MGT503 Assignment # 2 Solution

Semester “Fall 2011”

“Principles of Management (MGT503)”

Assignment No. 2

“Well-designed Goals”
Global Experts Co. Case:
Global Experts Co. designs and develops innovative game applications based on customer feedback and requirements. After each delivery, the customer’s feedback is taken as a measure of performance of the development team. This feedback, quantified as the level of customer satisfaction, is tied to the development team’s pay for performance system.

Three basic objectives have been set for the development team’s effective performance:

• To deliver the end product with minimum or no flaws
• To achieve the target within due date
• To ensure best after-sales services

However, the development team faced a major dilemma. In most of the projects, the customers’ requirements were vague and the team required more time to clarify necessary issues. This sometimes translated into projects being late and bad after-sales services, which meant an adverse impact on the team’s compensation. Ultimately the project manager, who had to face a lot of dissatisfied customers, team members and management, decided to resign.
Questions:
1. Based on your understanding and knowledge of the characteristics of well-designed goals, you are required to briefly state what is the problem with the objectives that have been set for the development team?

2. Give two suggestions for how this issue can be resolved? Provide proper reasoning in favor of your suggestions.



Solution # 1:

• Unrealistic goals have been set keeping in view the ground situation where there are delays in getting feedback, ultimately having a negative effect on the teams’performance and reward system. Because of this, even if the product was developed and delivered in time, there were flaws reported, hence defeating the first objective of achieving goals in time.
• Goals may not have been set with input from all individuals involved, thereby creating conflicts among team members and customers
• While setting goals, resources and constraints may not have been assessed. For instance, improper or vague requirements of customers, untimely feedback.

Solution # 2:
If we take a look at the teams’ goals and also the bottlenecks being confronted, it is quite clear that if the first 2 objectives are met, it will make the 3rd goal easier to attain.

• All parties should be involved toensure proper and timely communication so as to avoid ambiguities in product requirements, to minimize the flaws and ultimately eradicate errors.
• Due date can be set considering the complexity of the project at hand. The time specified to achieve goals should be practical and such that the team does not go about the project haphazardly in order to achieve the target within due date.