Green Computing Research Project Part 5 - Assignment Example

Case Study 2: Green Computing Research Project – Part 5There are seven basic tools and techniques for quality improvement include cause and effect diagrams, control charts, flowcharting, histogram, Pareto chart, run chart and scatter diagram. These tools are utilized to scrutinize the development processes, discover major and minor issues, manage uncertainty of quality of developing product and facilitate to present solutions to the identified problems and avoid prospect deficiencies (Kapur, 2007).

After reviewing the seven (7) tools for quality improvement, I have selected ‘Cause-and-Effect’ diagram for the ‘Green Computing’ project. The cause and effect diagram is also known as Ishikawa or Fishbone Diagram for the reason that the diagram look likes the skeleton of a fish. The Cause and effect diagrams would help the project manager of the Green Computing project to identify a number of major and minor causes of an issue rather than just the most obvious causes. The approach of developing the diagram compels the project manager and team to brainstorm with the use of concept mapping facilitates to recognize and graphically represent, in growing factors, all of the possible reasons pertaining to a problem or condition that lead to discover the core causes.

Usually, the quality issues are not straightforward. These issues typically entail the multifaceted combination and relations of multiple causes. I chose the cause and effect diagram keeping in view the research oriented objective of the project that is improving the environment and revenues with reduced costs. Therefore, it is necessary before recommending any solution to the ‘We are Big, Inc’ to identify the root causes that impact badly on the environment and uncontrolled costs. The root cause analysis would help the project manager by becoming a road map for collecting data to concisely move ahead to achieve the objectives of the project by researching on avoiding/removing the root causes and recommending suitable software applications/solutions for the company.

And finally, it is recommended that the cause and effect diagram should become part of the major research report.The second reason for selection of cause and effect quality tool that it would facilitate the project manager to easily identify the mainstream of the problems that would be faced during execution of the Green Computing project. In order to relate the quality tool with the project, the first problem that the project manager would face is the communication between the team with a webcam, as the team of the project is scattered and located at different geographical locations.

The cause and effect diagram facilitates the project manager to write down the communication problem and the causes that generate the problem. In this way, the project manager would realize the root causes and develop a plan to remove/avoid the root causes so that the communication problem would not rise again. Furthermore, it is worthwhile to write down the stakeholders that are involved or affected by the problem, when and where the problem usually arises. In order to draw the diagram, the project manager does not require Microsoft Excel; it can even be developed in Microsoft Word or Visio.

The tool recommends the project manager to write down the main problem in a rectangular box on the extreme right or left side of a MS Word document, draw a line from the box to across the document horizontally, and then brainstorm and note down the causes of the problem. Eventually, the diagram would look like bone of fish, as the box would represent the head and the causes are like the spine of a fish.ReferencesKapur, S. (2007). The 7 Quality Management Tools. Retrieved from: http://www.rediff.

com/money/2007/jan/09quality.htmIlie, G. (n.d). Cause-And-Effect Diagram. Retrieved from: http://www.doh.state.fl.us/hpi/pdf/Cause_and_EffectDiagram2.pdf