The greatest weakness appears to be difficulties arising from breakdowns in communication. There appears to be no monitoring of what has been promised to clients at the beginning of the project. This created the problem of miscommunication and unfavorable feelings among clients and project providers. There is therefore a need to monitor communication better and to ensure that all communicators are aware of the exact deliverables and time frames within the project. If this had been in place from the beginning of the project, the potentially expensive derailment might not have occurred.
Opportunities can arise directly from both strengths and weaknesses. Rachel obviously used the weaknesses in communication as an opportunity to show her skill in handling conflict situations. She provided the different parties with a platform from which to state their viewpoints and found ways in which to provide solutions for the problems arising.
By providing these solutions in a calm and business like manner, she not only diffused the current situation, but also created potential opportunities for both her company and herself in the future. In terms of her company, she is likely to create a favorable impression of the business in dealing with conflicts in a targeted and effective manner. The company is therefore likely to gain the reputation of effective business strategies, despite the problems arising from communication weaknesses. By turning these weaknesses into opportunity, Rachel provided a platform for...
Being a project manager is a temporary position, but handling her responsibilities well provides not only the company, but also Rachel herself with a favorable reputation among her superiors. Indeed, she kept her boss up-to-date on all the elements of the project, and handled her duties according to business protocol.
In terms of threats, the project is threatened by the above-mentioned lack of communication and possible further breakdowns among the clients and project employees. As liaison, Rachel effectively eliminated this threat. A further threat is that Rachel could at some point become overwhelmed with her many duties as project manager. When overwhelmed with her stress levels, Rachel could lose focus and valuable time in regaining such focus. Other threats to her focus include the many unplanned interruptions during Rachel's work day. These could also lead to a lack of focus. Rachel however also turned this threat into an opportunity by using interruptions not only to socialize, but also to discuss important aspects of her work and the project.
In summary, Rachel succeeded in turning the weaknesses and threats of the project into strengths and opportunities, thus creating for both herself and her company a favorable reputation, even in the most difficult of circumstances.
