Responsibility Handover: Case Analysis

Human Resource Management in Service Sector

September 18, 2012

Submitted by: Group A2

Executive Summary
Softech Technologies has acquired an e-commerce project for a US client, based on agile model. Phase 2 of the project is about to begin, currently being led by a young Project Manager, after the departure of Mrs. Neelima Nair. Recent problems due to frequently changing customer needs have led to adverse impact on project deliverables quality. It is recommended that Mr. Yashpal Banerjee be replaced by an experienced offshore Project Manager, with relevant experience and strong communication skills. Deployment of onsite coordinator and direct coordination between module leaders and client specialists is also recommended. Project management for agile projects should include maintenance of requirements traceability matrix and off-shore unit testing of deliverables.

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Table of Contents
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................... 1 Situation Analysis .................................................................................................................................................. 3 Problems............................................................................................................................................................... 3 Decision Criteria .................................................................................................................................................... 4 Options and Evaluation ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Action Plan ............................................................................................................................................................ 5 Contingency Plan................................................................................................................................................... 5

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Situation Analysis
Softech Technologies is a software development company, with expertise in e-commerce projects. It has acquired an e-commerce trading based project for a US client. Phase 1 of the project began smoothly, with Mrs. Neelima Nair acting as the Project Manager, and client was satisfied with the performance. However the sudden departure of Mrs. Nair led to appointment of Mr. Yashpal Banerjee, a young highperformer in the position. This led to subsequent complaints from clients as well as project team members. As the project is based on agile model, customer requirements are dynamic, and have been changing frequently in the recent period. This had led to the appointment of a senior manager as a contingent on-site coordinator for phase 1. With the beginning of phase 2, the current onsite coordinator is no longer available, and doubt exists on the smooth execution of the remainder of the project.

Problems
Recruitment and Allocation Policy Managerial recruitment While fresh engineers may be recruited without project-resource or domain-resource mapping, recruitment, and especially allocation of managers to projects must be done keeping in mind prior experience in the domain. Project Manager competencies for agile projects In case of agile projects, it is imperative that the Project Manager possesses strong communication skills. This is required for negotiations with the client on the extent of requirement changes acceptable, and also for communicating exactly the new requirements to module leaders. Flawed Project Team Structure Single point of contact in Softech The Project Manager is overloaded with information due to his/her nodal position between two teams. Alternatively, it would be preferable that the specialist from the client interact directly with the module leaders in agile projects. On-site Coordinator not present In projects requiring frequent customer interface due to changing requirements, a lack of on-site coordinator for phase 2 would provide an easy communication channel. Project Management Processes Lack of any document capturing frequency of changes in requirement This led to lack of bargaining power with Softech.

Project Execution Lack of off-shore unit-wise testing leads to increase in software development cycle time.
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Decision Criteria
Critical Success Factors The organizations end goal is to make profits and generate revenue. To achieve this, Softech Technologies needs to increase its client base. This is dependent on three factors. The first is the ability to deliver on time. The second most important factor is the quality of the deliverables. The third criteria, customer satisfaction will ensue if the deliverable meets all the need of the customers and serves its purpose in the long run.

Decision Criteria Timely completion of project Leadership of team o Candidature of new PM Cost Implications

Analysis of Application of Agile Vs. Waterfall Model Waterfall Model Lack of iterative processes in project cycle Customer requirements received at once Used in projects of traditional nature Agile Model Presence of iterative processes Customer requirements vary with progress Criteria of project for adopting agile model: Novelty Complexity Urgency

As e-commerce projects are dynamic in their customer requirements, and involve novelty as well as complexity, Agile Model of software development is preferred. Project management and execution should also be adopted accordingly. A time frame of three to five years should have been provided for the project.

Options and Evaluation

The current options available for Softech are: Option 1: Retain Mr. Banerjee as Project Manager. Option 2: Replace Mr. Banerjee by a suitable candidate for Project Manager position. Option 3: Provide Mr. Banerjee with an experienced manager as additional resource.

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Criterion Timely completion of project Suitability of Project Manager Cost Implication

Option 1
X X

Option 2
-

Option 3 X

We recommend the following action plan, along with Option 2 from above: 1. Replace Mr. Yashpal Banerjee with a suitable Project Manager

Action Plan
Resource Allocation: Replace Mr. Banerjee with a manager having prior experience in such projects of this domain. He/she must also possess strong communication skills, to be assertive in his communication to the client, and to pass on client requirements to the project team accurately.

Organization Structure: Include an onsite coordinator in team. The onsite coordinator shall liaison with the client to get the requirements clarified. This will also ensure a greater time overlap in terms of working hours of client and the service provider. Module Leaders should communicate directly with specialists with the Project Manager remaining in loop.

Project Management Processes: Maintain a requirement traceability matrix. This would ensure a better buy-in of the clients in terms of negotiating of timelines.

Project Execution Processes: Carry unit test at offshore before handling over the module to client. Unit testing will improve the reported number of defects at the clients end. This will add credibility to the service provider and increase customer satisfaction. Include Module Leaders in the calls for ad-hoc requirement changes. This was in practice by the earlier manager and it helped in the smooth execution during project phase 1.

Contingency Plan
In the absence of suitable resource to replace Mr. Banerjee, Mr. Chetan Sharma could handle the client communications, while Mr. Banerjee looked after the technical aspects and the execution of rhe project.
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