Woody\'s Project Management: The Custom Woodworking Company

Woody's Project Management:

The Custom Woodworking Company is relatively a medium sized cabinet and furniture making firm whose headquarters are at Industrial Estates, BC. The founder began the company in 1954 following his apprenticeship as a cabinet maker before moving to the current location in 1959 together with his wife. Woody's currently manufactures custom furniture, typical kitchen and bathroom cabinets, and various wholesaler or retailer furniture products. Following its continual growth since its inception, the company has established a solid reputation for supplying millwork to the construction industry ("Background," 2000).

Project Management in the Construction Industry:

Project Management is a multi-faceted activity with numerous dimensions that are entirely based on the kind and class of project. However, regardless of the project type and class, every level of project management involves the same approach though it's only the branch and size of the activity that varies from project to project (Wideman, 2001). In order to guarantee the success of project management processes, there are several foundational principles of project management that provide the basis for generally acceptable practices. There are two approaches with which companies can create an absolute project management culture and attitude i.e. employing consulting services or creating a Project Management Office.

The construction industry is becoming one of the emerging industries in the field of project management as many construction firms have started to consolidate following years of sustained business improvement. Many firms in the construction industry see the necessity of changing from conventional construction management techniques by adopting new approaches. Consequently, some construction companies have established a Project Management Office similar to those in other mature industries (Gheorghiu, 2008). As compared to the natural stages of maturity development, companies that have adopted a Project Management Office model are experiencing hectic problems.

Woody's Project Management Opportunity:

The opportunity for the Custom Woodworking Company to expand its manufacturing business after the company's directors were persuaded by the likelihood of a major airport extension and free-trade opportunities in the southern part of the border. The proposals for the company to completely move to new and modern facilities resulted in the polarization of opinions within the firm. The company's Chief Executive Officer called for a meeting of its top officials to resolve the issue and after bitter arguments, it was resolved that the firm would remain in its existing property and location.

In addition, the top officials agreed that the firm's production capacity would be expanded to about 25% of the current floor area including the installation of air-conditioning and dust-free paint and fitting the shop with extra compressor capacity. As a result of the need for semi-automatic woodworking train, necessary software and hardware would be installed to run it. Moreover, the project would also involve the renovation of the President and Executive Vice-President's Office.

Sources of Problems in Woody's Project Management:

As the project implementation process began, there are various problems that were encountered including construction schedule conflicts in tying-in new services because of the two-week slip in delivery schedule. The other significant problems were the need for extra five feet to the new building's length because of the changes in the specifications of production chain and the evident strained relations on the site. Based on the post project appraisal, there were various sources that contributed to the numerous problems including

Un-noticed Over-Supply of Commercial Space:

When the new equipment was eventually launched, it was seriously under-utilized as the production morale faded. One of the major sources of this problem was the un-noticed over-supply of commercial space, which was the basic source of Woody's contracts. Based on the strategy principle of project management, a strategy that includes planning then implementing in a series of progressive phases must be established (Wideman, 2001). The overlooked over-supply of commercial space reveals the lack of a clear strategy that consists of progressive phases in the planning and implementation of Woody's Project Concept.

Management's Failure to Create a Cultural Environment:

The failure by Woody's management to create a cultural environment was the second major source of problems associated with the project. This is evident from the strained relations on the site, difficulties for the project management consultant to obtain information from staffs, and the unwillingness of the staff to reveal short-comings. The lack of such an environment that is created by the establishment of effective policies and procedures usually results in problems during project implementation.

Lack of Project Commitment:

The lack of commitment to the project by the company's workforce is an evident source of problems associated with the implementation process. This lack of project commitment can be seen in their unwillingness to reveal short-comings, the scattered information among several staff, and the undated communication memos with only few formal notes.

Recommended Solution to the Problems:

The most suitable solution for the problems that were evident in the planning, design, and implementation of Woody's Project Concept is the utilization of the Retrospective Methodology. Unlike current methodologies that only facilitate the detection of problems way after the project has been implemented, the Retrospective Methodology has three major benefits during project implementation. These benefits include the ability of shatter the repetition cycle of ineffective project management practices, ability to resolve instant problems via rapid application of vital learnings, and improved efficiency (Lavell & Martinelli, 2007).

The retrospective model is a framework for project management that acts as a risk management tool. The main phases in this framework include initiating, planning, managing, and closure of the project. As the first step, I would define the scope of the project, what it seeks to achieve, and why it should be implemented during the initiating stage. During the process, I'll try to ensure that all business context of the project is clearly defined, effectively communicated, and understood by all project stakeholders.