Multi Projects Case

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Matrix Structure

Jeff Armstrong does not follow protocol on arranging a proper meeting to discuss the way forward with Jennifer and displays dysfunctional behaviour in the way he handles the interaction between himself and Julie Capriolo.

It appears the reporting lines and responsibilities within Multi Projects are not clearly defined in an organisational chart as Jeff is seen to have limited knowledge in that regard.

No Project Management Office

Communication between project managers regarding available human resources is inappropriately handled. Should regular project management meetings have been conducted, Jeff Armstrong would have known who Julie Capriolo was. With the acceptance of the project proposal by Growin Corporation, the PMO should have looked at the availability of key staff. In knowing resources were already stretched beyond capacity, the expectations of the new customer should have been managed accordingly.

Lack of Professional Conduct

Personal driven success and the absence of management skills put Multi Projects Inc. at risk. The loose way and even lack of interdepartmental communication is also of great concern. The departments are totally disconnected and reliant on one or two key resources which it seems no one is actively managing.

After the conflict between Jeff Armstrong and Julie Capriolo, Julie made the vital mistake leaving the problem unresolved for a week, giving Jeff time to act on his own accord. She should have insisted on scheduling a meeting with all parties the very next day, even if it had to occur via teleconference.

Communication Management

Jeff Armstrong does not possess the necessary conflict management skills required by a project manager and has limited knowledge of proper communication procedures. A collaborative approach in speaking to Julie instead of a forcing approach would have been efficacious.

Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

Jennifer has been warned that Jeff is ambitious to serve his own glory that might not be of strategic benefit to the project or Multi Projects as an organisation. This is Jeff’s first challenging project which is much anticipated by him and he aims to impress. Result: Will bypass company policy and structure to achieve goals.

Jeff can also be seen manipulating information to suit his cause, which points to an inherent problem of ethics. Loose discussions with no formal documentation are open to anyone’s interpretation thereof. In Jeff’s case all he hears is whatever suits him to the detriment of other projects.

Leadership Styles

Based on the case study it seems like Jennifer Fernandez relies heavily on Tyler Bonilla and Jennifer has little involvement with her team. Due to the fact that Tyler is customer-based, not enough meetings are conducted between himself and Jennifer.

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Proposed Solutions

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Project Governance

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Setting up a Project Management Office

One of the assumptions identified by the students is that a Project Management Office does not exist within Multi Projects, Inc. Had a Project Management Office been in place, projects would have been prioritised and the delivery of projects across the different business units would have been coordinated in an orderly fashion.

The definition of a Project Management Office (PMO) by the Project Management Institute (PMI, 2013:37) is a “management structure that standardises the project-related governance processes and facilitates the sharing of resources, methodologies, tools, and techniques.”

Advantages for Multi Projects:

- Having a PMO in place with an Executive Director at the head, programme managers and project managers reporting into it, it will allow more interaction between project managers like Jeff Armstrong and Julie Capriolo hardly knowing each other at all.

- Multi Projects will have the option to have a Virtual PMO to enhance the collaboration between team members on a project. Resources are being mobile and rarely in one given location at any time. A video and web conferencing tool integrated with the project management tool would have allowed Jeff and Julie to resolve the conflict between them without having to wait for a week for Julie to be back at the office.

- A project management tool, like for instance Microsoft Project Server, will allow a functional manager like Jennifer Fernandez, the project managers Jeff Armstrong and Julie Capriolo, as well as the PMO the ability to compare resource capacity with demand instantaneously. In addition, a PM tool can easily be adapted to reflect the new project management methodology and ensure compliance.

- Capturing Lessons Learned will allow project managers within Multi Projects to share knowledge gained on their projects which can in turn be applied to future endeavours.

- The handling of multiple projects by each project manager will be aided since the ability to create automated KPI’s for budgeting as well as scheduling statuses will indicate at a glance, which tasks are running behind schedule or over budget and corrective measures can then be applied to get the project back on track.

The following steps will be required to get the PMO off the ground:

- The setup of the PMO needs to be aligned with the organisational strategy of Multi Projects.

- A business case supporting the need for a PMO will be one of the first steps required. All stakeholders and employees within Multi Projects need to be fully aligned in order to support this initiative. This business case need to detail at a minimum the following:

- Project Objective – it is of great importance that the objective of the PMO be adequately defined

- Statement of Project Work - needs to include the setup of a project management methodology, definition of processes and PMO roles and responsibilities. Part of the processes will be a procedure on how resource management needs to be conducted. It is also suggested an operating procedure on the interaction between project managers and functional managers be drawn up and circulated for approval as part of the governance model. The

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