Franklin Electronics Case Study

Franklin Equipment Case Study 1. Evaluate the criteria FEL uses to assign managers to project teams. What efficiencies do these criteria create? What are the resulting problems? A critical evaluation of the criteria that FEL uses in assigning its manager to various project teams, there is an apparent evidence that FEL assigns the project managers their team members on an availability basis. The company assigns team members based on whether they are available and have few commitments. Further, if the project they were currently working on is completed, they are automatically assigned to the next available project. Another factor considered is the expertise and experience of a team member on certain projects. These two factors are essential to team managers looking for a versatile and agile team. Expertise and experience offers additional value to a project team by ensuring that the project remains on track and that the team does not trail behind the schedule. Utilizing the availability of time is an integral factor in evaluating whether a project will remain economical in utilizing its resources. What this implies is that project managers need to be highly cautious with how they allocate team members based on their availability. Sometimes, the available persons are not the one that meets the expertise and experience for the project. On the other side, when a person is already overcommitted, it becomes hard or close to impossible to deliver much for the team. According to Larson & Gray (2014), the resultant effect is that team members fail to demonstrate cohesiveness which often becomes a hindrance to the success of the project. Therefore, project managers should ensure that their role is well played to ensure that they develop a high-performing project team. An effective and impressive team should comprise people who can remain focused on the key goal and cohesively venture their target without being compromised by personal differences (Larson & Gray, 2014). 2. Why is it even more important that project team members work well together on international projects such as Project Abu Dhabi? The importance of a team maintaining unity and cohesiveness as they venture an international project is because there exist different cultures and laws that highly influence the performance of a team or a business. Maintaining team unity is a vital factor and determiner to the project’s success. Essential elements such as communication, motivation, morale, and trust are deemed vital for teams operating on an international project. To remain effective and to focus on the key objectives of such projects, team members need to identify issues that might hamper the project progress and find a way to handle any success barriers. A common and major problem that team members find while they work on such problems is cultural differences, therefore, team members need to remain cooperative and harness effective communication in order for them to remain focused on the project goals. 3. Discuss the dilemma that Jobe now faces. Jobe is faced with a dilemma on how to deal with Rankins and Perry. Personal differences have always been a hindrance to their performance and results during previous projects that they have worked on together. Gatenby, the project manager is aware of their differences and has promised to fire Rankins if the two don’t work out their differences and focus on the project. Jobe feels that the mutual differences between the two if unsettled might lead to one of the team members being fired. 4. What should Jobe recommend to Gatenby? My first recommendation is that Jobe should ask Gatenby to seek volunteers towards the project. According to Larson and Gray (2014), experienced project managers offer an opportunity to volunteer-ship to different projects. Project volunteers remain focused as they were not coerced to be in the team. However, most of the times this desire is often out of reach to project managers. In the event that Gatenby insists that the two should work together, Jobe has a responsibility of speaking with the two and helping them solve their differences. Jobe should walk them through the five-stage phases with an aim of helping them settle their differences and getting to know each other better. During this process, they should set the acceptable behaviors which should be abided by throughout the project period. Jobe should also set team rules which should guide the whole team on what’s acceptable during team interactions and what’s not acceptable for the sake of the project’s success. Such a move will help in resolving the issues between the two and further in binding the whole team while they focus on the project success. Additionally, Jobe should include team building activities that help the team to grow together while focusing on their commonalities rather than their differences.