- The Scenario: A Case Study
Dynamic Software Methodologies (DSM) Company Limited is a software consulting company that focuses in analysing and restructuring Software Project Management Methodologies processes to increase the success rate of projects in trouble or are about to fail. Their customers are usually organisations that use industry standard project management methodologies expertise for their projects but need some restructuring and/or tailoring activities when their projects experience difficulties in meeting delivery schedules and managing users’ expectations.
Wood Intensive Furnishing Incorporated (WIFI), a hypermarket chain with many stores across the country Malaysia, markets wooden household and office furniture that are bulky and require deliveries to customers. Sales orders in all the hypermarkets are currently processed centrally through a computerised Online Sales Order (OSO) system which is well networked. The truck delivery system is currently manually processed and there are problems in integrating it with the OSO system. Deliveries of sales orders to customers are often mismatched, late and the truck delivery routes are also badly managed with duplicate itineraries in the schedules.
WIFI had embarked on a newly integrated sales orders and truck delivery scheduling project, aptly called the On-Time Order Delivery (OTOD) system. This was an ambitious project that covered a wide range of end requirements in its project scope (as detailed in the project charter). The OTOD system was to be integrated with the existing Online Sales Order (OSO) system to provide an efficient ‘after sales- delivery-service’ to its customers.
The following four (4) delivery requirements were considered as important ‘after-sales service areas in its scope: -
the sales orders for bulky items must be delivered to customers within a 7-Working-Day-Delivery-After-Sales (7WDDAS) target after it has been processed by OTOD
appointment for deliveries are fixed by the customers when sales orders are confirmed
zoning of truck delivery routes within the country must be incorporated into the sales orders to assist the dispatch and routing of the trucks
each truck delivery route, by zones, must be pre-programmed into the GPS (Global Positioning System) by the OTOD system to assist in arriving at customers exact location
WIFI felt that OTOD’s integration component of the scope was too big as a single project and the industry standard project management methodology it was currently using was not suitable to manage it. Project changes needed to be quickly handled to meet the project’s target date, else delays would be experienced. WIFI’s senior management was now looking at opportunities to make some changes to the OTOD systems and manage the 4 delivery areas in the scope above.
These changes would be difficult as WIFI’s industry standard project management methodology was very predictive and rigid (formal and traditional) which belonged to the ‘heavyweight’ methodology category. WIFI’s management now wants to use DSM’s services to tailor its industry standard project management methodology characteristics, especially the various activities in the ‘heavyweight’ methodology processes to meet OTOD‘s delivery target date and users expectations.
As a ‘Project Management Methodology’ consultant with DSM, you are to provide WIFI with tailoring proposals with a convincing recovery plan to be presented to its CEO. It should be able to deliver the OTOD system on time while keeping the scope intact and not upsetting the WIFI’s users and customers.
Additionally, WIFI also needs to relook at alternatives/options that would reduce the overdependence of its staff on non-core projects and project activities. It should look at the permanent benefits of the OTOD project, regrouping it into smaller deliverables (sub-projects) and relooking at outsourcing options when the project initially started.
Assignment Requirements
The assignment requires the following 4 areas to be completed as a report and presented to the CEO of WIFI. It must be a convincing recovery plan.
In order to tailor WIFI’s industry standard project management methodology, DSM was required to provide and present a proposal to the CEO. Provide and discuss six (6) major tailoring activities the DSM consultant should consider to assist with the modification providing a detailed justification for each.
Evaluate the six (6) proposals above and discuss which two of the six are the best tailoring activities and why you selected these two (2) as being more crucial.
The four (4) main delivery requirements in the scope of the OTOD project seem to suggest that it should have been managed differently to reduce its complexity. Identify and discuss three (3) possible sub-projects that the original four (4) scope requirements of the OTOD project could have been regrouped into based on similar characteristics.
The management of WIFI looked at alternatives/options so as not to embark on project that are not part of their core activities. Suggest if this rationale could be applied to the OTOD project and which areas in specific it be related to providing suitable justifications
If the tailoring activities are accepted, would you recommend usage of the tailored methodology in all subsequent projects undertaken by WIFI, i.e. is this a best-fit project management methodology for this project.
Assignment Instructions
A single report must be submitted to senior management and it should be a formally written document (not exceeding 5000 words), excluding abstracts, tables, appendices, etc. and a personal reflection (not exceeding 1000 words) on experiences in working on the project. An electronic copy should also be submitted with the documentation.
