Currently, Riordan Manufacturing has to improve its use of information systems in order to enhance its organizational performance and meet the needs of clients. This paper is aimed at discussing the project that should enable the company to raise its efficiency.
It is vital to look at such aspects as the execution of this project, the management of the team, empowerment of employees, and evaluation. These are the main elements that should be considered, and they are vital for the achievement of the organizational goals.
The formation and management of the team requires several steps. First of all, it is necessary to include people with different skills because they can better evaluate various risks and identify the most optimal strategies that the company can adopt (Larson & Gray, 2011). For example, some professionals should be competent in information technologies and software development.
They should know what software solutions are most suitable for the needs of Riordan Manufacturing. Furthermore, the team should include supply chain managers who know how different divisions of this company interact with one another. These people can tell how information should improve the operations and inventory management.
Moreover, this group should include HR managers because these people should represent the interest of employees who will be the main users of new information systems. This approach is based on the assumption that organizations should form multi-disciplinary teams that can better identify various opportunities (Housley, 2003, p. 10). Additionally, it is necessary to involve every member of the team into decision-making.
Furthermore, they should participate in every discussion so that the team can look at the same task from different perspectives. This strategy can reduce the risk of groupthink or the situation an individual does not want to express an opinion that contradicts the views of the majority (Flannes & Levin, 2005, p. 6). These are the main steps that should be taken by the project leader.
While executing this project, I would rely on such a method as feedback loops. This means that every step will be discussed by the team; moreover, corrections will be taken provided some of the strategies do not succeed. The most important decisions taken in the course of the project will be evaluated by employees who should provide an assessment of various strategies.
This technique is important for uncovering possible limitations of different initiatives or decisions. The main advantage of feedback loops is that this method helps to avoid delays and extra costs (Berkun, 2008, p. 252). Such an approach to the execution of the project can make the work of the team more fruitful.
Additionally, it is vital to discuss the importance of sponsorship and leadership for the implementation of this project. A person, who guides the team, should enable his/her colleagues to take initiatives and make steps that might not have been discussed before. Certainly, the manager should monitor the performance of team. However, he should not force workers to follow some pre-determined rules, since they can make the organization very rigid.
In turn, the principle of empowerment relies on the idea that even the most competent manager cannot control every activity involved in the project. He/she should delegate some authority to others. This is why leadership and sponsorship of team members are vital for the successful completion of this project.
Apart from that, one should focus on the methods for evaluating the progress of the project. I would single out a set of milestones or tasks that should be accomplished in the course of the project. For this purpose, one can construct a Gantt chart which identifies the main objectives as well as the timelines for these objectives (Schwalbe, 2010, p. 224).
However, the leader should take into account that in many cases, teams cannot meet the schedules that were developed before. Very often, these failures can be attributed to poor planning. Still, by using a Gantt chart, one can determine whether the team works effectively. Furthermore, I will focus on the costs involved in this project. For example, I will compare the expected costs with the actual expenses.
Again, I will remember the initial estimations can overlook various costs related to the project. Finally, one should look the outcomes of the project, especially its impact on the performance of Riordan Manufacturing. Still, project managers should keep in mind that the positive or negative effects of new information systems can manifest themselves only in the future.
On the whole, I would focus on three important criteria, namely, time-efficiency, costs, and performance of the company since these indicators are important for the senior management of Riordan Manufacturing.
Overall, these examples indicate that the management of a group project involves a great number of considerations. In particular, the leader should attach importance to such tasks as the formation of the team, leadership skills of the employees, evaluation methods, and implementation of the project. This approach to this task can contribute to the eventual success of this project and better performance of Riordan Manufacturing.
Reference List
Berkun, S. (2008). Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management. Washington: O’Reilly Media.
Flannes, S., & Levin, G. (2005). Essential People Skills for Project Managers. Boston: Management Concepts.
Housley, W. (2003). Interaction in multidisciplinary teams. Boston: Ashgate Publishing.
Larson, E., & Gray, C. (2011). Project management: The managerial process. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Schwalbe, K. (2010). Information Technology Project Management: With Microsoft Project 2007. New York: Cengage Learning.