ANDREW HITTINGER

Module 2: CASE STUDY OGL 324

1. How do we create a partnership between the project manager and line managers
when project manager focuses only on the best interest of his/her project and the
line manager is expected to make impartial company decisions?
Both parties need to sit down and create a team charter and discuss the roles and responsibilities
of their team and the duties. The first conversation they had was too informal. Yes, they both
were able to get their points across but after that conversation there was no follow up discussion
on accountability or plans of action to address the customers needs. The senior chemist,
Thornton, was not informed of his expectations from this project and his manager did not stand
up to his word on attending the customer interface meetings. People need to be held accountable
for their responsibilities and a team charter and WBS are great ways to formally document what
is expected of each team member and ways the project needs to be managed.
2. Who should have more of a say during negotiations for resources: the project
manager or the line manager?
There should be a professional mutual discussion about resources when discussing resources for
a project. The Project manager knows what they need for the project to be complete. The line
manager’s responsibility is to delegate the needs properly to his team and assign someone who
will help them be successful. The line manager is also responsible for continued support
throughout the project. As long as the project manager is managing the project correctly, then the
resources provided need to be supportive and responsible. Holding each other accountable for
their share is a way to keep grey areas like this avoided.
3. How should irresolvable conflicts over staffing between the project and line
managers be handled?
I think when conflicts like this arise there should be other managers that can get involved and
help manage the conflicts between the two parties. Obviously, there is a lot of disconnect and
hostility between the line manager and project manager and the job they are working on is a huge
one. For the company to be successful sometimes other resources needed to be used in order to
maintain order and consistency throughout a project of this length. If the two working parties are
having trouble getting this job complete correctly, their managers should get involved and help
with this project before its to late (6 or 7 months into the project.)
4. Should an external customer have a say in project staffing?
I think the customer should have some opinions on project staffing. In this example its obvious
that Thornton is having a negative impact on the project. He is disagreeing with the customer and
causing disruption for almost no reason. This customer decided to purchase what they want from
Ducor Chemical and they want exactly what they purchased. It’s a simple task they accredited
Docur with and their expectations are simple, give us what we ordered in a year and we will pay
you. Thronton’s hostility and project disconnect are not the customers problem. If they feel that
Docur Chemical is not giving them the correct resources to provide them with what they need
then they should have a say in project team and be able to voice their opinions about the current
state of the project.
5. How do we remove an employee who is not performing as expected?
Its simple, you give them an ultimatum. At the end of the day, your stakeholders are what keep
your company alive. Without them you would have no revenue or market share. Your company
is offering a product that people want and you company is spending millions on resources,
marketing, sales etc. to make sure their product gets sold. If someone has different company
ideas and is against what the company is trying to do then they should be released. As a company
you need to reach your goals and exceed them, that takes buy in from all the employees working
there. Without their ultimate dedication a company can easily become corrupted and fail. Its best
to address this issues head on and stop negativity before it spreads.
6. Should project managers negotiate for people or deliverables?
I think project managers need to take both into account. Its not far to the stakeholders to commit
to just one. The deliverable is obviously extremely important. Stakeholders ask project managers
for exactly what they ordered and the PMs job is to give them exactly what they want. However,
the team behind that deliverable is just as important. If you have people with the wrong idea, or
bad mind set behind the deliverable then the job can be jeopardized which should be a concern
for stakeholders.
CITATION
Kerzner, Harold, and Harold R. Kerzner. Project Management Case Studies: Case Studies, John
Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2013. ProQuest eBook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-
com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/lib/asulib-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1108715.