Employee Compensation and Benefits Package Redesign Project

Introduction

Project management can be one of the most challenging roles in an organization, especially when a project is not progressing as expected. In the redesign of an employee compensation and benefits package, several significant issues have developed. The project is six weeks behind schedule, team members are becoming discouraged, and one key member is consistently missing deadlines. In addition to these difficulties, the budget has been depleted more quickly than anticipated. The following paper addresses the actions that need to be taken in order to resolve these issues and get the project back on track.

From the outset, it might be tempting to place the blame solely on the underperforming team member and remove them from the project. However, the issue is likely much deeper and more difficult to resolve than that. The underperforming employee is, nevertheless, the first issue that must be addressed. The best resolution to any performance problem lies in discovering its root cause (Kloppenborg & Nkomo, 2012). The first step is to meet with the employee individually to help determine why they are unable to meet deadlines. The second step is to ensure they have the appropriate tools and support from management to help them resolve those issues. One cannot devise effective corrective actions without first understanding the cause of the problem, whether it relates to an individual employee or to the team as a whole.

Underperforming employees and a team's inability to complete tasks on time are symptoms of a problem rather than the cause. Budgetary overruns similarly represent a symptom rather than a cause. The budget issues are more likely to resolve themselves once the underlying team problems have been diagnosed and corrected. The situation must therefore be addressed holistically, rather than as three separate, unrelated problems.

Individuals have different reactions to team settings and work pressure (Butts, DeJoy, Schaffer & Vandenberg, 2009). The performance gap may stem from a training deficiency, or it may be that the role to which the employee was assigned does not suit their skills. Performance has two essential components: the employee must have both the ability to do the job and the motivation to do it. If an employee is lacking in either component, they will be unable to perform the task adequately. The same principle applies to teams. Notably, the entire team is behind schedule, not just the one underperforming member. Stress can also have many different causes depending on the organization and its culture (Henry & Evans, 2008). The action plan below is designed to diagnose these problems and return the team to productive progress.

The following steps outline a structured approach to diagnosing the problems and getting the project back on track:

Diagnosing Team and Performance Problems

1. Meet individually with each team member to discuss the cause of the performance problems, and take appropriate action to resolve the issues discovered.

2. Hold a meeting with employees as a group, or with specific individuals as needed, to address collective concerns.

3. Reiterate the project goals to realign all team members with the expected outcomes.

4. Stress the importance of completing tasks on time and explain the impact of delays on the overall project.

5. Establish the parameters for effective team communication through weekly meetings, or more frequently if the situation requires it.

6. Develop a revised timeline and updated task assignments, as indicated by the current schedule and remaining budget.

7. Establish a leadership policy that reflects open communication and provides team members with the ability to discuss problems openly with project management staff.

TO: All Benefits Project Redesign Team Members

Conclusion

Over the next two days I will be meeting with each individual team member in my office. I will inform each of you as soon as possible so that you may rearrange your schedules accordingly. At 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, we will have a team meeting in the main conference room to discuss the project and the new plan for returning it to schedule.

I thank you in advance for your commitment and dedication to this project.

Thank you,
Project Manager

Butts, M., DeJoy, D., Schaffer, B., & Vandenberg, R. (2009). Individual reactions to high-involvement work processes: Investigating the role of empowerment and perceived organizational support. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 14(2), 122–136.

Henry, O., & Evans, A. J. (2008). Occupational stress in organizations. Journal of Management Research, 8(3), 123–135.

Kloppenborg, T. J., & Nkomo, S. (2012). Human resource project management (2nd ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western College Publishing.