Lakes Automotive Case Study

Lakes Automotive Mini Case

1. Assume that you have been asked to lead the project to merge the 2 methodologies.  What information would you want to collect about both methodologies and both companies to help you build your plan to complete the merge?

Answer:

If I was asked to lead the project to merge the two methodologies then I would initially gather data related to the different elements of a project management methodology from both the company methodologies as explained below:

Organizing- which involves around organizing the business needs, deliverables and project dependencies.

Planning- which involves around proposal, planning, development which includes training and implementation involving the rollout of development requirements of daily operations.

Monitoring and Controlling- which involves around evaluating the daily progress, adjusting the project requirements, resolving project issues, work towards customer satisfaction, reviewing the deliverables in queue and maintaining a centralized project control file.

Reporting- which involved around standardized reporting formats, dashboards and scorecards.

All these shall help in collecting data about the methodologies of both companies to which shall monitor, control and evaluate the daily progress of the project, resolve project issues and scope creep, implements standardized reporting and follows a structured manner of reviewing and projecting the deliverables and shall finally help me build a plan to complete the merge.

1. How would you recommend that the company merge the two methodologies?

Answer:

• If the company cannot decide on which methodology is better then it is better to merge the methods and gain the best outcomes, results and advantages in order to overcome and face the risks involved.
• I believe that it is necessary for them to come to understanding to combine and decide on implementing a single project management methodology as they will not be working with each other which brings outcome for both.
• Both the companies need to decide which is the best project management methodology for the company as a whole in terms of financial strategies and future goals.

1. What actions would you take to ensure your customers are happy with the combined methodology?

Answer:

• In order to ensure that customers are happy with the combined methodology I would make sure that the company offers additional products from the new company which it has bought out such that customers are pleased with quality products as PAP has a good reputation for quality products.
• Highlight the key aspects to customers that the company imbibes that lakes Automotive follows project management methodology based on nine life-cycle phases and it constantly encourages to grow itself with quality principles by showing the example of PAP which it bought over also follows a methodology based on five life-cycle phases assuring that the company is committed towards quality deliverables.
• Highlight the customers about the quality award recognition which Lakes Automotive was awarded where everyone believed how well they executed the project management methodology was executed.

Reference: Project management best practices, Achieving global excellence, fourth edition.