Analysis of Project Management in Uber's Self-Driving Car Development

This report provides a detailed analysis of the project management aspects of Uber's self-driving car project. It begins with an introduction to the project's background, highlighting Uber's partnership with Volvo and its goals for autonomous vehicle development. The report then delves into the creat...Read More

Running head: PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASPECTS FOR SELF-DRIVING CAR PROJECT BY UBER
Project Management Aspects for Self-Driving Car Project by Uber
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1PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASPECTS FOR SELF-DRIVING CAR PROJECT BY UBER
Table of Contents
Part A...............................................................................................................................................2
1. Introduction..............................................................................................................................2
2. Discussion................................................................................................................................2
2.1 Case Project Background...................................................................................................2
2.2 Quality Management Plan.................................................................................................4
2.3 Stakeholder and Conflict Management Plan.....................................................................6
3. Conclusion...............................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................9

2PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASPECTS FOR SELF-DRIVING CAR PROJECT BY UBER
Part A
1. Introduction
With the rise in new technology and improvement of car models, automobile companies
have majorly focused on bringing in advanced technologies within their car models. Uber in
partnership with Volvo have focused on the designing and implementation of a third-generation
version for their self-driving cars (Davies 2020). The new form of XC90 SUV would be
considered to fit within the self-driving technology while the testing of the new technology
would be made within 2020.
This discussion is further focused on the discussion over the background of the project
and considering the quality management plan that would be used to maintain the quality of the
project. The next part of the project would also focus on discussion of the stakeholder
management plan in which the aspect of conflict management plan would also be discussed
accordingly.
2. Discussion
2.1 Case Project Background
In present times, Uber have planned for the launch of their next generation of project
focusing on self-driving cars to be used on public roads. Thus, the ultimate goal set by the firm is
to prepare for a one-stop solution for helping towards the movement of people and powering the
impact of local commerce (Tussyadiah, Zach and Wang 2017). On an estimation of the costs
incurred by the company with their non-autonomous cars, it was found that the company
maintains a large expense in terms of ride sharing, which includes paying drivers, local

3PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASPECTS FOR SELF-DRIVING CAR PROJECT BY UBER
governments and many others. Based on the removal of the driver from their business scenario
and by launching the use of autonomous cars, it would reduce the costs incurred per ride while
also addressing the business growth.
With respect to their dream of launching the new model of cars on the roads, it can be
discussed that ATG is considered as a major growth aspect for Uber. The company thus aims for
fulfilling their long-term goals based on making short-term goals. Uber ATG thus mainly focuses
on the aspect of limited geographic presence and limited kind of autonomous capabilities (Bloom
et al. 2017). Another major aspect in which Uber focuses with the development of their self-
driving cars is to create a better, safer and cheaper option of automated cars for their consumers
based on using their ride-hailing service. The technology being developed by Uber would need
to pass through the stages such as development, piloting and commercialization.
The cheaper mode of transport aimed for the consumers would mean the reduction of cost
per mile for a self-driven ride to an UberX ride. The reduction for the customer wait times would
be aimed while also making a luxurious experience. However, with such kind of developments,
safety is the topmost concern when the topic hovers on the use of self-driving cars on the roads
(Kohli and Chadha 2019). Safety regulators and governing bodies might delay the entire project
based on the consideration of safety. Hence, crucial test runs needs to be clearly passed in order
to launch an automated vehicle on the roads. Hence, it would be important for the ATG to
conduct a broad range of software simulations based on ensuring that the ride would be
conducted in a smooth and perfect manner (Zohn 2015). Hence, Uber would consider all aspects
of project management such as quality management plan, risk consideration, stakeholder
management while designing the outputs towards the project.

4PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASPECTS FOR SELF-DRIVING CAR PROJECT BY UBER

5PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASPECTS FOR SELF-DRIVING CAR PROJECT BY UBER
2.2 Quality Management Plan
This section would discuss the effective form of quality management plan that would be sought in accordance to the
determining of quality aspects for the self-driving car design project by Uber
Deliverables Metric to be
measured
Performance standard Acceptance
Quality Level
(AQL)
Method for
Surveillance
Procedure for meeting
performance standards
Scope
document
Conformance with
ISO 9000
standards
Requirement performance:
With the development of the
project scope, the project
would be defined and each of
the included deliverables that
are meant for inclusion should
be defined accordingly
(Krompier 2017).
100% It would be measured
that the scope
document is properly
being understood by
the project manager
and that they are able
to be done in relation
to the outcomes
decided for the
project.
Poor scope defining for
the project would be
monitored and thus
necessary changes
would be made. A
proper defining of the
project scope would
ensure the successful
start of the project.
Project plan Meeting industrial
standards
Meeting schedule and cost
expectancy: The project plan
should be defined in such a
manner that it would cover all
activities and the completion
date of the project would also
be defined accordingly
(Möhlmann and Zalmanson
2017). The project
performance details at various
stages along with the
expectancy from each stage
should be clearly outlined.
98% The project plan
should be
continuously be
monitored for scope
creep and new
inclusions in any
activity within the
project (Takacs et al.
2018).
Whenever the project
would not meet to the
level of quality
expectancy, the project
manager would look
into the possible gap
areas and thus plan for
designing a new planned
outcome for any
activity.

6PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASPECTS FOR SELF-DRIVING CAR PROJECT BY UBER
Resource
Specification
Insurance and
warranties
Productivity: The hardware
and software to be
implemented in self-driving
cars should be highly
productive in nature. They
should be able to meet up to
the demands expected by the
industry and match up to the
standards as focused for the
project under consideration
97% Each of the products
procured should be
checked by industry
experts. Upon
verifying their
quality, the product
should be approved
and kept in stock for
project use purpose.
Whenever a certain
product would not meet
to the quality standards,
they would be returned
back and a new tested
product would be
brought.
Automation
support for
vehicle control
Software quality
and performance
Customer Satisfaction:
During test runs of the
software, it should be ensured
that the software is performing
as per the expectancy of the
company (Chou 2017).
99% Multiple simulations
need to be performed
before the final
delivery of the
software platform
In case of
incompetency, the
software setting need to
be revised and then a
new simulation should
be set accordingly.
Cost
Breakdown
Structure
Final projected
financial outcomes
Return on Investment: It
should be ensured that the Uber
would be able to gain
maximum financial return
based on reducing the
particular areas of cost by
introducing the self-driving
cars
100% Cost-breakdown
should be detailed
and incorporate each
particular related
costs as per each
project activity.
In case some activity
might incur a higher
cost than the normal
expectancy, the activity
should be detected and
estimations should be
clearly stated for
keeping the costs within
limits

7PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASPECTS FOR SELF-DRIVING CAR PROJECT BY UBER
2.3 Stakeholder and Conflict Management Plan
In order to define a proper project, the involvement of various stakeholders at various
stages is considered to be highly vital in nature (Borenstein, Herkert and Miller 2017). The
below table would focus on the involvement of stakeholders for the self-driving car designing
project.
Stakeholders Interest Power Method of Communication Frequency
Uber Managerial Team High High Direct communication, Email Weekly
Volvo Managerial Team High High Direct communication, Email Monthly
ATG Group High High Direct communication, Email Daily
Project manager Medium High Email Daily
Software engineers Medium Medium Email Daily
Automobile engineers Medium Low Direct communication, Email Daily
Quality test experts Low Medium Email Once
After a proper discussion over the involvement of stakeholders and their roles within the
project based on frequency and communication towards the project, the conflict management
plan would need to be discussed. Conflicts can happen at any stage of the project due to a large
number of reasons (Rimmer 2017). Thus, a conflict management plan would need to be
considered in order to manage the unexpected conflict areas.
Sources of conflict Responsible stakeholder for conflict resolution
Defining the project plan as certain
activities might not be approved by
other stakeholders.
Project manager, Uber Management team and ATG
Allocation of certain stakeholders might
not be liked by the particular stakeholder
groups (Weiling 2018)
Project manager, Uber Management team
Costs provided to stakeholders might not
be acceptable by them
Uber Management team
Workplace conflicts could occur during
the production stages
Uber Management team

8PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASPECTS FOR SELF-DRIVING CAR PROJECT BY UBER
Based on considering the above inclusions towards the project, the initial plan for the
project under development could be considered as follows:
1. Initial mapping of requirements – In this stage, Uber would map the particular
technologies that would be required for incorporating within the proposed system. They would
also determine the countries in which they would initially launch the new cars based on which
permission for deployment would need to be sought accordingly.
2. Defining key resources – After gaining a formal approval, the required stakeholders
and material resources need to be made. Partnership with Volvo and ATG Groups would also
need to be performed.
3. Project development and testing – After technical plan have been developed, the
development aspect would proceed. The testing phase would also run simultaneously after each
activity completion.
4. Quality checks and regulatory compliance – The cars would be thoroughly checked
for compliance with quality standards. Regulatory compliance would also be need to be sought
and it should be ensured that proper safety measures are also being put under action.
3. Conclusion
From the understanding developed over the above discussions, it could be concluded that
this report thus aims to discuss the aspect of self-driving car project by Uber. Thus, the report
discusses on the overall background of the project and the present scenario. A quality
management plan has been defined, which helps in understanding the key performance standards
expected by the industry officials. The next part emphasizes on stakeholder and conflict
management plan based on understanding the stakeholders involved within the project and the

9PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASPECTS FOR SELF-DRIVING CAR PROJECT BY UBER
areas in which conflict could arise for the project. Hence, the project plan focuses on the brief
understanding over the project under discussion.

10PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASPECTS FOR SELF-DRIVING CAR PROJECT BY UBER
References
Bloom, C., Tan, J., Ramjohn, J. and Bauer, L., 2017. Self-driving cars and data collection:
Privacy perceptions of networked autonomous vehicles. In Thirteenth Symposium on Usable
Privacy and Security ({SOUPS} 2017) (pp. 357-375).
Borenstein, J., Herkert, J. and Miller, K., 2017. Self-driving cars: Ethical responsibilities of
design engineers. IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, 36(2), pp.67-75.
Chou, C.Y., 2017. A Lie on Sharing Economy: Solutions for Uber Drivers’ Dilemma When Self-
Driving Cars Arrive. DIGIT 2017 Proceedings.
Davies, R., 2020. Uber's Self-Driving Car Unit Valued At $7.3Bn As It Gears Up For IPO.
[online] the Guardian. Available at:
<https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/apr/19/ubers-self-driving-car-unit-valued-at-
73bn-as-it-gears-up-for-ipo> [Accessed 20 April 2020].
Kohli, P. and Chadha, A., 2019, March. Enabling pedestrian safety using computer vision
techniques: A case study of the 2018 uber inc. self-driving car crash. In Future of Information
and Communication Conference (pp. 261-279). Springer, Cham.
Krompier, J., 2017. Safety First: The Case for Mandatory Data Sharing as a Federal Safety
Standard for Self-Driving Cars. U. Ill. JL Tech. & Pol'y, p.439.
Möhlmann, M. and Zalmanson, L., 2017, December. Hands on the wheel: Navigating
algorithmic management and Uber drivers'. In Autonomy’, in Proceedings of the International
Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), Seoul South Korea (pp. 10-13).

11PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASPECTS FOR SELF-DRIVING CAR PROJECT BY UBER
Rimmer, M., 2017. Intellectual property and self-driving cars: Waymo vs Uber: Supplementary
submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation,
Science and Resources' inquiry into the social issues relating to land-based driverless vehicles in
Australia.
Takacs, A., Rudas, I., Bösl, D. and Haidegger, T., 2018. Highly Automated Vehicles and Self-
Driving Cars [Industry Tutorial]. IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, 25(4), pp.106-112.
Tussyadiah, I.P., Zach, F.J. and Wang, J., 2017. Attitudes toward autonomous on demand
mobility system: The case of self-driving taxi. In Information and communication technologies
in tourism 2017 (pp. 755-766). Springer, Cham.
Weiling, W., 2018. Suspension of Operation in London―Crisis Management Analysis of
Uber. Psychology, 8(10), pp.522-526.
Zohn, J.R., 2015. When robots attack: How should the law handle self-driving cars that cause
damages. U. Ill. JL Tech. & Pol'y, p.461.