Accounting Software Installation Project

The Accounting Software Inst whollyation Project (from Larson, E. E. , and Gray, C. F. , 2011 Project focal point the managerial process, fifth edition p441) Sitting in her office, Karin Chung is revie get throughg the past quaternity months of the large corporate score software installation swan she has been managing. E precisething seemed so well planned before the project started. Each company sectionalization had a problem wedge that provided input into the proposed installation along with possible problems. All the different divisions had been trained and briefed on exactly how their division would porthole and use the forthcoming accounting software.All six contractors, which included one of the outstanding Five consulting companies, assisted in developing the work breakdown social structurecosts, specifications, time. Karin hired a consultant to conduct a one-day partnering workshop go to by the major accounting heads, a member of each childbed force group, and k ey representatives from each of the contractors. During the workshop, several different team-building exercises were used to garnish the importance of collaboration and effective communication. Everyone laughed when Karin fell into an imaginary acid contradict during a human bridge-building exercise.The workshop ended on an upbeat name with everyone signing a partnering charter that expressed their commitment to working in concert as partners to complete the project. TWO MONTHS LATER One task force member came to Karin to complain that the contractor dealing with billing would not perceive to his concerns about problems that could occur in the Virginia division when billings are consolidated. The contractor had told him, the task force member, he had bigger problems than consolidation of billing in the Virginia division.Karin replied, You bum settle the problem with the contractor. Go to him and explain how serious your problem is and that it ordaining have to be settled befo re the project is completed. Later in the week in the lunchroom she overheard one consulting contractor bad-mouthing the work of anothernever on time, interface cryptology not tested. In the hallway the equal day an accounting department supervisor told her that tests showed the new software will never be compatible with the Georgia divisions accounting practices.While concerned, Karin considered these problems typical of the kind she had encountered on other smaller software projects. oddball FOUR MONTHS LATER The project seemed to be falling apart. What happened to the positive perspective fostered at the team-building workshop? One contractor wrote a formal garner complaining that another contractor was sitting on a coding decision that was delaying their work. The letter went on We cannot be held responsible or conjectural for delays caused by others. The project was already two months behind, so problems were becoming very real and serious. Karin finally decided to call a meeting of all parties to the project and partnering agreement. She began by asking for problems people were encountering while working on the project. Although participants were reluctant to be first for fear of being perceived as a complainer, it was not long before accusations and tempers flared out of control. It was always nearly group complaining about another group.Several participants complained that others were sitting on decisions that resulted in their work being held up. One consultant said, It is impossible to tell whos in charge of what. Another participant complained that although the group met separately on small problems, it never met as a total group to judge new risk situations that developed. Karin felt the meeting had degenerated into an unrecoverable situation. Commitment to the project and partnering appeared to be waning. She quickly decided to stop the meeting and cool things down.She stave to the project stakeholders It is clear that we have some ser ious problems, and the project is in jeopardy. The project must get back on track, and the backbiting must stop. I want each of us to come to a meeting Friday sunrise with concrete suggestions of what it will take to get the project back on track and specific actions of how we can make it happen. We need to recognize our reciprocal interdependence and bring our relationships with each other back to a win/win environment. When we do get things back on track, we need to cypher out how to stay on track.