I.

BACKGROUND OF THE CASE:

Ivana is the proprietor of ICS, Inc., a business that develops and executes
information technology projects for small and medium-sized companies in the
metropolitan area. An e-business system for one of their distribution centers will be
designed and implemented by ICS, which recently received a contract from a Fortune
100 company. This was partially caused by ICS submitting a very low bid and Ivana
promising the client that ICS would finish the project in six months even though the
client required that it be finished in nine months or less.
The owner's lack of structure and clear direction is the case study's main issue. This
lack of direction has resulted in ineffective project management and ineffective
employee communication. Ivana wants the team to devote as much time as possible to
the project; if she discovers that they are trying to work on other things that are
unrelated to it, she will become enraged and accuse them. She is very dictatorial; she
doesn't even listen to the opinions, suggestions, or ideas of her employees, which is
against the law. According to Attorney Mamangun's 1987 Constitution, Article 7, which
guaranteed the basic rights of workers, stated that they had the right "to participate in
policy and decision-making processes affecting their rights and benefits, as may be
provided by law".
In addition, because of her very dictatorial attitude, she didn’t miss Ester’s situation.
She did not let her have an appointment with her obstetrician for her six-month checkup.
As a CEO, she must be mindful of her actions and take good care of her employees it is
her responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of all employees. Based on
Agovino (2019), they have established an employee protection policy. This policy
applies to all employees and covers a wide range of issues, including workplace safety,
harassment prevention, and employee benefits. They believe that by implementing this
policy, they can create a positive and productive workplace culture where all employees
feel valued, respected, and supported. It is also stated that some of the key components
of their employee protection policy include regular safety training for all employees,
strict anti-harassment policies and procedures, and flexible work arrangements to
accommodate employee needs.
And as stated by Jack Tuckner in A Women's Rights in the Workplace Lawyer (2019),
It is stated that you need to see your OB when you are pregnant, because that's part
and parcel of being pregnant, following up on your challenges, and having a healthy
pregnancy and a healthy childbirth. It is also stated that you must give your employer as
much notice as possible,just like Ester did when she asked for permission before the
afternoon came and worked it out with Ivana. Additionally, it is said that it must be
documented in writing, because otherwise, depending on how difficult they make it for
you, that's pregnancy discrimination,and that is illegal under federal or your own state
anti-discrimination employment laws.
Problem Statement:
ICS, Inc. is facing several issues that prevent the successful completion of their e-
business system project for their Fortune 100 client. The main problem is the lack of
clear direction and structure from the owner, Ivana, resulting in inefficient project
management and poor communication between the employees. The minor problems
include a lack of teamwork and a lack of understanding regarding Ivana's expectations
of the employees.
The major problem in the case study is the lack of clear direction and structure from
the owner, Ivana. This lack of direction has led to inefficient project management and
poor communication between the employees. For example, Ivana did not provide any
directions on when the employees should get together to discuss the project and
instead left it up to the employees to decide. Additionally, Ivana does not provide any
guidance on how to resolve disagreements between employees, such as the
disagreement between Patrick and Harvey over the system design approach.
The minor problems include a lack of teamwork and a lack of understanding
regarding Ivana’s expectations of the employees. Ivana’s comments to the employees
demonstrate her lack of understanding of the importance of teamwork, as well as her
expectations that the employees should not question her decisions. Additionally, Ivana
also expects the employees to put in whatever time is necessary to complete the project
on time and has a lack of understanding of the importance of employees’ personal lives,
as seen in her comments to Ester.
Alternative Courses of Action.
To successfully improve the project, Harvey decided to go to Las Vegas to attend a
computer conference so that what he learned there could be applied to the incoming
project. But Ivana, the owner, immediately rejected it because, in Ivana's mind, Harvey
was just going to party there while their project had an upcoming deadline. Ivana also
thought that if Harvey goes to Las Vegas, she's the only one who can take responsibility
for their project, which has only six months to finish.
Advantages
• There is a lot of information that needs to be absorbed and applied to the project.
• Boost productivity
• Improve adaptability
Disadvantages
• might lead to conflicts between organization members.
• Substantial time will be consumed.

Proposed Solution:
To resolve the issues that Ivana and her team are facing, a specific and realistic
solution would be to implement a project management framework for this e-business
system project. This solution was chosen because Ivana lacks the experience and
expertise to manage such a project effectively. By using a project management
framework, the team can follow a structured approach to complete the project on time
and within the budget. Project management frameworks are essential tools that provide
guidance and structure to organizations for managing their projects effectively.
McKinsey's research has shown that organizations that use project management
frameworks to manage change initiatives are more likely to achieve their goals and
sustain the benefits of change over time. According to a study by Rad et al. (2019), the
use of project management frameworks has become increasingly popular in recent
years, with organizations implementing these frameworks to improve project success
rates, enhance collaboration and communication among team members, increase
productivity, and reduce project risks. A person I know has a project that is being
negatively affected by their manager's actions, which is similar to the situation in this
case study. But still, the project manager also didn't want to see the project fail, so they
used the project management framework to maintain progress forward.

Recommendations:
To achieve the proposed solution, specific strategies must be implemented. One
recommended approach is to adopt an Agile project management framework. This
framework emphasizes frequent communication, collaboration, and transparency
among team members. Additionally, it enables continuous integration, testing, and
delivery, which could help in the early identification and resolution of issues. To address
the issue of lack of clarity and direction, Ivana should communicate effectively with her
team. She should ensure that each team member understands their responsibilities and
the project's objectives. Encouraging collaboration among team members and ensuring
they have access to the resources needed to complete tasks is also important.
In addition to these strategies, further action may be required to resolve some of the
issues. It is recommended that Ivana assesses the team's skill gaps and provides
training where necessary. Additionally, Ivana should consider involving a mentor to
guide the team through the project. It is essential to determine who should take action
and what actions are required. As the project manager and owner of ICS, Inc., Ivana
should take the lead in implementing the project management framework. She should
also delegate tasks to team members based on their skills and experience, while
providing them with the resources and support they need to complete their tasks
successfully. It is recommended that Ivana involves a mentor or coach to guide the
team through the project.