Read the following article below which entitled "A Day in the Life".

Then answer the following questions in connection to management and systems thinking in management. Leverage your answer and have a depth analysis in answering the question. Input references if necessary.

Questions:

1. Do you suggest any modifications as to how Rachel spent her day?
2. What does the story tell you about what is like to be a manager?
3. Is a problem in the story? If yes, what is/are the problems? If there is none, justify your answer.

 A Day in the Life Rachel, the project manager of a large information systems project, arrives at heroffice early to get caught up with work before her co-workers and project team arrive.However, as she enters the office she meets Neil, one of her fellow project managers,who also wants to get an early start on the day. Neil has just completed a project overseas. They spend 10 minutes socializing and catching up on personal news.It takes Rachel 10 minutes to get to her office and settle in. She then checks hervoice mail and turns on her computer. She was at her client's site the day before until7:30 p.m. and has not checked her e-mail or voice mail since 3:30 p.m. the previousday. There are 7 phone messages, 16 e-mails, and 4 notes left on her desk. She spends15 minutesreviewing her schedule and "to do" lists for the day before responding tomessages that require immediate attention.Rachel spends the next 25 minutes going over project reports and preparing for theweekly status meeting. Her boss, who just arrived at the office, interrupts her. Theyspend 20 minutes discussing the project. He shares a rumor that a team member isusing stimulants on the job. She tells him that she has not seen anything suspicious butwill keep an eye on the team member.The 9:00 a.m. project status meeting starts 15 minutes late because two of the teammembers have to finlsh a job for a client. Several people go to the cafeteria to get coffeeand doughnuts while others discuss last night's baseball game. The team membersarrive, and the remaining 45 minutes of the progress review meeting surface projectissues that have to be addressed and assigned for action.After the meeting Rachel goes down the hallway to meet with Victoria, another ISproject manager. They spend 30 minutes reviewing project assignments since the twoof them share personnel. Victoria's project is behind schedule and in need of help.They broker a deal that should get Victoria's project back on track.She returns to her office and makes several phone calls and returns several e-mailsbefore walking downstairs to visit with members of her project team. Her intent is to followup on an issue that had surfaced in the status report meeting. However, her simple, "Higuys, how are things going?" elicits a stream of disgruntled responses from the "troops."After listening patiently for over 20 minutes, she realizes that among other things several ofthe client's managers are beginning to request features that were not in the original projectscope statement. She tells her people that she will get on this right away. Returning to her office she tries to call her counterpart John at the client firm but istold that he is not expected back from lunch for another hour. At this time, Eddie dropsbyand says, "How about lunch?" Eddie works in the finance office and they spend thenext half hour in the company cafeteria gossiping about internal politics. She is surprisedto hear that Jonah Johnson, the director of systems projects, may join anotherfirm. Jonah has always been a powerful ally.She returns to her office, answers a few more e-mails, and finally gets through toJohn. They spend 30 minutes going over the problem. The conversation ends withJohn promising to do some investigating and to get back to her as soon as possible.Rachel puts a "Do not disturb" sign on her door, and lies down in her office. Shelistens to the third and fourth movement of Ravel's string quartet in F on headphones.Rachel then takes the elevator down to the third floorand talks to the purchasingagent assigned to her project. They spend the next 30 minutes exploring ways of gettingnecessary equipment to the project site earlier than planned. She finally authorizesexpress delivery.When she returns to her office, her calendar reminds her that she is scheduled toparticipate in a conference call at 2:30. It takes 15 minutes for everyone to get online.During this time, Rachel catches up on some e-mail. The next hour is spent exchanginginformation about the technical requirements associated with a new version of asoftware package they are using on systems projects like hers.Rachel decides to stretch her legs and goes on a walk down the hallway where sheengages in brief conversations with various co-workers. She goes out of her way to thankChandra for his thoughtful analysis at the status report meeting. She returns to find thatJohn has left a message for her to call him back ASAP. She contacts John, who informs herthat, according to his people, her firm's marketing rep had made certain promises aboutspecific features her system would provide. He doesn't know how this communicationbreakdown occurred, but his people are pretty upset over the situation. Rachel thanks Johnfor the information and immediately takes the stairs to where the marketing group resides.She asks to see Mary, a senior marketing manager. She waits 10 minutes before beinginvited into her office. After a heated discussion, she leaves 40 minutes later with Maryagreeing to talk to her people about what was promised and what was not promised.She goes downstairs to her people to give them an update on what is happening.They spend 30 minutes reviewing the impact the client's requests could have on theproject schedule. She also shares with them the schedule changes she and Victoria hadagreed to. After she says good night to her team, she heads upstairs to her boss's office and spends 20 minutes updating him on key events of the day. She returns to her officeand spends 30 minutes reviewing e-mails and project documents. She logs on to theMS project schedule of her project and spends the next 30 minutes working with"what-if" scenarios. She reviews tomorrow's schedule and writes some personalreminders before starting off on her 30-minute commute home.