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'Ir'l'r' MEIIECI REFS LIP FOR JEITA EOIIIPCIHENT PRCIDUCTICIN To prepare for the production of its new .letta, Volkswagen turned to a combination of international plants

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'Ir'l'r' MEIIECI REFS LIP FOR JEITA EOIIIPCIHENT PRCIDUCTICIN To prepare for the production of its new .letta, Volkswagen turned to a combination of international plants and external suppliers to produce portions of the cars new motor and axle assemblies. Volkswagen Mexico Components WW Mexico} won a competitive bid to produce several motor and axle parts and assemblies, including the front axles and corner-module assemblies. The learn at the VW Mexico plant had 21 months and a budget oi US$3.3 million to design and install the assembly line and begin mass production of parts. Background VW Mexico won the competitive bid for the component assembly project by proposing a xed cost for part production. This meant there would be no room for budget ovenuns. Any work that exceeded the budget would be incurred as a loss. The front axle and corner-module assembly production was overseen by a Project Management Professional {PMPj and the project was one of the rst to be managed by the Wt Mexico project office, which provided oversight for the entire portfolio of programs and projects related to the production of Jetta components. The project manager and team would have to help develop and introduce internal processes that future teams would follow. In addition, a new supplier was selected for the project while the equipment procurement process was underway. This late addition resulted in a hut:- month deiay in the acquisition of the assembly lines. Challenges The W Mexico team used standard management processes, as described in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge [PMBOK Guide]. to complete the assembly line project ontime and under budget. To oversee the complex project, vw Mexico established a project management ofce lPMDl. which was responsible for monitoring and controlling the overall budget and schedules for the Jetta-related projects. Dnce Wit Mexico was awarded the assembly project. the PMO coordinated with the nance department to obtain the resources necessary for the project. A project manager was selected and the manufacturing department managerwas named project sponsor. The project manager, supported by a member of the planning department, integrated the plans submitted by various project participants and developed a work breakdown structure {WES} and detailed the timeline for the overall project. The WES served as a roadmap for each phase of the project. While the manufacturing and quality departments were involved throughout the project, otherdepartments could be consulted as necessary. The projeclmanager was responsible for overseeing the WBS and involving other departments at appropriate times. Solutions From initiation to closing, the project was divided into five phases with nine milestones over two years. The timeline lncluded all work from procurement and fabrication of equipment through assembly line testing and optimization. The nal phase ended with the start of axle production and comer-module assembly. ln addition. a corresponding quality plan was developed using the standards of the components plant, which was integrated into the timeline. The project manager held regular meetings with the core team to keep all departments informed of progress. The assembly line supplier visited the vw Mexico plant on several occasions to review progress and provide assistance in addressing any issues. Additional departments were involved when needed, and a project status reportdetailing performance index to indicate progress relative to the overall timeline and budget was distributed monthly to all departments. Because of the strict budget adherence requirements for the project, nancial resources were blocked to avoid ovenuns. In each meeting, participants had the opportunity to request specific changes to the WES. Discussions were documented for quality purposes and changes were approved by both the project manager and project sponsor. To ensure the projectwoutd be completed on time. the project manager found creative ways to resolve timing issues created earlier in the process. To offset a two-month delay in receiving assembly line equipment. the manufacturing group concluded training while the maintenance group assisted the subcontractor with installation of the assembly line equipment. By performing these two events simultaneously, the project manager prevented future delays that might cause the project to exceed the timeline. Throughout the project, the PMO maintained oversight for the overall budget. Other project elements were monitored by individual members of the project team. For example, a planning team member monitored activities related to the WES and quality plan while a quality team member was responsible for ensuring that the parts being produced met company quality specications. At the completion of each project phase. the project team analysed the overall project status and conducted rislt assessments for the remaining phases. Any resulting changes to the WES were approved by the project manager and project sponsor. The end of the project was marked by the transition to full production mode. The ofcial project closing took place 12 weeks after initial component production commenced. Results The W'u' Mexico team achieved and in many cases exceeded the objedives for the assembly set-up project. Specically: The entire project was completed within the specied budget The team met all delivery deadlines for each phase of testing Front axles and cornermodules produced on the plant's assembly lines continued to meet Volkswagen's quality guidelines The .ietta component assembly line project team also developed a number of tools and practices to serve as standards for future projects at the plant. Key learnings from the project will enable future project teams to optimise communication between different areas of the Wit Mexico plant and ensure the success offuture projects. Source: PHI lhttps:ffwwwpmi.orgl-frnediaipmildocurrientslpubllcfpdficasesbidyivw-rnexicmpdfj AnswerALL the questions in this section. aussnoiv 1 {an Iilal'lts] We team that the case study project team had regular meetings with stakeholders. Applying the simple and effective plan dochecltact tPDCAl model is one way of improving the project meeting process ensuring that efficient and effective meetings are conducted [Kloppenborg, 20151130]. Demonstrate how the PDCA model could have been used effectively to improve the meetings. Quesnorr 2 {:0 Mills] The nal step in managing either positivefsupportive or negativeladverse project stakeholders is to develop implementation strategies for dealing with them. Once implementation strategies are operational. the project team must take a proactive posture. Appraise this posture by refen'ing to the project in the case study. QUESTION 3 [20 Marks] The project community recognises that developing and implementing appropriate communication strategies is vital to maintaining effective relationships with stakeholders. Appraise the trends and emerging practices for Project Communications Management. Apply this theory to a project that you know of. QUESTION 4 [20 Marks] A communication matrix or plan is a formal document developed during the project initialisation stage and then further refined and implemented during planning stage and then further refined and implemented during project execution. Consider an Eskom project to build a new power station in a residential suburb of your choice. Provide and appraise a project communication matrix/plan for the Eskom project. Ensure that you insert at least five (5) items and discuss each of them. QUESTION 5 [20 Marks] Consider an Eskom project to build a new power station in a residential suburb of your choice, and design a stakeholder engagement assessment matrix for the Eskom project. Record at least ten (10) stakeholders and discuss each of their roles. QUESTION 6 [20 Marks] To manage conflict effectively it is important to correctly identify its source (Sadri, 2012:22). Then only can one decide on the appropriate conflict management style to utilise. Identify an appropriate project of your choice, and consider yourself part of the project team. Appraise the five (5) conflict management styles and analyse how you will deal with the conflicts that may arise

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