Executive summary:
The following assessment reflects on the case of the air traffic control system installation project for NATS at Swanwick. primary aThe aim of the report was to present an evaluation of the project’s management and identify the reasons for which the project was not able to accomplish desired outcomes. The report also focuses on the consideration of an alternate management style that could be effective in addressing the setbacks identified in the project. In the next section, the report would be aligned with recognition for the needs of employee re-skilling and its implementation as a project. The project management methodology for the project was discussed with references to the interplay between principles of agile methodologies and the project. Following the project management methodologies, the assessment focuses on the sources of reduction in employee morale and presents a critical analysis for determining appropriate strategies to tackle the issue. It is also imperative to note that the assessment emphasized further the role of management and leadership in tackling disruptive aspects in various industries.
Introduction:
The theme of the following report is vested in identifying best practices for project management, especially for large scale projects. Project management is considered as a synonym to process management followed in various business operations. However, the requirements for identifying various aspects of a project such as managerial, financial, contractual and human dimensions about project management have gained ample recognition in various sources of literature.
The prominent impact of project size and complexity on the dynamics of project management has also been recognized as one of the novel insights into the effectiveness of large scale projects especially in the domain of IT. This aspect is addressed in the report by evaluating the case of the Swanwick project and the reasons for which it failed to accomplish desired objectives. Furthermore, the assessment reflects on the possibility of management style’s impact on project outcomes that address the structure of the report. The report’s structure is also reflective of other aspects of project management such as the effect of employee morale on the execution of projects, project management methodologies in determining productive approaches for large and complex projects as well as the significance of leadership and management in project management as a response to the disruption observed in various industries.
Project Implementation
The project considered for this assessment is the implementation of the Swanwick project that would be summarized alongside analysis for the reasons of failure of the project. It is imperative to observe the division of UK airspace between the London and Scottish Flight Information Regions (FIRs) which are responsible for controlled airspace amounting to 350,000 square miles (Bolman & Deal, 2017). The organization, NATS is responsible for providing air traffic control services in the UK and has been continuing to provide safe air traffic flow in partnership with the Ministry of Defence. The increasing burden of air traffic as well as the outdated machinery and software for dealing with the control of air traffic was considered as the profound reason for which the NERC facility at Swanwick was proposed as a feasible alternative.
The implementation of the project involved the installation of hardware and software components and was initiated in 1991. The first company which took responsibility for the development of the computer systems was IBM which then forwarded it to a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, Loral and then finally the project was passed to Lockheed Martin in 1996. The company was considered responsible for various aspects such as software development, systems integration and overall project management (Christopher, 2016). The overall design of the system infrastructure at Swanwick consisted primarily of 240 computers that were further categorized into engineering and support segment, training and development unity and the operating system which are associated with distinct levels of complexity and varying functions.
However, the project encountered formidable technical as well as managerial issues that led to considering the project as a failure concerning its original objective of being a better alternative to the conventional air traffic control systems. One of the foremost technical factors identified in the summary of the project’s implementation is the software instability that was identified through the implications of software defects caused due to change requests (Genus, Rigakis & Dickson, 2003). The software defects were considered as a major roadblock for the implementation of the project in real-time and influenced the credibility of the project. Technical issues of scalability could also be identified as major reasons for the project’s failure since the systems were not designed for accommodating change requests.
The managerial issues as well as financial and contractual issues could also be brought under evaluation to identify the success or failure of the project. The formidable gap in management throughout the project life cycle was considered as a major reason for the failure of the project (Goleman, 2017). The imposing of tight deadlines did nothing but only complicate the situation further causing discrepancies in the implementation of the project according to the stipulated schedule. Poor communication among the project management teams and staff could also be accounted as a notable reason for the failure of the Swanwick project. Another prominent factor that could be identified as a barrier for realizing the success of the project is the lack of a particular leader of the project since it was consistently passed from one contractor to the other i.e. IBM to Loral and then Lockheed Martin. This factor contributed to changes in contractual priorities alongside large scale variations in the distribution of funds.
Management Style
The appointment of a project manager for the concerned IT project of Swanwick identified in the case study should be based on inferences derived regarding factors that influence its effectiveness. The preferred management style from the project manager in the IT project is consultative (Grayson & Hodges, 2017). The consultative management style is considered suitable for a top-down system that is observed as a mandatory requirement in the case of the IT project. However, consultative management is largely reflective of differences from the autocratic style such as obtaining employee feedback to make decisions that promotes improvement of the relationship between employees and the project manager.
This factor could be used to address the concerns such as lack of involvement of employees in the initial stages of the project alongside ensuring that employees can provide suggestions for improvement of the system design (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017). This would contribute to the flexibility of employees i.e. controllers in operating the system that can lead to minimal errors in the final output of planned system design. Consultative managers could also contribute to addressing concerns about the rigidity of objectives and unreasonable deadlines to provide flexibility to employees for software design and implementation.
Consultative project managers would also be more likely to derive credible inferences from mistakes in the project and implement continual improvement with the suggestion of staff thereby contributing to the efficiency of the final project outcomes (Laudon & Laudon, 2015). Finally, consultative project managers are also associated with authority on the final decisions undertaken concerning the project thereby resolving the concerns of conflict arising among the staff.
Methodology
The gradual transformation of the global business and industrial scenario has been complemented by the emergence of a knowledge-based economy which draws major emphasis on the aspect of continuous improvement of competencies for adapting to changing trends (McKinsey & Company, 2018). Another notable concern in the employment context is identified in the large scale adoption of automated systems that could lead to the displacement of jobs. Therefore, to address these concerns the re-skilling of employees is assumed as a productive response according to which the employees could be able to adapt to the changing requirements of various aspects of professional roles.
It is also imperative to observe that re-skilling of employees involves the development, administration and management of training function consistently and could therefore be considered as a project itself. The project management methodology that should be applied in the case of employee re-skilling is the agile methodology (Northouse, 2018). The validation for the methodology could be presented on the grounds of the relevancy of its characteristics with the requirements of the project. Agile methodology is primarily based on a set of principles that reflect collaborative action for the delivery of the most appropriate solutions.
It is essential to observe that agile methodology does not rely on specific series of steps or phases and the contrary, it is reflective of certain principles that supersede conventional paradigms. For example, the emphasis of agile methodology is vested in people and interactions rather than on processes and systems as well as responsiveness to change as compared to following a specific plan (Ruggie, 2017). The flexibility identified in the methodology is a notable implication for addressing the concerns of employee apprehensions regarding the outcomes of the re-skilling project.
The foremost aspect to be addressed in the re-skilling project is to ensure the engagement of employees that is facilitated through a focus on individuals and interactions that promote the acquisition of feedback and consultation for employees (Schwartz, 2017). These factors would ensure feasible identification of setbacks encountered by employees during the execution of the project and would enable the managers to identify the specific requirements of employees and deficiencies in their skills that would be addressed through the project. The iterative nature of the agile project management methodology would be responsible for repetitive administration and evaluation of training until employees depict reasonable efficiency in the outcomes.
The variety of tasks suggested in agile methodology is adapted according to the demand of the situation thereby removing concerns for reforms in project structure that are responsible for reducing the effectiveness of employee training (Uhl-Bien & Arena, 2017). The primary objective of employee re-skilling projects is also addressed through the incremental and iterative work design proposed in agile project management methodology as it improves the responsiveness of employees to unpredictability.
Since the emerging trends in the employment context have been identified as significant concerns for the project, the agile methodology focuses on the unpredictability of factors affecting the trends thereby focusing on adaptability and necessity of communication and information sharing for improvement of competencies (Ward, 2016). Therefore the relevancy of using agile methodology for project management could be validated explicitly based on linkage between the individual principles of the methodology and the project requirements.
Possible Sources of reduction
The two most possible sources of reduction in employee morale concerning the execution of a complex and time-consuming project such as the re-skilling project are identified in the lack of effective leadership and an open line of communication. Ineffective leadership is accounted as the foremost cause for low staff morale in various literature sources about project management (Bolman & Deal, 2017). The performance of an organization and staff is largely influenced by the role of leaders in communicating a vision and formulating decisions thereby contributing to employee morale.
Distrust in leadership could be responsible for inducing major setbacks for negotiations in the course of the project alongside the perception of limited opportunities for personal growth. The impact of ineffective leadership is also identified in the lack of accountability thereby leading to lower employee morale (Christopher, 2016). This factor could be attributed to the proliferation of lower standards and confusion regarding individual responsibilities. Poor leadership is often associated with limited recognition of employee contributions that can be subsequently reflected in the provision of incentives thereby altering the levels of employee morale.
Closed communication is considered as another potential source for reducing staff morale during engagement in large scale IT projects or re-skilling projects. The lack of an open line of communication is often responsible for exacerbating the apprehensions of employees to approach managers thereby leading to their perception of insignificance within the project (Genus, Rigakis & Dickson, 2003). Another profound concern that is identified in the outcomes obtained from closed communication reflects on the spreading of rumours alongside resentment for the leadership.
The closed communication imperatives are responsible for inducing the perception of limited involvement in the project as well as disregard for their opinions that leads to a notable reduction of staff morale. Closed communication also prevents the discussion of issues faced by staff during the execution of the project that could be assumed as formidable reasons for reduced staff morale (Goleman, 2017). Therefore, it is essential to institute strategic approaches that can address these identified sources of reduction in employee morale for obtaining productive outcomes from the project.
First of all, the approach for addressing ineffective leadership would be to develop relationships with staff based on trust rather than manipulating them for accomplishing desired objectives. The requirement of consistency, time and integrity is profoundly observed for the development of the trust-based relationship between leader and staff which can contribute to long term and effective outcomes from the project (Grayson & Hodges, 2017). The implications of closed communication could be addressed effectively through the institution of systematic communication frameworks concerning the project requirements.
The top-level management should follow a consultative approach in their decision making so that employees would feel involved in the communication thereby improving their morale (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017). Frequent evaluation of employee feedback regarding leadership and peers especially through the use of 360-degree feedback could also be accounted as another instrument of communication that can help in the improvement of staff morale.
Critical Review
Disruption could be considered as a keyword in the existing scenario and is observed in the majority of industries such as observed in the examples of ride-sharing services in the automobile industry i.e. Uber. Therefore, disruption in these industries must be responsible for the proliferation of new trends that can only be addressed through flexible adaptation of leadership and management to these concerns (Laudon & Laudon, 2015). Disruption is generally responsible for the reorientation of revenue streams, key resources and target audiences which require large scale transitions in the arrangement of organizational hierarchy and human capital.
Leadership and management in these conditions should be primarily aligned to adapt to the emerging trends rather than aim to resolve the discrepancies so that resources could be leveraged sustainable for long term success. One of the prolific aspects that can contribute to the effectiveness of organizations in disruptive industries is the focus on the knowledge-based economy (McKinsey & Company, 2018). Frequent initiatives for training and education of staff could be assumed as formidable roles of leadership and management that can help in addressing the concerns arising from the disruption.
The references to theoretical perspectives on management and leadership styles could be collated to derive inferences regarding the significance of Laissez-faire and democratic leadership styles wherein the human capital could be included explicitly in the decision-making process (Northouse, 2018). This factor would imply the resolution of specific pitfalls from a wide range of perspectives thereby leading to comprehensiveness and feasibility of solutions in a disruptive industry.
Conclusion:
The assessment was particularly able to present distinct implications towards five varying practical instances in project management. It evaluated the reasons for the failure of large scale IT projects by summarizing the case of the Swanwick project to identify managerial insufficiencies and complexity of the project as the outcomes. The report was able to recognize that the application of a consultative management style by the project manager could be responsible for addressing the setbacks identified in the previous section. The following section of the assessment focused on the application of agile project management methodology to the project of employee re-skilling and identified that it is suited for responding to uncertain scenarios for project management. The report then identified ineffective leadership and lack of open communication as the possible sources of reduction in employee morale alongside illustrating the measures that can be implemented to resolve the issues. Finally, the assessment focused on identifying the role of leadership and management in helping organizations cope with the disruptions observed profoundly in the contemporary scenario.
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