Running head: Project Management Issues 1

Project Management Issues

Rita Lee
Arizona State University; OGL 320,
Module 4
April 7, 2022
Project Management Issues

Project Management Issues

In reading the three case studies from this module, all of the companies showed a number

of issues that contributed to their failed projects. In ‘Rush to Failure,” the issues that were

mentioned were issues with the quality of the work performed. The project manager was willing

to sacrifice quality for speed and getting the project done within the desired timeframe instead of

getting it done efficiently and ensuring that the goal of the project was achieved. Following that,

it seemed that the goal of the project was not clear. One stakeholder suggested that REACH was

not meant to fix issues regarding solar arrays but would commit to fixing them while explaining

the original goal which was unrelated to fixing any solar issues (“Harvard Business Review

Press,” 2013, p. 91). Contractors were negligent and failed to fix the issues that were created.

The project manager contributed to this confusion by not having a data management system and

using unsuitable testing equipment that did not allow for proper assessments of the failed tests.

The team also lacked the proper incentives to motivate them to perform. In this case, I would

have investigated reducing some features of the product that we could go without and still be

able to achieve the project (Ward, 2007), and ensuring that the issues with REACH that require

fixing get addressed.

A noted issue with the “Fargo Foods” case study was upper management’s inability to

distinguish rough estimates and schedules from hard estimates and schedules. Additionally, the

project managers did not have access to workers with sufficient technical skills to complete the

work at hand. The project managers were also reluctant to take on projects because they were
Project Management Issues

being set up for failure due to prolonged communications with upper management. There

was a lack of clear roles that likely contributed to this. Although upper management has a say in

the projects, they are trusting project managers to get the job done. Thus, the project managers

should be put in positions to express what is needed and communicate with stakeholders how

any hang-ups in time will extend the length and increase the cost of their projects ultimately

putting the project at risk for scope creep. In this case, I would want to set clear expectations for

upper management and work to get sufficient staff on board as team members. The project

managers assigned were also technical workers and having technical skills are important but do

not make a person suitable to lead a team or manage a complex project.

Lastly, issues realized in “The Estimating Problem” involve the property manager being

unrealistic about the amount of time it would take to complete the project and not having skilled

workers to complete it. These two issues directly affect one another. In her quest to complete the

project in a timeframe that was much shorter than she should have estimated, she did not have a

team that was capable of accomplishing this and in fact, the team could not have completed the

project in the correctly estimated time because they simply lacked the skills and would’ve taken

a couple of extra weeks to complete it efficiently. In this case, I would suggest that Barbara get

more qualified members on the team or communicate that the project date will need to be

extended in order to be completed within the desired timeframe.

Project Management Issues

References:

Harvard Business Review Press. (2013). HBR Case Study: A rush to failure? HBR Guide to
Project Management (p. 91).

Ward, H. L. (2007). Five critical first steps in recovering troubled projects. Paper presented at
PMI® Global Congress 2007—Asia Pacific, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.