SECTION A

Read the scenario below and answer ALL the questions that follow. The Communication Crisis at Tech Innovations Inc. Tech Innovations Inc., a leading tech startup, embarked on a mission to develop a groundbreaking product that had the potential to disrupt the market. The project was entrusted to a team of brilliant engineers, designers, and marketers. However, as excitement grew, communication within the team began to crumble, leading to a cascade of problems. Despite the innovative ideas, there was no clear project communication plan in place. Team members were working in silos, unaware of each other's progress or objectives. This lack of coordination resulted in a series of issues that ultimately led to substantial financial and non-financial risks for the company. The absence of effective communication and a project communication plan caused costly delays in product development. Different team members were unknowingly duplicating work, causing wasted resources. As a result, the project's timeline extended significantly, leading to increased development costs. Furthermore, due to the lack of clarity in project milestones and objectives, the company struggled to secure additional funding, putting its financial stability at risk. The breakdown in communication also had far-reaching non-financial consequences (non-financial risks). Competitors gained an edge by launching similar products while Tech Innovations lagged behind. Business risk increased as customer expectations were not met, leading to declining customer trust. Tech Innovations was loomed with lawsuits as its contractual obligations were not fulfilled, resulting in breach of agreements which also had huge penalties attached. As such it was evident as negative press and customer complaints tarnished the company's image. Lastly, operational risk was a constant concern, with team morale plummeting, employee turnover rising, and productivity suffering as a result of the chaotic work environment. In this case, the failure to establish a clear project communication plan had profound implications for Tech Innovations Inc., highlighting the importance of effective communication in mitigating financial and non-financial risks in project management. Answer ALL the questions in this section.

QUESTION 1 (20 Marks)

In this case, the failure to establish a clear project communication plan had profound implications for Tech Innovations Inc., highlighting the importance of effective communication in mitigating financial and non-financial risks in project management. Critically assess the FIVE (5) non-financial risks that Tech Innovations is exposed to due to lack of a clear project communication plan.