managers of design technical support department should take responsibility for all installing and testing procedures to take greater control of the process.
Influence of Decisions on Project Implementation
Timeline of the project accomplishment is an important issue because it will influence further success of business activities in GenRays. Therefore, all stages of products accomplishment should be accompanied with constant reporting to project managers. Inconsistency of the decisions made can lead to the failure of the entire project, as well as further complications for the company in terms of costs.
Besides, employees should undertake the training program prior to the installation process. Specifically, they should be provided with theoretical information about the way the software should be applied.
Aside from scheduling challenges, specific emphasis is placed on the reasonable distribution of responsibilities. This is of particular concern to the engineering department in which only one person is in charge of several operations. Under these circumstances, it is purposeful to allocate the tasks in a more reasonable way and assign several employees who would report to the manager.
Overloaded with duties, the manager’s productivity can be decreased significantly, which poses threats to the project’s success. Apart from excess focus on responsibilities, the project restructuring should also take place to take greater control of all processes.
Analysis of the Problems and Recommended Solution
Simultaneous implementation of two project phases is a risky business because it creates a serious challenge for managers in terms of regular reporting and immediate information exchange. Second problem that might arise refer to the data analysis processes that has not been mentioned in the project plan.
Specifically, the task of a human manager should consist in introducing the testing procedures for estimating the data analysis capabilities of a new device. As soon as the employees are provided with theoretical training, they should also be acquainted with the basics of data analysis to learn to classify and sort out the necessary information out of the electronic database.
Therefore, in order to ensure the successful implementation of the process, the last two phases should be exchanged because the training process should be introduced after all software additions are developed, installed and tested.
The project under analysis contains a great number of tasks and problems to be solved, although its idea lies in implementing a new electronic system that can operate information successfully.
At this point, the project implementation should be presented as a unity of separate independent processes which could be ceased in case the next stage of project is impossible for uncertain reasons. In order to solve this problem, the project manager should split project into several sub-projects to keep track of the results.
Evaluating Manager’s Solutions in Terms of Identified Problem Areas
The main problems areas are challenge of multi-tasking, human resources management, and technology and innovation management. All these aspects could be taken into consideration while initiating several sub-projects with shorter deadlines. A systematic, consistent approach to the project accomplishment could be less risky for the company in terms of employees’ performance, budgeting, and scheduling procedures.
Despite the highlighted pitfalls in the project plan, the manager has succeeded in allocating responsibilities, as well as assigning the processes to the appropriate departments. Implementing high-tech design also presupposes that employees should be knowledgeable of the recent trends in technology and innovation. Therefore, the manager’s solutions in terms of multi-tasking are fully justified.
This is of particular concern to transparent information exchange. At the same time, it was possible to reconstruct the system of accomplishing project phases. Hence, it is possible to develop new sub-categories of the projects, as such human resources training, installation processes, software testing procedures, and standards specifications.
Under these systems, managers should cooperate with a team of employees involved into these processes rather than with several purposes integrating these processes into different phases. Therefore, much concern should be connected with organization issues, as well as to the effectiveness of the project accomplishment.
In order to ensure the stability of the project, it is also possible to introduce transitional stages during which each stage of the project will be estimated concerning the task performed, the risk undertaken, and the constraints met.
Analysis of Project Plans
While introducing a new project plan, specific attention should also be given to the testing procedures phase during which the new system is verified in terms of marketing efficiency. At this point, the final stage of payroll prototype testing should not be considered the end of the project implementation because subsequent periods are crucial in terms of results and success of company’s operations.
This is of particular concern to the external environment evaluation because the effectiveness of the project should influence the quality of the services provided, as well as the higher competitiveness of the company in general.
Client base should also be expanded, and the task of project management consists in predicting the deadline within which the customer return will be increased. Therefore, the critical path of the project implementation should involve this aspect while determining the main challenges, stages, and contingencies.
Reference
Project Management Institute (2008). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. US: PMBOK.