项目管理实例研究

CASE STUDY：SEE-SAW PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Experience shows that the rools of most cost overruns and delays are established in the initial phases of a new contract. A false sense of security takes hold as management recovers and congratulates itself on the successful pursuit of its goal. As problems blossom in the final stages of a new contract, management throws itself into the effort to make up for squandered time , an effort that usually proves fruitless and only compounds its difficulties. It is a pattern that characterizes “see-saw project management.”

The problem of “see-saw project management” seems to be perennial. It keeps coming up, year in , at many companies, in jobs both very large and very small.

To illustrate, let us assume that a company has just been awarded a contract for $15,000,000, to be completed over a 24-month period, starting in one month. Experience teaches us that most overruns in time and budget occur at the beginning of new jobs during the “learning curve” period when everyone is relaxed and happy, and there are many months or even years ahead before the final delivety date. These overruns, however, don’t show up until much later, when it’s too late to correct them; then management overreacts and tries to buy time with manpower and money. It can’t be done. After insufficient management control at the start, they exert ot try exert too much control at the end, thus compounding the problem. We call this the “see-saw effect”.

Beginning Badly

The first mistake occurs when everyone wrongly starts to celebrate the winning of the new job instead of getting right down to business.

Generally, the award comes after an intensive period of hard work and long hours that always accompany the pursuit of a new contract. You have a month to get ready, so it’s time now for a bit of relaxation, perhaps several dinner parties to thank those who worked so hard. Even a few awards or gifts are given out in appreciation. Many take some time off to rest up and get ready for the long job ahead; some had deferred their vacation plans during the propsal period and now want to take off for several weeks instead of preparing for the start of the job.

Since well begun is half done, there are several things that management can do to ensure getting right to business:

1. If possible, have a different group ready to start the job in addition to those who worked hard and long during the proposal and pre-award period. Try not to rely upon the same people for both winning the proposal and then managing the job, at least at the start.

Apart from the fact that the proposal team will be worn out and in neeed of rest, the job usually calls for different types of people with different talents, interests and abilities.

The military always keeps a reserve force for use at unforeseen targets of opportunity that present themselves fot exploitaion after the action starts. This same reserve can be used for unforeseen problems that also come up during the action. Why industry repeatedly ignores this, even though it happens over and over again, escapes me.