Good project management is vital for achievement of desired goals within a company. The conception of the project was well intended since the manager wanted to improve on the level of production to meet the market demand within the furniture industry. However, in the process of planning they never considered the fact that the company could expand after some time. The management chose a small place for construction purposes that could not cater for future development.
There was no clear plan showing responsibilities for each person in accordance to their expertise areas. The process of making decisions based on design requires a skilled individual with vast experience and understanding of the real concepts and the project-life cycle. This helps in reducing the duration taken before the plan can be approved.
During the designing of the project some areas on the project were altered, this was not realised until the real construction work began. There was no clear guideline on what channel to be followed for communication purposes, this made some employees to easily undermine higher authority (Expert Project Management 1-14).
In setting up the project, Woody had wanted to construct his own Woodworking Company which would supply cabinet and furniture to the market. Woody was to design and produce classic household furniture in large quantity to supply the ready market. His starting point was to first of all build loyal and integral staff.
The other aim that could see the company compete favourably and increase in production was the idea of acquiring modern computerized automated machines. This was meant to reduce time taken for the completion of the production process and the time taken to deliver goods to customers. This was aimed at maximizing production and at the same time winning the confidence of many clients on the supply of special products. The cost of production was to be reduced to manageable standards.
Recommendations on strategies
For expansion purposes the manager thought of relocating to a more spacious land that could easily accommodate the plant. In making and producing excellent designs of furniture the company opted to import materials (hardwood and softwood). In building loyal and integral staff the company employed only qualified personnel and more so incorporated the manager’s family members into management team.
Woody could have used experienced personnel to hold the director’s post before incorporating his son into the management team. The production section should be involved in the decision making process since they are the ones on the ground hence understands better what should be incorporated so as to realise quality production. Involving Expert Industrial Developers only leads to realization of quality building but not quality production.
Before disputing the option to relocate, the management team could have first of all sat down budgeted and compared the true figures instead of just arguing verbally without any written proof. The process of renovation could have been budgeted for based on the company’s financial position at present and estimated profit outcome.
The financial control could have been left to Vice president Finance and administration instead of the controller, every financial transaction should as well be recorded and filed appropriately to enable easy access. Woody also had the idea of using cheap and available knowledge and skills from his management team to come up with the design and concepts to be adopted for the whole process (Expert Project Management 5).
The project could have started with wide consultations on the best contractor to be hired, the cost of construction, the suitability of each section and the section to be given first priority during construction, or which equipments should be acquired first. The decision process should have looked into details on who within the company could be entrusted with specific areas. This should be done in accordance to the level of qualifications and expertise areas.
The main construction work should have been divided into levels starting from the foundation; this is so as to eliminate some element of confusion that might arise in the process. This helps the managers and the contractors to easily understand the specific order required. In this case the furnishing process must come after the construction work is complete. This allows the company to attain to its main target of improving on its production capacity before renovating the offices.
Selecting of Alternatives
Instead of relocating to some new area, there was some opinion that the cost of relocation would be high as compared to cost of utilizing the available space. To increase the output level there was need for installation of modern equipments to cater for the required production level. The offices were to undergo renovation especially the President’s and the Vice President’s offices which would give the company a new look.
The expenses of course, exceeded the budget that was written down; this forced the manager to go for loan in order to complete the project. In the initial stages of project planning, the project manager should draw his plan based on the financial ability of the firm. The financial planning should assist in subdividing the project scope into smaller but manageable sections; this will give sufficient detail necessary before the start of the project and also during work process (Expert Project Management 6-9).
In the case of designing the project plan, the manager considered using one of the engineers within the company. This move might have seem cheaper except that the young engineer, though bright had neither experience nor training on project management. At some point the design work was disorganized when a third party decided to change some aspect of the design for the sole reason of increasing the capacity. This led to the damage of the already prepared soft ware.
This situation was overlooked since the project planner was not aware of the consequences that this damage might cause in future. The procurement process could have been done after deep consultation with those conscious on the quality of the hardware or software required (Expert Project Management 12).
Success of the Project
Projects success can be noticed when each and every activity within the plan is completed within the scheduled time. The understanding of the project contract by the managers is a clear indication that the project could be headed the right direction. Whether the project is going to be successful or not can be identified from the start by looking at the plan produced.
This plan shows the amount of finances required, the duration to be taken by each activity and the kinds of materials required either locally available or not. The management should clearly indicate the protocol to be followed when undertaking any process, who should be involved for purposes of approval and what duration apportioned every individual (Expert Project Management 1-14).
The scope sequence is very important and helps in determining how to merge and integrate some specific works that are more interrelated. This can be achieved through grouping together specific tasks that depend on each other plus their elements.
The final construction work should be assessed, tested and approved by quality assurance contractor trusted by the manager. The specialist in-turn reports the quality outcome which is either approved or rejected by the manager. The contractors’ duties and responsibilities together with his team should be well indicated and timed.
Project Scope
The inclusion of the office renovation was meant to give good picture of the company’s management organization. But it was not necessary for it to be included in the project’s budget. The development of the foundation is more important than renovation of offices that already existed. During project planning attention should be paid on the elements that present the part of the major work that is to be done. These elements should be given first priority in the budget by developing a hierarchy to be followed during implementation.
Understanding and following the order provided based on the objective of the project, is very important aspect. In this case the main objective was the expansion of the Woody not furnishing of the offices, this should be considered last after the expansion process is complete. The scope of the project was “construction of Woody” which was divided into the following components; management, buying of equipment, the installation process and contractors’ responsibilities (Expert Project Management 1-14).
Work Based Structure
Work Cited
Expert Project Management. “Case Study; Woody 2000 Project”. 2010. Web.