The Emerging Role of Project Management - Report Example

INTERVIEW PROJECT Introduction The interview would be conducted with Mr. Joseph C. Harara, the Technology Manager with Teleflex Incorporated an Internationally renowned Design software developer for low cost designing and robotics of the textile industries. The business of Teleflext was first into manufacturing and designing of different glass and plastic based for the use of Tele-lenses. However, since 2005 the business shifted its focus from equipment manufacturing and concentrated mostly upon the designing software and robotics control software development for specific industries for job specific automation. The biggest clients of the business had been in the South East Asian Markets for its small, medium and large size of Industries especially in Textile manufacturing and designing. The career of Joseph started as a Testing Engineer with the firm since 2006 and today he is the foremost manager with a team of 103 Software developers, testing and hardware engineers. The business specializes in making client oriented software those are unique and are compatible with the any Windows operated technology globally, with rigorous up-gradation mechanisms and support services. However, now the business also wanted to venture the high end textile design printing, cutting technology based robotics and software development project to expand service offerings. Mr. Harara was given the charge to execute the process along with the changes required to implement them. Project Description Teleflex started to build its internal mechanisms to fit the specialized design software development once the technology of mass production and low cost production options became common among the Asian nations. The first one came from a Taiwan based Singaporean firm’s offer started the business process that has created a fully functional business service operations for the Teleflex today. The firm today manages its operations based out of Singapore that also specializes in client interaction and testing team to see the client’s issues in the region. The process would undertake the designing, planning, developing, test and executions before the same is delivered to the clients. The entire project was aimed to improve productivity and developing new design combinations for the clients. Mitsiashi a Taiwan based South Korean business wanted the Teleflex team to develop a robotics and accounting software for their new plant at Indonesia. The software was supposed to cut linen and assort them as per the design inputs in a continuous process giving the maximum output with least manpower inputs. The additional demand of the clients was to develop a tool that would also help the production process to generate the volume for stock calculations and delivery records. The aim was to develop the entire production line with various parts of the textile to be gathered and rolled according to the needs while keep the design and colours unique. The project was a 2 step process that needed specific linking between different parts of the textile plant. The IT support to coordinate with each other to achieve the best results out of the manufacturing process for a cost effective production was needed. Along with it the generation of purchase and delivery statements along with stock and delivery records in its software lifecycle was required too. Accurate and timely delivery with a sophisticated chain of the production process to support it was the aim of the software that the team was there to achieve. The key delivery that the project targeted to achieve was as listed: Purchase order creation /Cancellation Invoicing Developing the supply-chain of machine feeders for manufacturing units Genealogy of the Product Stock building and shipment invoice preparations The aforesaid objectives were the first of the processes that the team managed prior to the technical design were to be initiated. A team of seven developers and testers along with Mr. Harara worked in the project along with two business analyst for the specific business process inputs supervisions. The two new business analysts in the team were hired for the project as the existing team did not have the manpower with such skills available for the project execution. All the nine members in the development team were salaried employees of Teleflex. The project of the software development started with the purchase of few external software and 3 new computers for the team formed that was not available with the business. The cost of the entire purchase was estimated to be around 30,000 USD, however the other infrastructural support like connectivity lines and internet was not considered as it was available internally. Time however was short as the management decided upon building the project within 4 months time frame while the actual deliverable needed about six months in the view of Mr. Harara. The view was that the testing and problem solving along with a series of Syntax preparations for the software needed a longer period. The project started with a four month time frame where the team tried to develop and deliver to the best of their ability. The client for the Teleflex was also keen in achieving the required processes in their production facility at the shortest possible time. Therefore the four month time frame with an initial cost of 30000 USD for the project was given to the team to start off with. The team leader was Mr. Harara as the experience and clients briefing was with him to guide the team through each step of developments. The team developed an Objective model of the outcomes expected from the software from scratch. The team could achieve the project with three months from the very beginning but it was only 75% of the entire project volume as the actual field trial testing and modifications were still left. However the team delivered 100% of the job from their end so far the Development and Financial procedures compilation were concerned. The testing and trials of the software in actual factory conditions were left which needed some more time to make the software complete post delivery. Project Methodology The client Mitsiashi, prior to the actual transfer of the order had a sketch made for the own internal use. Teleflex’s order was announced in public after the IT department of the client has gone through the requirements for the project to access the best and competent people in the industry to develop such project. Once the deliverable was processed the job was given to Teleflex based upon their achievements and strengths in the segment. The client was thus clear upon what they wanted Teleflex to develop and Teleflex in the other hand wanted Mr. Harara and his team to deliver the same. The team of Teleflext associated with the project followed a PM Lite methodology in its operations. The Project definitions and planning was done and right man for the right job was selected and the Client discussion was done prior to the project initiation. The team made their own goals and deliverables in coordination with client and internal communications. The Project was further subdivided by Mr. Harara to his team in accordance to the development phase and testing to get the best of the team in each step. The most experienced people were made the leaders who had previous exposures in similar project to supervise and coordinate between the team members. Based upon the requirements the infrastructure for the project development and software testing was designed to get the best out of the team in the given time frame. Again since the methodology followed an International standard of project implementation and management of Prince-2 project management methodologies the same was chosen for the project (Maylor, 1996). Each of the achieved project goals were listed with time lines in the process where the strict follow up for the completed projects were not considered by the team. This was a necessity for the team as suggested by Mr. Harara due to the strict deadlines of the project completions. The primary tool for the project was Java as used by the team to build the software upon the language platform while the mechanical projects and drawings for robotics used Microsoft Visio for diagramming. These tools were common for all the software that the Teleflex designed for its clients. Project Influence The project started with limited vision of what the outcomes were going to be. The project had its own share of drawbacks beginning from the very first day. However the team of Mr. Harara had a good share of resources with himself for the job where the fare share of technically superior Java Programmers and developers were available. The testing and development software engineers with association of the two new business analysts for the specific project proved to be of great help for the project. Communication, supervision and coordination in the team were excellent as said by Mr. Harara in his interview. The knowledge of the new business analysts about the Information technology and its phases in development proved to be of great use to the team. The team was made out of 7 different IT professionals who had exposures of speciality software building and testing for specific job in the similar industry since 2005. Therefore the combined team was well aware of the Teleflex processes along with the software development phases. The reliance upon the team was further enhanced due to the familiarity of each individual about the processes needed to implement such robotics of linen industry. However the financial inputs along with measurements, checks and balanced to be followed to get the maximum outputs and financial gains. The process was a new learning for all in the team where the process of maintaining lower cost and checks in the process for the best utility of the business. The combined business and software development job was the first one for the team thus the shared learning of the commercial aspects of production in the process was experienced by the Technical people in the team who were previously efficient into robotics software development. Similarly the new joiners for the project who were commercial people or Business analyst efficient in various business processes also learnt the basics of software development and its processes. The mutual learning was something that Mr. Harara looked forward to in future implementations. Nevertheless, Mr. Harara also found good team management skills in the people he entrusted his faith upon while developing the project from scratch with very efficient inter-personal communication within the team during the process. The role of Mitsiashi’s team in conducting the trial run and development of the phase wise implementation of the processes for testing the robotics with generation of reports in Production chain was of great help as suggested by the Team leader Mr. Harara. The role of the employees in developing the guidelines for implementation of the software in production line to support the testing phase begin was specially mentioned by him. The testing and trial runs with limited stock and delivery inputs in the trial conditions gave a very fruitful result. The cost of project development till its end was paid off by the client in its first payments. The rest was supposed to be paid once the trial run along with plant customizations was completed. The first part of the implementation of the project that is the software development was over within the time period of 4 months however the customization part needed some extra time and coordination of Teleflex with Mitsiashi’s team. Success Factor Rating Matrix The following matrix denotes the factors and their ratings based upon the 10 factors pertaining to the project of Mitsiashi. The ratings for the matrix are denoted on a 5 point scale of 1 to 5 where the ascending order of satisfaction for the project was noted. 1 representing the lowest score of satisfaction or unsatisfied while 5 represented highest rating for satisfaction of Mr. Harara with the outputs of the process. Question Rating Comments Was there sufficient amount of planning? 4 The techno-commercial application of the project from IT standpoint. However more could have been done if the time constrains were not there. Were the budget and other such resource planning proper? 3.5 The budget for the project was tight while the testing facilities were unavailable till the time project ended. Was the involvement of the team sufficient in the process? 4 The satisfactory involvement of the team completed the process on time with satisfactory outputs. Were the objectives of development clear to the team? 4 Since the project was techno commercial in nature the sufficient understanding of the project was somewhat lesser till the time the development was complete. Was there sufficient experience in the Supervisory team? 3.5 The supervisors were first-timers but performed their job satisfactorily however the best of the supervision is yet to come from their side. Was the infrastructure up to the mark? 3 The infrastructure for testing was unavailable while the trial testing on actual conditions were lacking making the process under satisfactory at times. Was a formal project methodology used in planning the project? 3 A formal methodology was used in the process however since the actual testing and trial along with customization is left. This kept the portion yet to be judged properly. Analysis The influences of the following are dependent upon the following factors (Kerzner, 2001). Have satisfied stakeholders Meet project objectives Meet an agreed budget Delivery on Time Add value Meet Quality requirements Sense professional satisfaction of the team Stakeholders Satisfaction is the key to a projects success as the project is developed for. The key to such service is based upon the sole motive of satisfying others especially the clients where the business depends upon their satisfaction for projects success (Steinfort & Walker, 2015). The financial reasons are one of many reasons, where the team was supposed to get the cost incurred for the project to be paid back. The team worked well to achieve the objective of client satisfaction along with the business stakeholder’s satisfaction. However the completion of the project is yet to occur as the trial testing phase is one to give a precise measurement of the stakeholder’s satisfaction. The Project objectives are the set of objectives or goals that the project sets to accomplish at the beginning of the project (Lele, 2014). The project is however half way where the trial testing phase of the software and its applications are yet to be determined fully. The objectives of assimilating the commercial liabilities along with production with best cost effective ways are the project objectives. The timely deliver was completed within the budget but the trial and testing phase with actual implementation keeps the option to suggest the objective fulfilment undetermined. The quality of the project in terms of the satisfactory outcomes is yet to be analyzed. However, the team of Mr. Harara executed satisfactorily in his eyes but the conclusion waits for actual outcomes. The sense of professionalism in the team was re-evaluated by the leader Mr. Harara and he was satisfied with the outcomes. “Most of our people are experienced with software development but the financial application of their work on actual shop-floor in terms of deliver was for the first time experienced by them” (Personal Communication, January, 30, 2015). The performance of the team in a larger perspective has made the project successful for the Team Leader Mr. Harara while the actual outcomes are yet to come. References Hayden, W. (2001). The Emerging Role Of Project Management. Leadership Manage. Eng., 1(2), 48-49. Kerzner, H. (2001). Project management. New York: John Wiley. Kissi, J., Dainty, A., & Tuuli, M. (2013). Examining the role of transformational leadership of portfolio managers in project performance. International Journal Of Project Management, 31(4), 485-497. Lele, J. (2014). Retrieved 2 February 2015, from http://www.washington.edu/research/rapid/resources/toolsTemplates/crit_success_factors.pdf Maylor, H. (1996). Project management. London: Pitman. McHugh, O., & Hogan, M. (2011). Investigating the rationale for adopting an internationally-recognized project management methodology in Ireland: The view of the project manager. International Journal Of Project Management, 29(5), 637-646. Rose, K. (2010). The complete project management methodology and toolkit. Project Management Journal, 41(2), 82-82. Steinfort, P., & Walker, D. (2015). Retrieved 2 February 2015, from https://researchbank.rmit.edu.au/eserv/rmit:10990/n2006006911.pdf Wright, N. (2001). Leadership,  Bastard Leadership  and Managerialism : Confronting Twin Paradoxes in the Blair Education Project. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 29(3), 275-290. Read More