How effectively do you think Rachel spent her day? 2. What d
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See attached case study.
1. How effectively do you think Rachel spent her day?
2. What does the case tell you about what it is like to be a project manager?
When responding to this case, DO NOT rely on your impressions.
If you think about it, all business problems are case studies. To effectively manage the situation, you must approach the problem in a methodological manner. A proven technique to do this is to:
1. list the facts;
2. identify the issues;
3. based on the facts of the case and your knowledge, analyze the issues of the case;
4. prepare recommended solutions and their possible outcomes;
5. implement the optimal solution (not always the one with the best outcome, since the cost or other things could be impractical); and
6. monitor the implementation and the outcomes.
So when you read and prepare to respond to this case, please follow the above guidelines.
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Solution Summary
How effectively do you think Rachel spent her day?
2. What does the case tell you about what it is like to be a project manager?
When responding to this case, DO NOT rely on your impressions.
If you think about it, all business problems are case studies. To effectively manage the situation, you must approach the problem in a methodological manner. A proven technique to do this is to:
1. list the facts;
2. identify the issues;
3. based on the facts of the case and your knowledge, analyze the issues of the case;
4. prepare recommended solutions and their possible outcomes;
5. implement the optimal solution (not always the one with the best outcome, since the cost or other things could be impractical); and
6. monitor the implementation and the outcomes.
So when you read and prepare to respond to this case, please follow the above guidelines.
Solution Preview
Also see solution attached for clarity.
â?¢ 1. If you were Palmer at the end of the case, how would you respond?
I would respond that due to his performance, I feel that this is the best possible decision. By letting him to go to the other assignment, the audit team has a chance to focus on the audit, and complete what still needs to be completed, without the added stress of wondering if Olds is going to show up. I would also request that the firm consider hiring another individual to replace him, as more manpower is apparently an issue. No one audit should suffer because one person has to be taken out, without being replaced. If this is the case, then the audit is understaffed.
â?¢ 2. What, if anything, could Palmer have done to avoid losing Olds?
If anything, he should have been given tasks that were not as important as the other tasks. He had trouble "switching back" to and from consulting/auditing modes of thinking, which shows that he was one of the main auditors in the audit. A main auditor is never assigned anything but the audit, when he is auditing. If he was one of the main auditors, as the facts indicate, there should have never been a deal made to have him work on two projects. He cannot possibly be the only auditor that is capable of handling the consulting project. If he was, then he should have been used as just that - a consultant for the other project, but should have not been given actual duties within the other project.
â?¢ 3. What advantages and disadvantages of a matrix type organization are apparent from this case?
The advantages in any company, including this one, to a matrix structure are that it typically forms a structure where no one department or person gets bogged down with work. Also, with the promotion situation in place at this firm, it gives the employees concrete goals to strive for, in order to move up the corporate ladder.
The main disadvantages to a matrix structure are that there can be a lack of control - as we see in this case in different forms. Because matrix structures are somewhat staggered, it causes several managers to have control over different areas, which can lead to chaos if not handled properly.
â?¢ 4. What could the management at M&M do to more effectively manage situations like this?
An auditor should have never been assigned anything but an audit, during the time that an audit was taking place. To assign an auditor to a double job while conducting an audit is unheard of, and not professional. The auditor needs to have their full time and attention devoted to the ...
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