Case Study: Volkswagen Mexico Revs Up for Jetta Component Production

Introduction

The case study to be discussed in this analysis is based on the case study, “Volkswagen Mexico Revs Up for Jetta Component Production”. Accordingly, the main objective of VM Mexico is to complete a project within a defined budget and time frame, hence, if the project is late in production it will cause project failure. Moreover, the project team must develop various project management to complete future projects more efficiently, thus, these tools ensure the success of the project ("4. Framework for Project Management – Project Management," 2014). Therefore, there is a need to choose the best tool for the project in which supports team members to achieve their desired goals and objectives ("Project Managers? Developing your Project Team," n.d.).

Project Management Tools and Toolbox

The project management tool and the project management toolbox are used to help the team to achieve its objectives ("Project Managers? Developing your Project Team," n.d.). The key objective of VM Mexico is to complete the project within budget, including; all deliverables completed within the estimated time, achieve all milestones and front axle produce on the plant, and meet desired quality standards. As a result, many tasks are performed parallel to different team members, conversely, it is very difficult for team members to be aware of what happens outside their circle (Prosci, n.d.). However, project management tools assist team members in solving this issue by providing a live activity stream that helps team members understand what is going on. The project management tools box makes team collaboration simpler (Prosci, n.d.).

A project management toolbox is a key tool utilized to run a project successfully and achieve desired objectives, hence, a successful project manager must have a toolbox ("4. Framework for Project Management – Project Management," 2014). Accordingly, there are three layers of a toolbox, each layer has different tools.

Top Layer

In the top layers, the most important tools are stored, these tools save project activity very efficiently. The most common tools for the top layer are effective communication, active listening, and leadership. The project manager and team members must know how to communicate effectively, every member perceives information differently, so it is important to keep this in mind and adjust the communication style accordingly. Active listening is important, especially when teammates do not freely express themselves (De Vreede & Reiter-Palmon, 2013, p. xx). The leadership tool is vital because if a project manager is not a good leader then he/she also is not a good project manager.

Middle Layer

In the middle layer of the project management toolbox, the tools included are backward planning, tracking, and team management (Institute, 2017).  In viewing the tools and this case analysis, planning is going to be a key item utilized to make this project successful, thus, the project manager should make a proper plan, define the budget and timeframe appropriately. After the planning tool, the next tool to implement is tracking. Tracking helps to keep the team and the project on track with the utilization of tracking, project managers can easily understand if the project is doing well or if something is missing ("Project Planning," n.d.). After tracking is team management, managing the demand for the right people to complete the project successfully ("Project Planning," n.d.). It is necessary to choose the team carefully and select the right person for the right job, according to their expertise and not according to the availability ("Project Planning," n.d.).

Lower Layer

Accordingly, the lower layer involves three tools. The first tool is time management, second is conflict management and the third is delegate. A project is successful when it is completed on time, without delay, delays bring about project failures. Moreover, conflicts between team members are natural, but the project manager should resolve these conflicts as soon as possible otherwise team members will leave the job and the turnover rate will increase ("Five Common Human Barriers to Effective Delegation," 2019). It is very important to delegate powers to various team members, i.e.; one team member deals with risk management and one deal with finance, and, etc. ("Five Common Human Barriers to Effective Delegation," 2019). The toolbox implements layer by layer to make the project more efficient and to achieve goals for project success.

In looking at an example of the project management tool MS Project, this project management tool helps to divide up project items and define project milestones, thus, this tool creates a project timeline (Institute, 2017). Relevantly, if team members make use of this tool in the Jetta component production, the project manager will then be able to easily define their milestones and allocate time and resources to reach milestones using this MS project tool. Furthermore, team members will also be able to define the cost of each phase of the project, hence, which makes cost estimation easier ("Project Schedule Development: Planning the Timing and Sequence of Project Activities," n.d.). If cost estimation is realistic then the team members and the project manager will find it easy to complete their project within the specified cost.

Conclusion

The project management toolbox and tools are very important for the success of the project. The VM Mexico team should apply the different tools in different phases of the project as needed to complete the project on time and within the desired budget. Additionally, these tools will help to improve the quality standards because the standards will be defined before the project.

References

• 4. Framework for Project Management – Project Management. (2014, August 14). Retrieved from https://opentextbc.ca/projectmanagement/chapter/chapter-4-framework-for-project-management-project-management/
• De Vreede, T., & Reiter-Palmon, R. (2013). Extracting value through creativity: The role of the leader. PsycEXTRA Dataset. doi:10.1037/e626012013-001
• Five Common Human Barriers to Effective Delegation. (2019, September 19). Retrieved from https://managementisajourney.com/five-common-human-barriers-to-effective-delegation/
• Institute, P. M. (2017). Plan Scope Management. In A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: PMBOK Guide (6th ed.). PA.
• Project Managers ? Developing your Project Team. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://2020projectmanagement.com/resources/role-of-project-managers/project-managers--developing-your-project-team
• Project Planning. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.projectmanager.com/project-planning
• Project Schedule Development: Planning the Timing and Sequence of Project Activities. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_71.htm
• Prosci. (n.d.). Employee Roles In Initiating Successful Change Management. Retrieved from https://www.prosci.com/resources/articles/change-management-roles