Case Study 2 Management Essay Research Coursework Paper

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Horizon Consulting: Case Study

Q1) How successful was the post-meeting?

If we look closely to the case study, we can point out that the meeting is quite a successful one and all the participants of the meeting really helped and assisted each other in order to make the best possible decisions available.

Q2) What factors contributed to the success or failure of this meeting?

With the help of project priority system which was developed on the basis of ‘pecking order’ and the cooperative culture really helped in obtaining the participants' collaboration.

Q3) What kind of project management structure does Horizon use? Is it the right structure? Explain

In order to accomplish the objectives of different projects, Horizon mainly depends on the strong matrix structure. Different projected are managed by the account managers and they are involved in direct sales activities. On the other hand, the app managers were active full time on the certain projects while the other designers and engineers were working actively on the number of other projects.

The responsibility of each project was on the Account managers and they contribute to the performance appraisals of all the participants. Project schedules were managed by the heads of Software development and Graphics.

If we look closely, the environment of Horizon is quite suited for the strong matrix structure. As the business of Horizon is mainly the project driven and it does not require any full-time participation, the authority of the project remains with the account manager who interacts directly with the customers. If we look at the significance of fulfilling the requirements of the customers and iterative manners in which projects are developed, the given authority to the account managers seems to be suitable.

In order to govern the decision making, project priority system is installed in Horizon. The culture of the Horizon seems to be supportive and collaborative which is important for the matrix structure and thus all the contentious decisions are taken in a friendly manner.

The Home Improvement Project: Case Study

Q1) What factors and forces contributed to scope creep in this case?

Scope creep means an unplanned change to the project scope, followed by inappropriate change in the planned deadlines and budget of the project. Unplanned circumstances are a major driving force that results in scope creep in most projects. In the above case study, issues were realized one after the other which caused delayed decisions, as a consequence of which Nelsons had to bear a hefty amount for installation of the bathtub. Nelson’s bathtub installation goal and requirement became such an uncontrolled moving target that there was no clear definition of what is considered complete and the project crept into unmanageable and budgetary havoc. In Nelson’s case, scope creep kept creeping for various reasons such as no initial specifications, indecisiveness, etc. They kept on adding additional things such as Jacuzzi instead of simple bathtub, cedar frame for the tub and attractive tile instead of the plastic splashguard, tile flooring, and lighting that were not in the original plan, each item adding costs and delaying the project.

Q2) Is this an example of good or bad scope creep? Explain.

In this case, both can be true. But, the case study signals more towards good scope creep, as Nelsons went ahead with each modification thinking that it will be a long term investment and the changes would pay for themselves when they will sell the house.

Q3) How could scope creep have been better managed by the Nelsons?

Scope creep would have been better managed by Nelsons in several ways. Firstly, there was a need of proper planning before starting the work. They would have planned the requirements and estimated the budget as per those requirements. Secondly, they would have ensured sticking to that budget and wouldn’t have gone for an expensive Jacuzzi, which resulted in the requirement of tiled flooring in the exercise room, change of flooring in the adjacent bathroom as well as requirement of new furnace which further costed $7500.