The Blue Spider Program and the reasons for its failure - Essay Example

Project Management Report Today I would like you to have a look at the study of the Blue Spider Program and the reasons for its failure. It showsthe typical problems: the work was behind schedule and more costly than anticipated. In this case we have the additional problem of an inexperienced PM, and because of that lack of communication between the different sectors inside the company and to the contractor Lord. "All but a few managers and executives operate according to personal theories of people and processes that are no more logical than the poor rat's dance...This variety of personal theories silently but grimly erodes efficiency. The continual mixed messages make it impossible for an employee to determine the organizational realities" (Lareau, p. 6). In this case many people sent mixed messages, starting with Gable, director of engeneering, in the beginning of the project to different team members and Lord. But what happened with the Blue Spider Project is hardly unique. "The Standish Group, an information-technology consultancy that tracked about 10,000 projects across all organizations in 2004, classified 53% of them as 'challenged'-meaning they were delayed or over budget. And, it says, 18% failed outright" (McCormick, 2005). Furthermore, "the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) put half of the 1,200 federal-government technology projects in the fiscal 2005 budget-621 in all-on a 'watch list' because it felt those efforts were falling short in areas such as performance measures and project management" (McCormick). One of the major problems Anderson is facing in the project is that he doesn't understand the task of the PM, nor is he prepared or trained for it despite the MBA he had just finished. This results in bad work delegation and inefficient intercommunication with the staff of Parks Corporation. Anderson shows little ability to change from practical engeneer to administrator. Gable, the contacts at Lord and all others involved make demands on him he cannot meet, because of this inability. "Adaptation implies the ability to self-adjust or self-modify with unpredictable changes in conditions of environment or structure. In an adaptive control system, the dynamic characteristics must be identified at all times so that the controller parameters can be adjusted in order to maintain optimal performance. Could adaptive control system theory be the basis of the 'theory of agile systems'" (Alleman, "Herding Cats"). For the successful management of complex interactions, agility is most certainly needed. The case study presented clearly shows a plethora of complex interactions emerging from the mere fact of the behind-the-scenes deception and lack of communications alone. "In most feedback systems, small deviations in a parameter's value from its design value will not cause a problem in the normal operations of the system, provided these parameters are inside the control loop. If the process parameters vary widely because of environmental changes, then the control system will exhibit unsatisfactory behaviors...To be called adaptive, self-organizing features must exist" (Alleman, "Herding Cats"). We might ask ourselves what are these features that must exist We can name them in a list of three. "Identification of the dynamic characteristics of the process. Decision making based on the identification of the process." And "modification or actuation based on the decisions made" (Alleman, "Herding Cats"). In our notes on the project, we clearly see that Anderson is never able to get a handle on making leadership decisions based upon his obvious need to modify what he is doing. Does he understand the dynamics of management of the Blue Spider Program development Clearly not. He tries to take on too much on his own most of the times (researching instead of managing), while at other times there is lack of given information, administrative mistakes. For a PM to really know how to manage what he is doing would require a solid foundation in theory that is barely available in our present business climate. The successful PM has to be a self-starter and an original-minded leader. Even if Anderson had been up to date with what should have been his PM basics, there is significantly more to the carrying out of the described adaptive functions than just keeping a good PERT chart. Agile, non-linear conceptualizing should have come into play. "All agile processes focus on business value. Customers and developers collaborate during the development project to make changes needed to deliver that value. Agile projects are not constrained to an initial contracted model that must be delivered, whether it provides business value or not." "Systems emerge when built using agile processes. Through iterative, incremental delivery of functionality, business value emerges with every iteration" (Schwaber, Prentice Hall, 2001). Business value and Parks' reputation were steadily eroding and diminishing by the lack of agile management orientatedbusiness minds on the Blue Spider Project. Businesses that are experiencing failings in project management need to look not only to new ideas or more coherent PM theories, but also to available PM technology. Business considerations, of which project management is an especially important one, must be shaped not only by market forces, but at once by technology. Writes PC Week Labs Director Jim Rapoza, "Some of you young 'uns" who have inflated egos about being "project managers may think you know what project management is. But I reckon if I got ten of you in a room, I couldn't get you all to agree on a definition or on the products you would use to handle project management " (Rapoza, 2005). Our study finds no mention of any organizational tools utilized by the PM. There is no solid theoretical foundation for activity; there is no real motivation; there is poor organization. Once again, we have already established that "it has been generally seen that there is no explicit theory of project management..." However, there can be a foundation on which to construct a disciplined, defined theory of PM. "This foundation can be divided into a theory of project and a theory of management. The theory of project is provided by the transformation view on operations. In the transformation view, a project is conceptualized as a transformation of inputs to outputs..." (Koskela & Howell). What elements go into a project are there at the project's completion. If you use inadequate material, the product will be of low quality. The whole point of a project to manage in the first place is "to create a unique product or service" (Project Management Institute, p. 216). Every aspect of a project, from initial charting to the agile adaptations that must be made, must be there for directing team activity to that one creative objective alone. The theory of management comprises viewing PM as having "a strong causal connection between the actions of management and outcomes of the organization"; assuming "that planned tasks can be executed by a notification of the start of the task to the executor"; and maintaining that there is "a standard of performance; performance is measured at the output; the possible variance between the standard and the measured value is used for correcting the process so that the standard can be reached" (Koskela & Howell). Anderson did not understand the connection between himself and the project's success or failure. Performance standards were notoriously lacking. These and the aforementioned matters would have to be corrected to ensure future success. References Alleman, Glen B. "Is There An Underlying Theory of Software Project Management" Niwotridge: Sept. 2002. < http://www.niwotridge.com/PDFs/ProjectManagementTheory.pdf >. Alleman, Glen B. "Project Management = Herding Cats" PM Forum. Sept. 28, 2005. < http://www.pmforum.org/viewpoints/2003/0708herdingcats.htm >. Koskela, Lauri and Howell, Greg. "The Theory of Project Management: Explanation to Novel Methods". Gramado, Brazil: Aug. 2002. < http://www.cpgec.ufrgs.br/norie/iglc10/papers/47-Koskela&Howell.pdf >. Lareau, William, Ph.D. Lean Leadership: From Chaos to Carrots to Commitment. Carmel, IN: Tower II Press, 2000. McCormick, John. "Projects Don't Fail, People Do". Baseline: The Project Management Center. Sept. 27, 2005. < http://www.baselinemag.com/article2/0,1397,1752663,00.asp > Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. Newton Square, PA: 2000. Rapoza, Jim. "Good Ol' Project Days". EWeek.com. Sept. 27, 2005. < http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1855816,00.asp >. Schwaber, Ken. "Agile Processes-Emergence of Essential Systems". Informit.com. Prentice Hall: Nov. 2001. < http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspp=23989&rl=1 >. Read More