University Project Management: Uber App Case Study and Analysis

This case study analyzes the Uber app development project, focusing on project management principles, particularly those outlined in the PMBOK. The student examines various knowledge areas like integration, scope, time, cost, and risk management, evaluating how Uber implemented these aspects and suggesting potential improvements. The analysis includes a comparison of different project management approaches, with an emphasis on the iterative and process-based approaches. The study also explores risk management tools and techniques, leadership styles, and the impact of leadership decisions on project outcomes. The conclusion highlights the importance of effective project management practices to avoid potential shortcomings in cost, time, and risk management, while emphasizing the need for continuous improvement and adaptation in the rapidly evolving gig economy. References to relevant literature are also included.

Running head: CASE STUDY OF UBER APP
Case Study of Uber App
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
The following report critically analyses the given case study on the newly modified Uber app
and reflects my personal views on it, in accordance to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge (PMBOK). The PMBOK basically comprises of all the management practices
including ethics and risk management factors that are best suited for a particular project. An
elaborate and thorough discussion on the knowledge areas of project management like
integration management, cost management, time management etc. has been made in this paper
incorporating some of the potential aspects of project management in order to enhance the
experience of both the riders as well as the drivers in the organizational framework of Uber.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Discussion........................................................................................................................................3
Knowledge areas of the PMBOK................................................................................................3
 Integration and Scope Management..................................................................................4
 Time, cost and quality management.................................................................................4
 Risk management..............................................................................................................5
Project management approaches..................................................................................................5
 The Phased Approach.......................................................................................................5
 The Iterative and Incremental Approach..........................................................................6
 The Process Based Approach............................................................................................6
Risk management tools and techniques.......................................................................................6
Tools:.......................................................................................................................................7
Techniques:..............................................................................................................................7
The apt leadership style...............................................................................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References......................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
Uber is one of the leading companies and also one of the most important test cases within
the gig economy. There is a dedicated app built by the company for their employee drivers along
with the customer riders. On an average, there are almost three million drivers working under
Uber who spend hours on this app as it acts as a virtual workplace for them (Cramer & Krueger,
2016). Calculating on the provided statistics, it has been observed that each day, almost 8.5
million hours of logging time is spent on this app. Since, there are so many drivers using the app
so frequently and for such a long period of time on a daily basis, it is immensely important for
Uber to provide the best possible app interface to its drivers. The previous app built by the
company mainly focused on the needs of the riders. However, the newly designed app from the
scratch aims at enhancing the driver experience in terms of routes and tipping. Developing a new
app to fulfil the satisfactory requirements of millions of drivers is not a piece of cake. I will be
doing a thorough comparison of this development project with the standard PMBOK theories
throughout this paper.
Discussion
Knowledge areas of the PMBOK
There are approximately nine unique knowledge areas in the PMBOK that describe
various project management practices and knowledge in terms of the component processes. I
have mentioned only the most relevant ones for this project (Gasik, 2015). Also, how the
different areas of knowledge have been implemented or specific modifications could have been
made for a better interface are my prime concerns throughout this paper.

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 Integration and Scope Management
After going through the case study, I have observed that although a proper integration in
terms of development and execution of the project have been made, it could have been better.
Haider Sabri, who is the engineering head developed and executed the plan with the purpose to
decrease the communication gap between the app builders and the drivers. This casted a huge
overall impact throughout the development phase of the project (Hornstein, 2015). In addition to
that Dara Khosrowshahi, who is the new CEO of Uber took suggestions from hundreds of Uber
drivers and jotted down all the required tasks and modifications within the project blueprint that
are needed to be implemented for the successful execution of the project. Keeping the scope
management aspects of the project in mind, Khosrowshahi pointed out the factors that are
responsible to motivate the drivers as well.
 Time, cost and quality management
As I have pointed out earlier in this paper that working on a project that involves developing
an app from the scratch requires a lot of time and money. Also, ensuring the quality of the app
for the satisfaction of the drivers using it, is one of the most important aspects that is needed to
be kept in mind. From a thorough research on the economic statistics of Uber, I have seen that
the management team is not at all efficient in terms of cost management. It is quite evident from
the multi-billion losses that the company faced in the years 2016 and 2017 which are $4.5 and
$2.8 billion respectively. Although the company is not very good at cost management, the
amount of time it spends on ensuring the quality of the product and meeting the employee
satisfactions is remarkable (Lock, 2017). There is a dedicated Google community as well which
mainly focuses on the feedback of the drivers on the quality of the app. This also helps the

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builders to understand the needs of the driver, thus focusing on the modifications that are needed
to be made to meet their satisfactions.
 Risk management
After a thorough research on the provided case study, I firmly believe that Uber has grown a
lot over the past few years in terms of meeting employee needs and satisfactions. Although the
company is trying its best to analyze all the potential factors for optimizing the app, there are
several risks associated with it (Bowers & Khorakian, 2014). One of the most valid reasons
behind it is, working on such a huge project that involves fulfilling the satisfactions of such a
huge number of people, emergence of threats and vulnerabilities is natural.
Project management approaches
Since there are various structures related to an organization or a project, there is no concept
of global approach that fits all these structures in the field of project management. In order to
make the approaches effective and utilizing, over the years, several unique approaches have been
developed based on the requirements of the projects. I have briefed down some of the relevant
approaches for this project.
 The Phased Approach
It is also sometimes referred to as the waterfall approach and involves a sequential and
distinct breakdown of the phases or steps of the project (Kerzner, 2017). There are typically four
stages in this approach, namely initiation, installation in the project level, installation in the
enterprise level and proper maintenance.

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 The Iterative and Incremental Approach
Since most of the project management approaches are unable to deal with the complexities
involved with a large scale project, the iterative approach was developed to counter this
shortcoming. There are several reasons why I prefer this approach over most of the approaches
one of the reasons being the incorporation of the agile methodology within its framework
(Moran, 2015). Most importantly, companies that work on projects involving the development of
apps are immensely suitable for this approach. For the Uber app development project, this
approach is highly recommended from my side.
 The Process Based Approach
This is another approach that I find highly appropriate for the Uber app development project.
In this type of approach, a project is considered to be a part of our daily lives and is hence
aligned with the objectives and goals of the company. Determination of whether the project will
meet up to the expectations and objectives of the mission is considered. Any alteration in which,
might give rise to further modification phases. As in case of Uber, since the ‘180 days of change’
campaign gave rise to many controversies, several modifications were made by the new CEO to
deal with the related shortcomings.
Risk management tools and techniques
The previously developed app by Uber provided the drivers to choose their preferable
route of driving once per day. The company faced a huge loss during its ‘180 days of change’
campaign which provided the drivers to choose their general direction, six times a day (McNeil,
Frey & Embrechts, 2015). The overall market conditions were heavily impacted by this feature,
as a result of which this feature was reverted. For me, it is a case of complete miscalculation in
terms of managing the risk factors. The consequences were not given a diplomatic thought.

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I have briefed various tools and techniques that can be used to counter the risks and
vulnerabilities associated with the Uber app development project (Fiaz, Su & Saqib, 2017). The
proper use of these below mentioned tools and techniques can help Uber in avoiding further
threats that it might face after the potential release of its revamped app.
Tools:
1. Impact matrix
2. Probability matrix
3. Decision tree
Techniques:
1. Brainstorming technique
2. Delphi technique
3. Interviewing technique
4. Analysis of the root cause
5. SWOT Analysis, where SWOT stands for Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and threats
6. Assumption analysis
7. Maintaining a risk register
The apt leadership style
Honestly speaking, Uber is a huge company. Companies as big as Uber require a properly
functioning leader or manager who looks after the needs of the employees along with a proper
balance in the economy graph (Nanjundeswaraswamy & Swamy, 2014). Any kind of minute
mistake from the leader’s part can cast a negative impact on the whole organization. From the
gathered information, I have come to believe that Dara Khosrowshahi is a better leader in

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comparison to Travis Kalanick. What makes Khosroshahi a better CEO is the fact that, he is
constantly trying to build a firm relationship with the Uber drivers unlike Kalanick, who was
involved in a nasty confrontation with one of the drivers. Also when Kalanick was in-charge of
the organization, the organizational culture of Uber was considered to be highly aggressive and
the female employees were often terribly misbehaved. After months of controversies, the major
shareholders finally took firm actions and Kalanick was forced to resign. For me, a leader is not
someone, who bosses around. Rather a leader is someone, who is governed by strict ethical
values and works hand in hand with other employees of the organization to successfully achieve
its goals (Cunningham, Salomone & Wielgus, 2015). After going through all the types of
leaderships, I can firmly state that democratic leadership is the type of leadership that
Khosrowshahi is following.
A democratic leadership can be considered as one of the most effective leadership styles
as it allows the lower level employees to practice authority that might come handy to them in the
near future in case of promotions (Hendriks & Karsten, 2014). It involves the potential inputs
from all the members of the team. Each and every employee of the organization is equally
proactive in nature in terms of directing a particular project towards success.
Conclusion
From the provided case study, I have come to the conclusion that although the new CEO
of Uber is doing a great job in meeting employee satisfactions, there are several modifications
that are needed to be done within the main frame of the organizational structure in order to avoid
shortcomings related to cost, time and risk management of a project. I have mentioned various
tools and techniques that are used in the field of project management to deal with the potential
risk factors associated with a particular project (Bowers & Khorakian, 2014). In addition to that,

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these will also help the organization to avoid multibillion-dollar losses in the near future which it
had faced in the years 2016 and 2017 respectively.

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References
Bowers, J., & Khorakian, A. (2014). Integrating risk management in the innovation project.
European Journal of innovation management, 17(1), 25-40.
Cramer, J., & Krueger, A. B. (2016). Disruptive change in the taxi business: The case of Uber.
American Economic Review, 106(5), 177-82.
Cunningham, J., Salomone, J., & Wielgus, N. (2015). Project Management Leadership Style: A
Team Member Perspective. International Journal of Global Business, 8(2).
Fiaz, M., Su, Q., & Saqib, A. (2017). Leadership styles and employees' motivation: Perspective
from an emerging economy. The Journal of Developing Areas, 51(4), 143-156.
Gasik, S. (2015). An analysis of knowledge management in PMBOK® guide. PM World
Journal, 4(1), 1-13.
Hendriks, F., & Karsten, N. (2014). Theory of democratic leadership. P.'t Hart & R. Rhodes
(Eds.), Oxford handbook of political leadership, 41-56.
Hornstein, H. A. (2015). The integration of project management and organizational change
management is now a necessity. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2),
291-298.
Kerzner, H. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and
controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
Lock, D. (2017). The essentials of project management. Routledge.

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McNeil, A. J., Frey, R., & Embrechts, P. (2015). Quantitative Risk Management: Concepts,
Techniques and Tools-revised edition. Princeton university press.
Moran, A. (2015). Agile project management. In Managing Agile (pp. 71-101). Springer, Cham.
Nanjundeswaraswamy, T. S., & Swamy, D. R. (2014). Leadership styles. Advances in
management, 7(2), 57.