Read the Case Study attached and answer the “Discussion Points” in a clear but concise way. Be sure to reference all sources cited and use APA formatting throughout.
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Refer to the Case Study Rubrics for more detailed criteria.
EBUS614-PROJECT AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT IN ORGANISATIONS ACADEMIC YEAR 2020/21
ASSIGNMENT – JANUARY 2021
Page 1 of 3
Assignment title: “PROJECTS IN ALPHA MANUFACTURING, INC.”
Please read the following case study and answer all three questions. All questions are
equally weighted.
Background
The departments of Engineering, Marketing, Manufacturing, and R&D all had projects
that they were working on, and each department established its own priorities for the
projects. The problem was that the employees were working on multiple projects and
had to deal with competing priorities.
Prioritisation issues
Alpha Manufacturing was a low-cost producer of cables and wires. The industry itself
was considered a low-technology industry, and some of its products had been
manufactured the same way for decades. There were some projects to improve the
manufacturing processes, but they were few and far between. Each of the four
departments—Engineering, Marketing, Manufacturing, and R&D—had projects, but
the projects were generally quite small and used resources from only each individual
department. By the turn of the twenty-first century, manufacturing technologies began
to grow. Alpha had to prepare for the technology revolution that was about to impact
its business. Each department began preparing lists of projects that it would need to
work on, and some lists contained as many as 200 projects. These projects were more
complex than projects worked on previously, and project team members from all
departments were assigned on either a full-time or part-time basis.
Each department head officer would establish the priorities for the projects originating
in his or her department even though the projects required resources from other
departments. This created significant staffing issues and numerous conflicts:
• Each department would hoard its best project resources even though some
projects outside of the department were deemed more important to the overall
success of the company.
• Each department would put out fires by using people who were assigned to
projects outside of its department rather than using people who were working
on internal projects.
• Each department seemed to have little concern about any projects done in other
departments.
• Project priorities within each department could change on a daily basis because
of the personal whims of the head of that department.
• The only costs and schedules that were important were those related to projects
that originated within the department.
Senior management at the corporate level refused to get involved in the resolution of
conflicts between departments. The working relationships between the departments
deteriorated to the point where senior management reluctantly agreed to step in. The
total number of projects that the four departments wanted to complete over the next few
years exceeded 350, most of which required a team with members coming from more
than one division.
EBUS614- PROJECT AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT IN ORGANISATIONS ACADEMIC YEAR 2020/21
ASSIGNMENT – JANUARY 2021
Page 2 of 3
QUESTIONS
1. Research and discuss the various approaches to conflict resolution in project
management; in particular you should focus on conflict within teams and
between departments (1,000 words)
2. Using everything you’ve learned in this module, discuss the various options
available to the senior management when trying to resolve the issues in this case
study. For example, you could discuss the benefits that a PMO would provide
in this scenario (1,000 words)
3. Using literature, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of 3 different
approaches to project prioritisation (1,000 words)
Special Notes:
Structure: Use typical academic assignment structure, using a brief
“Introduction” with description of the context and scope of the
study. Then, provide structured answers (using titles of sections
and subsections) in tackling each of the questions above, and
finish with a brief conclusion.
Length: Limit your report to 3000 words maximum. The cover
page, references and appendices are NOT included in the
word count.
References: We expect you to heavily engage with academic literature
throughout your answers to these questions. Use Harvard
referencing method. If in doubt, refer to Journal papers, such as
IJOPM, IJPM for appropriate format.
Referencing: Use original thought, critical review and analysis methods in
substantiating your arguments. ONLY include appropriate
references and you MUST ensure that these are CITED correctly
and adequately in the main body of the report.
Note: Extensive quotations MUST NOT be used and you MUST
understand that paraphrasing is considered a form of
PLAGIARISM if the original sources are not acknowledged.
Format: Use DOUBLE LINE SPACING, font size 12.
IMPORTANT: Ensure you reference all sources of obtaining and quoting materials
used in your assignment, in accordance with appropriate procedures specified by the
University. All assignments are monitored for PLAGIARISM.
Assignment Marking: This is the only module’s assignment and is weighted at 100%
of the total mark for this module.
Penalty for late submittals: Late submittals of this assignment will be penalised by 5
percentile marks per day, as per University regulations.
Procedures for plagiarism and cheating: Any work copied from any source and
submitted as one’s own without due acknowledgement or reference, will result in the
whole assignment being graded with zero percentile marks, as well as the student
being subject to disciplinary procedures, as outlined by the University.
EBUS614- PROJECT AND PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT IN ORGANISATIONS ACADEMIC YEAR 2020/21
ASSIGNMENT – JANUARY 2021
Page 3 of 3
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