Project Management Methodologies Report: Root Cause Analysis and CPI

This report delves into project management methodologies, focusing on a case study of Latino Engineering, a company facing quality issues after an investor takeover. The report identifies the root causes of the problems, utilizing tools like the Cause and Effect Diagram (Fishbone), Check Sheets, Histograms, and Control Charts to analyze the situation. The analysis reveals that the lack of experienced staff, improper strategies, and inadequate management systems are key factors contributing to the decline in service and product quality. To address these issues, the report proposes a Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) program, emphasizing the importance of Critical Success Factors (CSFs) such as management policies, productivity enhancements, training and development initiatives, and effective leadership styles. The CPI program includes steps like analyzing the central issues, maintaining records, aligning solutions with organizational values, making informed decisions about processes, delegating tasks effectively, and fostering open communication to improve quality, regain market position, and restore customer satisfaction. The report provides a comprehensive framework for Latino Engineering to improve its business processes and enhance the quality of its services and products.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
METHODOLOGIES

INTRODUCTION
The process of making ongoing efforts for enhancing the quality of the products and
services is called as continuous improvement. Companies use this approach in the form of meta-
process for handling their issues regarding management of projects or system. These areas
include project management, quality management, business process management and many
others. It is one of the best processes which increases the efficiency of business processes and
helps them in accomplishing their objectives (Hexom and Menoher, 2015).
The file is based on the given case scenario of Latino Engineering which is facing issues
regarding the quality of services and products. In context to it, the report focuses on the tools and
techniques for understanding the root cause, continuous process improvement program for
developing an effective continuous improvement plan for improving and enhancing the quality.
TASK
Use of tools and techniques for identifying the cause of the problem
As per the given case, Latino Engineering is a medium scale organization which is
located in New South Wales of the Australia. The firm provides services regarding the designing,
development, and manufacturing of the engineering equipment to the customers. The list of
clients includes construction, oil and gas and infrastructure companies. Latino Engineering is
working for 30 years and has developed a repudiated brand image among the customers by
offering them high-quality services and products.
But after the takeover of the firm by the investors, the situation has been changed
completely. The organization is receiving various complaints from the clients due to improper
and low-quality engineering equipment and related services. Latino Engineering wants to keep
its previous market position and relations with the customers, and for this, it needs to handle the
situation efficiently. With the help of appropriate tools and techniques, root cause behind the
occurring problems can be identified. As a Project Management Consultant, proper tools will
help in gathering the data which are causing the issues (Allen, 2014). These tools and techniques
are defined below:
Cause and Effect Tool: It is one of the 7 Quality control tools which is also called as fishbone
method. This helps in understanding the various causes of occurring incident in the Latino
Engineering. This device consists of multiple categories: People, Methods, Materials,
Environment, Machines, and Measurements. As per the problem of the company 5Ms is the most
suitable for finding the root cause of the problem. Machine: The organization is using appropriate tools and techniques for designing and
manufacturing the equipment. This factor of the Latino Engineering is accurate and has

no issues. Along with this, machines used by the firm are updated and latest which helps
in reducing the production time along with utilization of excellent resources.
 Methods: Latino engineering is using improper and inappropriate approaches and
processes for producing the engineering equipment. Due to this reason, the company is
receiving complaints regarding the damaging equipment, wrong packaging, and delivery
of the products, etc. Along with this, the strategies used for managing the workforce is
also not appropriate which is resulting in indecent customer service and other services.
 Material: The quality of equipment used by the respected firm is high, and there is no
ignorance in this matter. The organization is giving full attention to the raw materials,
machines, etc. it is taking from the suppliers. This helps in manufacturing the engineering
equipment of good quality.
 Man: This is the main reason behind the occurring problems of the company. The
workforce of the Latino Engineering is unable to handle the different processes which are
causing the issues regarding the low-quality services and products. Along with this,
employees of the firm do not have proper communication, team management, decision
making and problem-solving skills.
 Medium: The working environment of the Latino Engineering is not so good and not so
bad. The company is trying its level best for offering the best quality services and
products to the customers, but due to lack of risk assessment process, it is unable to
identify the main reason behind the occurring faults. Along with this, lack of senior
employees in the organization is also the reason behind the improper business processes
(Cannata, Redding and Rubin, 2016).
Check Sheet: This tool helps Latino Engineering in collecting data in real time from the place
where it was generated. In this, the company will segregate the received data into the defect type,
defect location and defect cause. This helps in better understanding of the root cause behind the
receiving complaints from the customers. Evaluation of defect type (wrong packaging of
products, damaged equipments, poor customer service,. Etc ), defect cause (dissatisfaction of
customers, lack of trust, poor quality of products, etc) and defect location (company) results to
inform that quality of the products and services has been decreased after the takeover of the firm
by the investigator.
Histogram: This tool offers a graphical representation of the problem for practical and better
understanding of the issues. Data with respect to the sales percentage, profit margin, .raw
material, etc. leads to aware about the present condition of the respected firm. The graph delivers
that number of customers are decreasing along with the demand for the equipment which is
affecting the profitability and brand image of the Latino Engineering.
Control Chart: The Project Management Consultant uses this tool for collecting information
regarding the control over the quality of goods, services, and processes of the Latino
Engineering. The chart represents an increase in profit and customer base with the time but after
takeover respected firm is suffering from the decline in advantage due to the dissatisfaction of

the clients towards the offered engineering equipment and services. Thus, the control over the
quality of the products and services is not appropriate and appreciable.
Thus, above tools and techniques represents that Latino Engineering is suffering from
inferior quality products, services, and processes. The cause identified by the tools is lack of
senior experienced and talented employees within the organization who can manage the
operations and guide the other workers to improve their working style. Along with this,
management approaches and strategies are not proper which are resulting in taking a long time in
query handling, poor follow-up with the customers, etc. It is essential to consider these causes for
identifying a suitable solution for the complaints like a poor follow-up, long response time,
improper customer service, damages in equipment and many others (Davidson and et al., 2017).
A plan for eliminating the root causes with the help of proper resources
Customer Process Improvement (CPI) program will help Latino Engineering in handling
its problems by eliminating root causes. With the CPI program, it is also necessary to know the
effective and efficient Critical Success Factors (CSF) which can help firmly in accomplishing its
objectives. According to the given case, the cause of occurring complaints is lack of experienced
senior worker, improper strategies, inappropriate management system along with policies and
procedures. In context to this, selection of suitable CSF will help in improving the present
condition of the company processes and approaches. According to the Project Management,
Consultant following are suitable CSF which can assist Latino Engineering in improving the
quality of its business activities.
Management Policies and Procedures: Implementation of adequate policies and procedures
with respect to management of workforce and business processes will result to enhance the
working system of the firm. Proper policies will also make employees to pay attention to their
work and improve the performance which will increase the productivity of the engineering
equipment. Along with this, the addition of management procedures like a reward system,
performance appraisal, etc. will enhance the motivation of the workers. Strict policies will make
staff members to follow every business activity correctly for maintaining the quality of
equipment.
Productivity: This success factor will increase the production of equipment by keeping an eye on
each process for handling the issues regarding wrong packaging and delivery of goods and
damaged engineering equipment. This factor will also help in selecting practical strategies and
methods for improving the operations regarding the manifesting of the devices. Apart from this,
workers will able to design and develop the engineering equipment according to the chosen
approach. Right strategy and decision will handle to issue regarding damaged engineering
equipment and wrong packaging of the products. This success factor will somehow help Latino
Engineering in increasing its graph of sales and profitability (Bodily, Nyland and Wiley, 2017).

Training and development: This is one of the essential CSFs which will help in handling the
root causes of the Latino Engineering. On conducting adequate training and development
program, the company will able to increase knowledge and skills of its staff members. Training
under the guidance of experts will result to enhance communication skills, customer handling
skills, problem-solving skills, risk management and other required skills of the workers. This
success factor will work efficiently for the customer service team so that they can handle the
queries of the clients by providing them right solution or suggestion. This element will also help
in developing right strategies for follow-up with the clients.
Effective Leadership Style: Under the skilled and talented leader, employees of the firm will
able to provide high-quality services to the clients. Participative leadership style will make
workers take participation in the decision-making process with respect to design, development,
and manufacturing of the engineering products. Apart from this, selection of right strategies as
per the suggestion of leader will enhance the quality of services in the area of customer handling
and follow-up. This success factor will increase performance and capabilities of the staff
members which will directly improve the productivity issues of the organization (Critical
Success Factors (CSF’s) Made Easy. A step by step guide. 2017).
Thus, from the above critical success factor Latino Engineering will able to regain its
previous market position and brand image among the customers of Australia. Addition of this
defined success factor in the CPI program will result in desired outcome (Lewis, 2016). The CPI
program with respect to the problems of the respected company is as follows:
Continuous Process Improvement Program:
Analysis of the central issue: Firstly, Latino Engineering will have to find out the root cause of
the occurring problems. From the above analysis, it has been identified that improper
management system, lack of skills and knowledge and inappropriate production processes are the
prime reason behind the receiving complaints from the customers. Combination of all these
issues is contributing in decreasing the quality of services and satisfaction level of the clients.
Record: After identification of the main issues, the company will have to keep a history of all the
problems it has found. This documentation will include details about the issues, the reason
behind their occurrence, strategies to be used, impact on the company performance, etc. This
record will help in future in handling the similar situation in case they occur.
Alignment with the organization’s values, vision, and strategy: It is necessary to match selected
solutions with the procedure, values, and vision of the Latino Engineering. With the help of
business values, the company will able to choose appropriate solutions for enhancing the quality
of the products or services along with the business processes.
The decision regarding processes: In this, the company will have to make decisions with respect
to the type of operations. The organization will take decisions related to the business activities

which need to stop, replace or improve for handling the present situation. This step will provide
an actual overview of the processes which need to grow and efficiently manage (Hexom and
Menoher, 2015).
Delegation: It is necessary to delegate work as per the talent and expertise of the employees. In
this step, the company will offer work employees according to experience and knowledge. It will
lead to better management of the issues and problems.
Communication: In this, the company will communicate information regarding the
implementation of change to the employees. By sharing the information, workers will able to
work with full dedication and interest which will lead to handle the issues and increase the
quality of services.
Beginning from the small: By prioritizing the issues, the firm will able to handle them
effectively and efficiently. This will lead to improving the crucial areas first and remaining later.
Implementation of the solutions will become easier and faster.
Feedback: This will include a collection of reviews from the employees and customers with
respect to the implemented changes or solutions. It will provide information regarding the
satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the clients towards the engineering equipment or services.
Monitoring: This step will help in making continuous improvement of the processes and
services. Handling of mistakes with the help of regular tracking will tend to improve the quality
of business activities and services (Hegade, Rajkumar, and Murthy, 2017).
Thus, the above critical success factor and Continuous process improvement will help the Latino
Engineering in developing effective and appropriate continuous improvement plan.
Continuous Improvement Plan
Continuous Improvement Plan for the Latino Engineering is as follows:
S.No. Issues Solutions for
improvement
Person
responsible
Time
Required
Result
1 Lack of proper
guidance
regarding the
selection of
strategies and
development
of follow-up
Leadership Leader 1 month Proper
guidance,
improvement
in
performance,
team
management
2 Improper
business
process
Selection of
proper strategies
and methods
along with
adequate
monitoring of the
Production
Manager
3 months Production of
less defective
engineering
equipment,
increase in
quality of

business
activities
products
3 Poor follow-up
with the
customers
Creation of
proper
monitoring by
discussing with
the leader and
manager.
Leader,
Manager and
Team members
2 weeks customer
feedbacks
regarding the
follow-up,
information
about the likes
and dislikes of
the clients
improved
follow-up
4 Long response
time for issue
resolution
Documentation
of the issue,
discussion with
the leader, use of
appropriate tool
for handling
issues
Leader, Project
Manager, and
team members
1 week Time to time
monitoring of
the risk
handling tools,
development
of strategy for
handling risk
like risk
assessment
process
5 Improper
packaging and
delivery of the
products to the
clients
Creation of new
strategies for
handling the
present issues.
Storage of the
information
regarding the
distribution of
equipment (Intra
and Zahn, 2014)
Production
manager and
other team
members
2 to 3
months
Better
packaging,
eco-friendly
packaging,
transportation
to the right
client
Recommendations
The recommendations Latino Engineering needs to follow are:
 The company should monitor its operations in the gap of specific period.
 Latino should update its tools and techniques with the need of time
 Organization will have to conduct training sessions for increasing performance and skills
of the employees as per the requirement of situation (First, Kendler and Leibenluft,
2017)
CONCLUSION
From the above study, it is concluded that Latino Engineering is suffering from the issue
of inferior quality products, services and business processes which is increasing dissatisfaction of
the clients. In context to this, the company wants to regain its previous brand image, market
position and customer base. For handling the complaints concerning the damaged equipment,

wrong packaging, and delivery, improper customer service, long response time, etc. organization
has hired project management consultant. The use of tools like 7 Quality control help in
understanding the root cause of the problems along with this, continuous process improvement
program results to formation of constant improvement plan.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Allen, B.B., 2014. Lean risk assessments: Emphasizing management's needs and continuous
improvement can enhance internal audit's risk assessments. Internal Auditor, 71(5), pp.24-26.
Bodily, R., Nyland, R. and Wiley, D., 2017. The RISE Framework: Using Learning Analytics to
Automatically Identify Open Educational Resources for Continuous Improvement. The
International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 18(2).
Cannata, M., Redding, C. and Rubin, M., 2016. Continuous Improvement in Action: Educators'
Evidence Use for School Improvement. Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness.
Davidson, L.A. and et al., 2017. A continuous improvement approach to social and emotional
competency measurement. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.
First, M.B., Kendler, K.S., and Leibenluft, E., 2017. The future of the DSM: implementing a
continuous improvement model. Jama Psychiatry, 74(2), pp.115-116.
Hegade, A., Rajkumar, S.G. and Murthy, S., 2017. Standardization of Continuous Improvement
Process.
Hexom, D. and Menoher, J., 2015, January. Using Data-Driven Decision Making for Continuous
Improvement in University Programs. In International Conference on Education and e-Learning
(EeL). Proceedings (p. 40). Global Science and Technology Forum.
Intra, C. and Zahn, T., 2014. Transformation-waves–a brick for a powerful and holistic
continuous improvement process of a Lean production system. Procedia CIRP, 17, pp.582-587.
Lewis, W.E., 2016. Software testing and continuous quality improvement. CRC press.
Online
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Through: <https://rapidbi.com/criticalsuccessfactors/>. [Accessed on 5th October 2017]