Project Management at Boxer Pumps Limited Project management is a crucial undertaking in every organization. It implies the application of methods, processes, experiences, skills and knowledge in a bid to achieve the objectives of the project. A project is intentional and geared towards the achievement of certain specifications. A project refers to a transient and unique endeavor that is done to meet the planned objectives. These objectives are definitive and could be in the form of outputs, benefits, outcomes, all with figurative measurements. While seeking to achieve these merits, the project has to be put into different sections in the form of departments, which will work hand-in-hand like a system since similar objectives bind them. All the departments have to meet the requirements that comprise a project like a scope, the costs of production, the time, and the quality of the processes and products. This study has explored on the Boxer Pumps Limited, a company facing project management-based challenges that have affected and risk depleting the existence of the organization.

Initially, the Boxer Pumps Limited has been successful in terms of its project management approaches. It was meeting its objectives in the market. In fact, it had a promising future now that its production had acquired a market share of the global market. Nonetheless, because of the managerial and project execution challenges, everything has changed, with the fate of the company clouded (Wu et al. 2015). This study endeavors to explore the scenario and identifies the issues leading to the current problems and failures at the company. The comparison of these issues with sound project-based management practices, a recommendation of the steps necessary to bring in the management by project, and the improvements to the supply chain practices for future projects are also covered.

Issues leading to the current failures

Several issues have contributed to the current failures at the Boxer Pumps Limited. These issues touch on some factors. Some of the factors include the nature of the structure of the limited, the definition of the phase of the limited, the definition of the goals of the limited, and transparency of the workers and the managers. They also include recognition of risks in the limited, management of issues on disturbance, and the responsibilities of different members of the production process. The issues are outlined as follows:

Boxer Pumps Limited has been in the market building industrial pumps since 1953. It had a tremendous growth all throughout until the late 1980s that these issues became critical to further growth and development of the limited. During this period of productivity, the company failed to have requisite measures to ensure standardized production and the reduction of internal problems. During this time, the limited had to go global, as a way of increasing its market share in the global phase. It had the right and practicable strategies that managed to lift the limited to the global scene and continue its dominance and success. As it continued to produce standard designed large-scale products in its line of production, it failed to develop new and responsive models or even new products during this period. This was a failure relating to the scope of the project and the strength relating to specialization. When the company had stabilized supply and production processes, it failed to foresee the dangers related to changes in suppliers and customer preferences in the market. Besides, it overlooked the need to study the transformations in market demands and supplies (Wu et al. 2015).

Typically, it became complacent and naive. With an increase in competition when China became a major importer and exporter, Boxer Pumps Limited had to face a stiff competitive scale in the global market. As the preferences of the clients simultaneously fluctuated, with each client demanding that it be given products based on their specifications, the company could not offer this. Typically, Boxer Pumps Limited failed to foresee a change in preferences and tastes of the customers in the market, something that is even made worse with the existence of a competitor product in the market. As a result, the large-scale pumping equipment had to diminish in order.

The other issue touches on the competitiveness to schedule and manage costs of production. Since the company boasted of the capacity to manufacture products based on varied customer specifications, it failed to have the requisite managerial skills in scheduling and costs management. The company was running at net losses. The issue here is that the management had failed to diversify its production avenues to have a stable profit...

With variances in the designs and competition, the company did not have the expertise to diversify immediately and respond to the needs of the customers without having to indulge in loss-making endeavors (Hung & Chou 2013).
With an increasing challenge in managing a diverse market demand, the company failed in maintaining a diverged and stable supply chain. It used one chain of supply that had a complete chance to interfere with the production processes of the company. The company lacked foresight in the supply department. The company lacked the essential plans relating to the planning and managing of the manufacturing costs based on the new designs and diversified specifications from the customers. The company lacked enough expertise in managing costs, suppliers, and the changing customer preferences in the market. It lacked foresight knowledge of these parameters of growth.

With the challenges at hand, Boxer Pumps Limited decided to have a change of impetus by bringing in a new CEO. This precise move by the management was invaluable as it could reduce the problems presently faced. Nonetheless, the new strategies offered by the new CEO were squashed out by the existing managers since they felt that the new strategies put forward were not of any difference (Allen et al. 2015). With this, the company had no managerial capability to handle disturbance of management and production. As far as the managers and workers have been given the mandate to execute production based on the existing strategies, it had no sound authority that will convince such managers to involve new options as a way of bringing change within the organization. As the existing managers have shown, the old methods of production had proved powerful ad successful in the 1980s, and hence there was no need to change (Hung & Chou 2013).This showed that the company had no initiative for change, which is as good as growth within a company.

The company workers, especially managers, had issues of transparency within the company. They are not transparent when it comes to handling finances of the different projects and bids from the customers. The assignment of the projects is based on the drive by the bonus. Cases of corruption and insubordination are evident between the sales department, the marketing department, and regarding the internal costs figures. Deals are concluded on unrealistic margins together with verbal promises about what would be delivered. There is no chain of order in management as cases of corruption are rampant. Such issues can only affect the profit margins of the company, meaning the company will have an imbalance in terms of its costs of production and the subsequent returns.

Further issues are attached to the chain of command that is missing from the management process of the company. No direct chain of command can respond to any prioritized item. Probably, different managers work without having to listen to other departments and managers. There is disunity in meeting the objectives of the company. Different workers are working for different bosses, issuing different commands, most of which are not promoting the one interest of the company. With change being embraced, there is resistance that had caused division within the working phase of the company. The senior managers are not recognizing and working with the new project managers who are coming as part of the strategic change measures. The processes of production are thus facing challenges to meet the needs of the clients on time.

With the issues increasingly affecting the profitability of Boxer Pumps Limited, the company had to be taken over by a larger conglomerate. A new CEO is appointed to take over and turn the fortunes of the company. The new CEO gets the advice to approach the issues with an approach project management, although faces the existing resistance sticking to the new approach to managing orders. This means that the company still faces quite a variance of resistance to change when the time comes. The sum of these issues has all contributed to the failures being experienced by Boxer Pumps Limited.

Comparison of the issues with comprehensive project management policies

Project Structure

A sound project policy stipulates that every project should have a project structure. The project structure brings out three main components of the project, which project quality, project time, and project resources. These three features make up a project. The Boxer Pumps Limited has not shown any commitment to linking these three features in its desire to succeed in its operations. The work packages within the…