Tritec Case Study

405 Words2 Pages
As Program Manager, what did Jack Smith do that was effective? Jack did a number of things well in his effort to complete the joint venture engine development project between Chrysler and BMW. Jack effectively sought the help of other experienced product developers to help him in the transition to his new role. In doing so he was able to gain the executive support needed to accomplish tasks in a timely manner. Jack also did well to outline the expectations of the project by means of “The Contract Book”. Although at first it was not well received, “The Contract Book” was eventually made more concise and detailed the critical factors crucial to the project being a success. The quarterly meetings held by Jack was a effective in the sense that he could communicate the status of the project to upper management and keep communication open with the steering committee , thus ensuring that their were no surprises. Jack worked hard to seek out highly talented and motivated engineers who were willing to dedicate themselves to the project. He also hired a group of managers who had significant plant manufacturing experience. This hiring was done to ensure that the design would not be “thrown over the wall” which had happened in the past. Smith also located the design team in the same facility to increase communication, foster team building as well as speed up the decision making process. What should he have done differently? I liked his approach to leadership and his concept of aligning the processes, organization, strategy and the means of measuring the progress. But there are a number of cases where Jack should have handled the project management role differently • Jack should have brought the manufacturing engineers into the design processes at the start of the project. • Jack should have better time control on his meetings. He should delegate

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