Project Management in the Nokia Company - Case Study Example

Project Management in the Nokia Company Project management is a comprehensive end-to-end service solution that manages the course of a project from the initial stages of planning to the final finished product to be handed over to the suppliers (Nokes & Kelly, 2007). The service provides the operators with the necessary resources for a given project such as scope, risk, cost, time and quality management to enable them to achieve their objectives. The project manager is the person who ensures the objectives of the project are met and is the main link between the consumer and the company. Being a client representative, the project manager provides the consumer with online access to various reports on the project progress, and other documentations so they can follow the progress of a project (Lock, 2007). Introduction Nokia is a global provider of mobile phones whose headquarters are based in Finland which started out as a wood pulp mill in 1856 in Finland (Monaghan, 2013). The company majors in producing mobile cell phones and portable technological devices as well as internet services like games, applications, media, music, messaging and navigation services. Before 2012, Nokia was the largest mobile phone vendor globally but the growing popularity of touchscreen smartphones has reduced its market shares and subsequently fallen from its position of glory. Over the past few years, financial problems have seen the downsizing of its staff and eventually Microsoft purchased the company, although finalization of the deal is still ongoing (Monaghan, 2013). Thesis: discuss the project management of a design process of a phone in the Nokia Company with detailed view of the schedule and duration as well as the ethical and diversity issues considered in the undertaking of the project. The paper aims to show ways in which the product design process can be modified to improve on the process and the effects of changing the organization of the chronology of the steps of the process. The main challenge of managing a project process is to meet the project objectives within the limitations of time, quality, funding, scope, deliverables and other constraints (Nokes & Kelly, 2007). Project management utilizes the use of a SWOT analysis to address issues in a design process. A SWOT analysis, acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, is a process that identifies the various strong and weak points of a product, design process or company resulting in an appropriate plan of action (Luo & Design 2004). Method Information was collected by the supervisors during the scoping of the project through online forums for developers and customers reviews through emails and the company website and SWOT analysis implemented on the data collected. This provided the project management with the necessary work structure required to undertake the various activities in the project effectively. Strengths Nokia is a global company that provides quality service to its consumers and hence attracts quality employees all around the world providing job opportunities and satisfying consumer needs (Haikio, 2002). It invests in producing products that are simple in structure depending on the sale value of the product. This ensures the product is safe from damage of the screen and other delicate parts due to low impact unlike other companies’ products which are completely vulnerable to damage on low impact. The Symbian technology in Nokia phones is stable and user friendly and when compared to the android platform, Symbian phones are less likely to crash due to software complications. The incorporation of windows mobile by Nokia was also a major step in the improvement of the phone experience of Nokia consumers. The company provides applications from its developers as well as third party developers through its website or through pre-installed applications. For similar market prices with most android phones, Nokia provides better camera capabilities in its products. The company provides a product warranty for customers in different countries to ensure customer satisfaction and to motivate its employees to produce quality finished products without defects that would require compensating customers. Nokia has a reputable environmental record of producing products that are free of the toxic substance polyvinyl chloride as from 2005, free from brominated compounds, and other pollutants from 2010 as well as recycling old mobile phones (Greenpeace International, 2011). Weaknesses The level of compromise on quality to accommodate for customers who are not willing to spend too much on phone products is a problem faced by the company. Products that are purchased the most all around the world are usually those affordable to most people and reducing the quality of these products reduces the people’s confidence in the company to provide them with quality products in the future. The reluctance of Nokia to invest in the android platform which is currently more preferable to most people also puts them at a disadvantage in the market that has a rising number of new devices such as iPhones. Despite investing in Microsoft to provide consumers with a stable interface of windows 8 in their phones, most reviews reveal that most consumers who are loyal to Nokia would have preferred an investment in android for at least some of their phones. This would have provided them with a variety of interfaces to choose from. The recall of more than 46 million phones in 2007 due to the possibility of faulty batteries was a major setback which was aggravated by the launch of iPhone by Apple in the same year (). Opportunities With previous superiority in the field, the company could improve on the phone camera capabilities of their handsets in order to compete with superior emerging modifications in other phone models such as flash and improved pixels. Investing in scratch-proof screens for their relatively cheap handsets would also improve their competitiveness in the market. Major trends in the business are consolidation of developer apps to suit all technological needs of the consumers into one handset and their specialization. Changes in technology have enabled the company advance in the capabilities made available to the consumers. Bluetooth sharing and internet services, social apps and services such as Ovimail, Nokia maps and Community Chat are some of the improvements in the products due to demand changes in society for interaction and research. Social patterns and creative trends have also changed the preferences of consumers in handsets creating opportunities for Nokia developers to create better experiences for their customers. Threats Several external factors could lead to the reduction in business opportunities and less demand of products in the market. The major obstacle faced by the company is the stiff competition offered by other suppliers such as Apple and other devices running on Android operating systems due to the increased use of touch screen smartphones. In the onset of change in society preferences and trends, the production of android phones with advanced capabilities, attractive interfaces, cheap applications and smart phones for affordable prices are factors that might result in the loss of customers and reduction in the demand for Nokia products. If for any reason, Nokia is owned by Microsoft as speculated predictions dictate, then the company will most likely only produce devices running on windows systems and this would reduce its opportunities of diversity. Review of the issue The decision to make a new phone in the Nokia cell phone group was driven by the need to adapt to the drastic changes in the cell phone market and the demand changes in society for various necessities in cell phone products. The demand grew gradually overtime with advancements in technology and the integration of populations which created the demand for changes in the modification of technological devices such as phones to enable people to meet the interactive, business and recreational needs. The competition posed by other cell phone companies has also created the need for improved product designs which is one of the integrated concepts in the design of the new phone. Work breakdown structure In product specification, the company developed the specifications for the new product such as the phone size, battery life and the desired phone features based on the application of the phone and the target market. The company then assessed the supplier specifications on the hardware and software to redefine the specifications made. The design of the product with reference to the specifications agreed upon was then made. The components were then assembled and an operational prototype was created to enable the manufacturers to test it. The product was then manufactured and contracts were negotiated with the preferred suppliers. Critical path analysis The earliest possible completion time for the design process is determined using the critical path with consideration for the process steps requisite prior to the next step is started. The start time for P1 is 0, P2 is 2 weeks, P3 is 6 weeks and P4 is 11 weeks. Since S1 and S2 are dependent on P4, the earliest start time is 16 weeks. The earliest start time for D1, D2 and D3 are 21 weeks and D4 can start after 23 weeks. I1 can start after 27 weeks, I2 after 23 weeks, I3 after 27 weeks and I4 can start after 31 weeks. V1 earliest time is 22 weeks and V2 can start after 35 weeks. The earliest time the project can be completed is thus 37 weeks. Impact of making changes in the organization of the project Using different teams working independently on each process in the subproject would reduce the overall time required to complete the project. This would reduce the overall project time from a maximum of 33 days to 29 weeks. Further eliminating the subprojects subcontracting and supplier specifications would reduce the overall time for the project to 19 weeks. Adversely, using different teams working independently on each process in the subproject would increase the cost of production due to a number of reasons. A design problem depends upon various factors and as such the solution is dependent on the designer’s ability to foresee complications and implement changes during the development process (Dinsmore & Davies, 2006). Lack of communication between the teams during the process would pose a risk of having end products that do not fit, or do not satisfy the objectives of the design process. Without first completing a single process such as the design of the prototype before designing the final product, the team tasked with the manufacture of the final product would have to repeat the process whenever an unforeseen problem was encountered. Eliminating the supplier specifications and subcontracting steps in order to incorporate them into the product specification would also considerably reduce the time taken to complete the project. However, it is also not advisable since the involvement of suppliers in the design process would result in conflicted decision making. The final product would be different from the standard products the company produces. This would not be in the best interests of the company in the current market but the introduction of good supplier ideas into the design process could benefit future design projects. Discussion Solutions Incorporating android technology into the Nokia product design process. Using materials in the design process that satisfy both the quality requirements of the product and the effective market profits. Promoting diversity of the company’s products. Employing effective SWOT analysis of the consumers to ensure an effective plan of action if investing in adequate advertising techniques. Recommendations Promoting diversity of products produced by the company instead of specializing in one type of product. Harmonizing the cost of products with adequate quality of the handsets supplied to the end user. The company should adopt current trends in the cell phone market that would place at an advantage in the competition for consumers. The company and respective ethic commissions should seek to subsidize the global prices of cell phones. The company should also invest in providing applications in a variety of languages to ensure people of different regions of the worlds can be able to benefit from the end product. Conclusion The competition posed by rival cell phone providers could be neutralized by embracing current trends into the design process of Nokia products. Allocation of some of the branches of the company to produce android handsets as well as the Symbian and windows handsets would ensure diversity and would appeal to a greater percentage of the consumers. Incorporation of newer technologies into the products with minimal effect on the supplier cost would also improve the competitiveness of the company. Development of applications and accessories in the handsets that would meet the customer demands for social and business interactions would place the company at an advantage above the other cell phone providers. In my opinion, the ethical issues of this product process are addressed by subsidizing market prices. Harmonization of market prices with all phone cell suppliers would reduce the trends of appealing to the market by posing inconsiderate prices on handsets which provide undue pressure on other companies for product’s price reduction. Some of the companies may also impose higher prices on products which would give them undue advantage in the market and the misinformation to customers would be unethical. If prices are not subsidized the company as well as others in the market should adapt to the changes in sales prices and to reduce the risk of losses occurring, the quality of the end product would inevitably decrease. The ethical aspects of the company were also challenged in the past years when they had to resort to downsizing of their employees due to falling shares and reduced profits. To address diversity issues, the company should also invest in adequate advertisements that appeal to all target consumers without bias on a specific category of customers. Since most reviews reveal that majority of consumers use handsets as their preferred mode of communication in social integration, advertising and making business deals, the target consumers are generally people of all age groups and different social status. As such the products the company produces should be manufactured to satisfy the needs of the different society groups that will use them. References Dinsmore, P. C., & Davies, T. (2006). Right projects done right: from business strategy to successful project implementation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Haikio, M. (2002). Nokia: the inside story. Helsinki: Edita. Lock, D. (2007). Project management (9th ed.). Aldershot, England: Gower. Luo, Y., & Design, V. (2004). Cooperative design, visualization, and engineering: first international conference, CDVE 2004: proceedings. Berlin: Springer. Monaghan, A. (2013, September 3). Nokia: the rise and fall of a mobile phone. The Guardian. Retrieved October 12, 2013, from http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/sep/03/nokia-rise-fall-mobile-phone-giant Nokes, S., & Kelly, S. (2007). The definitive Guide to Project Management: The Fast Track to Getting the Job Done on Time and on Budget (2nd ed.). Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall. Read More