The Round Cube Window & Doors Company

The Round Cube Windows and Doors is a commercial company specialising in the sale of factory direct joinery for any home. Round Cube can distribute products directly to professional and private customers at the best price. In addition, by choosing to work with Round Cube the customer is guaranteed a choice, both in terms of colours and dimensions, thanks to tailor-made offers. The tailor-made offers apply to the entire range.

In 2000 The Round Cube Window Company had grown into the third largest supplier of for both commercial and home use. competition was fierce. consumers would evaluate on artistic design and quality. each product had to be available in at least 45 standard sizes of Alu Windows. Alu Doors, Wooden Windows, Wooden Doors, UPVC Windows, Garage Doors, Industrial Doors, Rolling Doors, Side Doors, Blinds and Shutters. commercial buyers seemed more interested in the cost than the average consumer, who viewed the new window and door technology and framing possibility as an object of art, irrespective of price.

The Round Cube Window Company did not spend a great deal of money advertising on the radio, television, or Internet. Some money was allocated for ads in professional journals and CRM for high End Construction & Home stores. Most of Round Cubes advertising and marketing funds were allocated to the two semiannual Construction and Hotel trade shows and the annual Int. Build Your Home trade show. a large construction specialist could purchase more than 5000 varieties for the furnishing of one newly constructed hotel or one apartment complex. Missing an opportunity to display the new products at these trade shows could easily result in a six- to 12-month window of lost revenue.

Round Cube had a noncooperative culture. Marketing and Product Management would never talk to one another. Product Management wanted the freedom to design new framing and closing products, whereas marketing wanted final approval to make sure that what was designed could be sold.

The conflict between marketing and product management became so fierce that early attempts to implement project management failed. nobody wanted to be the project manager. Functional team members refused to attend team meetings and spent most of their time working on their own pet projects rather than on the required work. Their line managers also showed little interest in supporting project management.

Project management became so disliked that the procurement manager refused to assign any of his employees to project teams. Instead, he mandated that all project work come through him. He eventually built a virtual brick wall around his employees. He claimed that this would protect them from the continuous con- flicts between engineering and marketing.

The executive decision

The executive council mandated that another attempt to implement good project management practices must occur quickly. Project management would be needed not only for new product development but also for specialty products and enhancements. The vice presidents for marketing and product management reluctantly agreed to try to patch up their differences but did not appear confident that any changes would take place.

Strange as it may seem, no one could identify the initial cause of the conflicts or how the trouble actually began. Senior management hired an external consultant to identify the problems, provide recommendations and alternatives, and act as a mediator. The consultants process would have to begin with interviews.

Product Management Interviews

The following comments were made during product management and factory workers interviews:

We are loaded down with work. If marketing would stay out of product management, we could get our job done.

Marketing doesnt understand that theres more work for us to do other than just new product development and combining new components.

Marketing personnel should spend their time at the country club and in bar rooms. This will allow us in product management to finish our work uninterrupted!

Marketing expects everyone in production to stop what they are doing in order to put out marketing fires. I believe that most of the time the problem is that marketing doesnt know what they want up front. This leads to change after change. Why cant we get a good definition at the beginning of each project?

Marketing Interviews

These comments were made during marketing interviews:

our livelihood rests on income generated from trade shows. Since new product development is four to six months in duration, we have to beat up on product management to make sure that our marketing schedules are met. Why cant product management understand the importance of these trade shows?

Because of the time required to develop new products [foursix months], we sometimes have to rush into projects without having a good definition of what is required. When a customer at a trade show gives us an idea for a new product, we rush to get the project under way for introduction at the next trade show. We then go back to the customer and ask for more clarification and/or specifications. Sometimes we must work with the customer for months to get the information we need. I know that this is a problem for Product Management, but it cannot be helped.

The consultant wrestled with the comments but was still somewhat perplexed. Why doesnt product management understand marketings problems? pondered the consultant. In a follow-up interview with a product manager, the following comment was made: We are currently working on 15 different projects in production, and that includes those that Marketing requested. Why cant Marketing understand our problems?

Question:

Critically explain the role of the Project Manager for this company and how the Project-Life Cycle should be applied in these ongoing projects so there will be full excellency throughout the projects. Can the 15 projects from your point of view still be achieved?