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Project Management Methodologies: Latino Engineering Case Study

   

Added on  2020-03-16

12 Pages3728 Words48 Views
Project Management Methodologies: Latino Engineering Case StudyNameDate

SummaryThis report evaluates the background of the problems at Latino Engineering that are coming just 12 months after the new owners came in, yet the company has operated for 30 years without such problems and had a reputation for high quality. To solve these problems over a three month period, the POTI model will be used for assessing the company systems and operations to get a blue print that will then be used for developing a new vision for the company. Based on these, the 7 QC tools will be used for evaluating causes of problems, prioritizing them, determining their relationships and the Kaizen model employed to continuous apply the 7 QC tools for continuous improvement. Data from the 7 QC tools will help determine the progress and significance/ impact of the continuous improvement process

IntroductionLatino Engineering is faced with monstrous challenges, coming just twelve months after the company founder, Dominic Latino sold the company to the current owners, an investment group. The driving force behind Dominic Latino selling the company that he had successfully run for 30 years was the fear of losing control of the company, especially in decision making and controlling quality, if he had accepted the initial offer of the investors (current owners) buying shares in his company. Latino Engineering has over the years built a strong reputation for quality products, with many clients in diverse industries including oil and gas, infrastructure, manufacturing, and construction praising the company for its quality and reliable engineering products. The quality standards were driven mainly by the passion of the founder, Dominic, who had a passion for qualityengineering products. At present, things have changed drastically; there are various problems that are a major threat to Latino Engineering. This is partly due to leadership; while the new owners retained the name of the company and its employees, some managers left to seek greener pastures while the founder also retired, resulting in changes in leadership positions. At present, Latino Engineering is facing the following problems and complaints from her customers;i. Defective engineering equipmentii. Poor design and development follow up with clientsiii. Too long turnaround time for issue resolutioniv. Non responsive customer service teamv. Cases of wrong engineering equipment was packaged and delivered to clientsBased on this brief background, the Latino Engineering Company is seeking ways pf solving these problems and continuously improving their product and service offering. This report gives a plan for how Latino Engineering will improve continuously, its service and product offering. The report will first discuss a framework for identifying the problems by evaluating processes, organization structure and culture, technology, and information aspects of the company (The POTI framework) which will give a blueprint for CI (continuous improvement). This will then be followed by an application of suitable tools (the 7 QC Tools) for use in monitoring interventions and progress; the information provided by the 7 QC Tools will enable management to make sound decisions based onstructural facts and figures. The report then proposes a framework for achieving continuous improvement by employing the technique of Kaizen to ensure continuous improvements to service and product delivery by Latino Engineering. This project will be implemented using the Agile project management framework Continuous Improvement Plan (CIP)POTI

The blueprint for Latino Engineering will be developed using the OTI framework to identify presentcauses of problems and to create a vision for Latino Engineering that will entrench CI into its organizational and operational culture. ProcessesThe existing processes at Latino Engineering will be evaluated with the aim of introducing new ones through this project. Tye operational business models presently used at POTI must be reviewed and changed in line with the new operational and strategic goal of CI. The output and performance levels of employees are to be evaluated and improvements made using the CIP framework (Kenton 2005). New ways of working will be introduced; including a structured way of designing projects, making follow-up and improvements in project design, establishing performance metrics for handing customer concerns, and improved customer service through a customer centered approach to customer service. Old ways of working, such as too much time in resolving customer issues, poor communication and lack of follow up in product design and development with the customer, along with the present design principles will be changed/ phased out as advised by Djella and Gallouj (2011). OrganizationPresently, there is a culture of complacency and lack of focus on quality at Latino Engineering as the currently problems show. The most important assetthe company has are its people and change must start by changing the people;how they think and how they work, before implemented changes can take effect (Jain 2001). Apart from the culture, the skills set of employees and especially managers will be evaluated and changes made, along with the levels of staff to ensure there are enough employees to meet customer needs. For instance, the customer service department may be unresponsive to customer needs because they are understaffed and overwhelmed by the deluge of customer complaints. From the evaluation, some employees may be moved to other roles or be trained in other roles so they can help out whenthe demand is high. The training needs will also be assessed and proposals made to improve on their training needs (Feigenbaum 1992). TechnologyThe existing technology systems will be evaluated, and proposals made for changes that will harness the power of technology for communication, reporting, monitoring, and collaboration to enhance product and service delivery. New computer systems will be put in place and changes made to present technology systems. New tool sets and networks will be put in place

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