global green books case study

Project Management at Global Green Books Publishing Case Study

Introduction.

The possibilities of creating favorable conditions for working with clients and realizing the goals set are largely determined by the quality of strategic planning and corresponding risk management mechanisms. In case weak and insufficiently effective analytical practices are maintained, even a potentially successful business can cause difficulties and losses due to problems with budgeting, goods supply, customer interaction, or all the issues in total.

To avoid undesirable results, it is essential for project managers to support a high level of risk control and comply not only with the general rules of market entrepreneurship but also those aspects of activities that characterize a particular business. In the example of Global Green Books Publishing, a recently operating firm specializing in printing and delivering electronic books, relevant problems and challenges will be considered, which relate to risk management and the ways of preventing unprofitable production.

Since the company in question is young, maintaining appropriate control principles is an important procedure. Therefore, risk management in the context of the activities of the considered project is a crucial practice that allows achieving the sustainability of work, sales stability, and recognition from customers through quality services.

Challenges That Project Managers Face as Risk Managers

The principles of work organization at Global Green Books Publishing are based on the involvement of modern technologies for creating electronic books, which is in demand in the context of the transition to digital methodological resources. Nevertheless, despite a potentially profitable business, its creators have some difficulties that impede the development of the company to the full extent and cause discontent on the part of some customers.

The invited specialist has been able to identify some areas that are weak and adjust the work of Global Green Books Publishing in such a way as to eliminate the most severe problems. Among these challenges related to a risk management policy as one of the important activity conditions, such issues should be mentioned as the absence of specialized software for scheduling, undeveloped tools for estimating costs, and poor communication with stakeholders.

Absence of Software for Scheduling

One of the shortcomings found in the process of analyzing the activities of the company in question is the absence of appropriate software for scheduling and control over goods transportation. The inability to estimate delivery times and difficulties in planning the entire production process of e-books have become those factors that led to consumer dissatisfaction with delays in receiving orders. This, in turn, is unacceptable in the conditions of market competition, when clients’ approval is mandatory and contributes to expanding the potential of a particular production.

According to Savolainen and Ahonen (2015), software development plays an essential role in building a sustainable business based on the delivery of goods of a certain profile and in many respects determines the profitability of a specific project. Therefore, this flaw has affected customer interest negatively and become one of the factors causing problems with the brand recognition of Global Green Books Publishing.

Undeveloped Tools for Estimating Costs

Software engineering provides an opportunity to achieve not only the correct scheduling of goods delivery but also plan the budget of a particular company. As Savolainen and Ahonen (2015) note, cost-effectiveness is a crucial feature, and special programs and tools designed to simplify the work of project managers and eliminate unplanned expenses help in controlling this aspect of activities.

At Global Green Books Publishing, such software is absent, which does not allow the business owners to manage their financial resources reasonably and reduces the likelihood of successful asset allocation. Since neither of the two creators of this firm has an economic education, such calculation programs should be mandatory elements in their entrepreneurial practice. Therefore, their absence is an omission, which is a serious challenge.

Poor Communication with Stakeholders

Another significant omission that the hired risk management specialist has discovered is poor communication with clients, which is caused not only by the lack of business owners’ knowledge about how to engage customers but also by the lack of special tools. Savolainen and Ahonen (2015) argue that in the process of data exchange between the customer and the seller, “clarifications from the customer are often required” (p. 98).

At Global Green Books Publishing, there are no appropriate technologies to maintain permanent contact with customers, which, in turn, may lead to client dissatisfaction due to delivery delays or other related challenges. Therefore, creating a sustainable system of interaction with all stakeholders is necessary; otherwise, the company will lose customers, which is unacceptable in a developing business environment.

Effective Risk Managers’ Skills and Competencies

In order to cope with the aforementioned challenges successfully and overcome the difficulties that arise, risk managers are to possess appropriate skills and competencies. The ability to anticipate potential barriers and eliminate them timely makes it possible to avoid the loss of demand for goods sold and customer dissatisfaction.

As a young firm, Global Green Books Publishing should be actively involved in the implementation of the necessary strategies based on the successful introduction of risk management approaches. The professionalism of those responsible for strategic planning is an important component of success. As significant competencies that risk managers should possess, it is essential to mention high communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to organize subordinates’ productive activity.

High Communication Skills

Building business relationships with the target audience is an important objective in the context of a growing business. Since there are difficulties in maintaining interaction with clients at Global Green Books Publishing due to the absence of appropriate software components, it is essential for the company’s project managers to have high communication skills.

Hodgson and Paton (2016) argue that such employees’ professional competencies are based on the successful control of subordinates’ work duties and the distribution of tasks among them in accordance with the current needs of a particular company. In relation to the company in question, project managers need to establish a solid system of interaction with both colleagues and buyers in order to have information about all the emerging challenges and to track such crucial aspects of business as demand and interest in the brand.

Attention to Details

A detailed-oriented approach to the organization of risk management is relevant due to an opportunity to control all the aspects of activity without exception. Those project managers who are able to take into account all the nuances of working in a particular environment foresee potential difficulties and utilize all available resources in order to prevent the loss of customer interest.

According to Hodgson and Paton (2016), this practice stimulates subordinates’ dedication and contributes to enhancing the “values ​​of professional knowledge” (p. 359). Since the owners of Global Green Books Publishing have hired a specialist who is attentive to detail, it is likely that her competences will be enough to increase the position of the company and achieve the expansion of the business influence.

Organizing Subordinates’ Productive Activity

If a project manager is interested in achieving high working results, his or her activity is aimed at maintaining subordinates’ productivity. In addition, as Hodgson and Paton (2016) remark, leaders’ cumulative performance of the required tasks along with colleagues increases the efficiency of all procedures and helps rally a team.

With reference to Global Green Books Publishing, coordinating the work of several employees is essential. Since the firm is small, the role of each subordinate is high, and the competent performance of direct duties is of great importance for improving the market position of the business. Therefore, project managers should promote the practice of maintaining employees’ interest in the conscientious implementation of the tasks assigned.

Challenges That Team Members Face when Dealing with Risks

Not only project managers but also the company’s employees are confronted with difficulties that complicate the workflow and hamper the implementation of the goals set. At the same time, at Global Green Books Publishing, it is crucial to follow a clear algorithm for performing all the procedures since due to the prevailing circumstances, the company loses its position because of the problems that have arisen.

When evaluating the role of employees in the company, it can be noted that the competent implementation of direct responsibilities is one of the most important objectives. Nevertheless, while analyzing the activities of Global Green Books Publishing, it is possible to make a conclusion that some challenges occur periodically, and among the most frequent of them, knowing the status of work, interpersonal conflicts, and diverse backgrounds and motivations may be mentioned.

Knowing the Status of Work

If employees do not have a clear idea of ​​what specific goals are required to fulfill and why certain strategies are ineffective, this is a significant challenge. As Fraser and Simkins (2016) note, those workers who do not know what risks certain omissions are fraught with do not contribute to the achievement of positive results and hamper business growth. At Global Green Books Publishing, the hired project manager has faced with a situation when subordinates cannot give an accurate answer to the question about the significance of their activities and the status of the procedures that they perform. This, in turn, affects the overall results of work negatively and does not allow the management to implement the outlined strategies.

Interpersonal Conflicts

Another common problem that the members of the Global Green Books Publishing team face when dealing with risks is interpersonal conflict. Since part-time employees are involved, they are not familiar with one another and cannot rely on the qualified performance of duties among colleagues. Fraser and Simkins (2016) argue that the risks of reduced efficiency due to misunderstanding among workers are highly possible, and both production and communication difficulties arise. As a result, employees cannot follow a clearly planned schedule, which entails the loss of production efficiency.

Diverse Backgrounds and Motivation

Organizational culture implies respect for colleagues and the absence of any bias towards one another. However, at Global Green Books Publishing, part-time employees have different professional and cultural backgrounds, which creates challenges for them and entails disagreements resulting in conflicts. Also, the level of motivation is of great importance in the context of achieving a common goal. If the company’s workers are not ready to show commitment and improve their professional skills for the benefit of their company, the likelihood of the success of the proposed initiatives is reduced. According to Fraser and Simkins (2016), teamwork does not accept individualism if it is expressed in the desire to separate from the collective. Such a difficulty is also encountered at Global Green Books Publishing, which creates additional challenges for the management.

Effective Team Members’ Skills and Competencies

The manifestation of professional competence and high working skills is important not only among project managers but also employees. Interest in achieving positive production results characterizes the team as properly oriented, and relevant qualities are significant in the context of job performance. Based on the activities of Global Green Books Publishing, following the company’s guidelines, maintaining high communication skills, and timely initiative are the most important employee skills when identifying and managing risks.

Following the Company’s Guideline

The effective implementation of goals may be achieved through strict adherence to those algorithms that are set by the management. As Lin, Chen, Hsu, and Fu (2015) note, carrying out leadership tasks at different levels in accordance with the specified steps eliminates any inconsistencies with the final goals and makes it possible to plan long-term prospects. This, in turn, minimizes the risks and helps avoid additional costs. Therefore, the ability to follow the company’s guidelines is a responsible competency.

Maintaining High Communication Skills

In order to avoid interpersonal conflicts, employees should maintain a high level of communication. According to Lin et al. (2015), if members of a particular group have enough time for interaction, the quality of their mutual understanding improves, which, in turn, contributes to increasing production results. Accordingly, at Global Green Books Publishing, employees should sharpen corporate communication skills to make the workflow effective in the face of emerging challenges.

Mini case 7 Closing Projects at Global Green Books

Project management (ensc5401), stockton university, recommended for you, students also viewed.

• Reding - Executing - Project Managenment
• Case Study 7 Stoduc
• Case Study 3
• CASE 4 - Project Management-Case Study 4
• Week 1 reading
• Boing Leadership-exercise hand out

Related documents

• Trails Feasibility Survey Tech Proposal 11
• Closing - Quiz
• Case Study 9 (1)
• Network Diagram
• Kaneesha Network Diagramm
• Kaneesha Network Diagramm Assignment

Preview text

Mini-case study: closing projects at global green books publishing.

Global Green Books Publishing is continuing to grow. The customized eBooks line of work is continuing to grow, and they now have a lot of experience from the eBook projects that they have completed for their first eBook customer, a local college, and for their newer customers.

However, as new projects come in and start to run into problems, some of the project managers in the project management office and their manager, Samantha, were discussing how it seems like it is déjà vu all over again – some of the same problems that they thought they had solved in working with supervisors and their teams on past projects keep on occurring.

The eBook projects are functioning well, and customers are happy with the results. Repeat orders are coming in and new customers are turning to Global Green Books for their eBook production needs.

But, there are just some problems that seem to keep popping up. One of the project managers even described dealing with these problems as being like playing the popular arcade game of “Whack-a-Mole” - as soon as you deal with one to make it disappear, the same one or another one just pops up. It seems like a never-ending struggle to try and solve some of these problems, especially when some seem like they were already solved on another earlier project.

In the PM handbook that Samantha had implemented, when projects completed the supervisors finished tracking all of the actual effort and costs and turned that information over to cost accounting for billing purposes. As Samantha and colleagues implemented the project management office, they modified the PM manual to have a copy of this information also shared with the project management office. They have found this information to be sometimes useful as historical data to help develop estimates for new projects as requests for new eBooks come in from their customers.

The PMO team was discussing making changes to the PM manual and holding a short training for supervisors to implement some improvements to their project completion processes. They wanted to change their standard job template to incorporate these additions:

 a planned task for supervisors to close out the project,  a task to create a lessons learned report, and  an optional task for a closing celebration for the team to mark the end of the project,

They felt that it was important that the PMO start capturing lessons learned. These could be collated by the supervisors at the end of the project, or they could encourage supervisors to plan, schedule and hold a project closing meeting with their team members to thank the team members and to collect lessons learned from all of the team. They could also invite feedback or participation from the relevant Customer Service Representatives and account managers.

The PMO received management approval for these changes, updated the PM manual, and held a brief training for supervisors. Supervisors liked the ideas, especially because the close-out meeting or team celebration would give them a chance to recognize and reward team members and would serve to motivate the teams for future projects. As time went on, the PMO started collecting these lessons learned from many projects.

As they collected these lessons learned from these projects, the PMO staff started to look at the data from the lessons learned across the projects. They examined frequency of the six kinds of issues that were being encountered on the projects. The histogram below shows their results.

Based on feedback from the leadership training that they had done with the supervisors, they had thought that the major cause of delays and extra costs on projects were part-time student employees calling off from work at the last minute, leaving planned work not performed until another resource could be assigned to it, which was often difficult as there were few slack resources. This made tasks late and sometimes delayed projects from completing on time.

Their analysis showed that that wasn’t the case at all. In fact only three of the problems on projects were caused by unplanned absences. In their Pareto analysis, the PMO staff identified three key problems, which they highlighted in red. Delays in obtaining necessary reprint permissions from certain publishers were the largest cause of problems, accounting for 34% of the problems encountered by eBook projects. Production staff calling in sick was the next most frequent problem, accounting for 28% of the problems. Customer changes, which often caused rework and delays, were the root cause of another 20% of the problems.

The PMO now knew what the most important issues were that were causing eBook projects to be delayed, and could make recommendations to mitigate each of these problems.

• Multiple Choice

Course : Project Management (ENSC5401)

University : stockton university.

• More from: Project Management ENSC5401 Stockton University 13   Documents Go to course

Academia.edu no longer supports Internet Explorer.

To browse Academia.edu and the wider internet faster and more securely, please take a few seconds to  upgrade your browser .

Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link.

• We're Hiring!
• Help Center

Download Free PDF

Mini case 9 Quality Management at Global Green Books

Related papers

Online Submission, 2012

Finally, a scientific explanation for Mars within 30 degrees of the lunar node as an influential factor on human behavior According to NASA, the moon is getting further away from earth by a distance of 3 centimeters each year, due to the moon’s orbit expanding. My reservations would surmise that Mars may be the catalyst driving this effect when Mars goes within 30 degrees of the lunar node. Let me explain. There is a gravitational force of attraction between all objects in the universe. The gravitational pull of a mass not only affects the position and orientation of other masses and vice versa, it can also affect the orbital planes of other masses and vice versa. This is what is happening when Mars goes within 30 degrees of the lunar node—essentially the mass of Mars is exerting a gravitational pull on the moon’s orbital plane around the earth. It does this via the lunar node.

إسلام أون لاين, 2023

حوار حول البلاغة العربية الجديدة وتحدياتها

This paper explores the validity of the concept of colonization in modern scholarship and in discrete historical circumstances. It argues against the denial of both the terminology and the phenomenon, a denial which has been expressed mostly in a declaratory mode rather than by a sustained, systematic and comprehensive research. Historical terminology is meaningful when specific: replacing “colony” with “settlement” is a cover-all term. Contrary to some claims, the terminology of Greek colonization is in fact similar to the Latin colonia in its relation to possessing and tilling the land (colere) around the vocabulary of ktizein. The latter is somewhat neglected in recent scholarship, in favor of apoikia-related terms. The idea that fifth-century accounts of Archaic colonization are anachronistically structured around a “Classical model” (and therefore the sources cannot be trusted) is wrong, since by the Classical periods there were many deviations from what had been expected (e.g., Heraclea Trachinia, Amphipolis). The criticism of Greek colonization ignores major aspects: the role of nomima, common to metropoleis and apoikiai; the mutually recognized networks of mother cities and colonies (mostly uncontroversial and recognized by the entire Greek world and the Delphic oracle); the numerous of obscure names of founders, with no apparent reason to invent them. The second part of the article examines the “right of return” and the overlap between the notions of double “homes”: the right to join a colony after its foundation and the right to return home, indicating reciprocal connectivity and recognition. Cases studied: Naupaktos, Selinous, Lato, and Cyrene: Cyrenaians returning to Thera and vice versa (a point mostly forgotten by those claiming anachronism in the Cyrene foundation decree); Corinth, Corcyra, and Epidamnos (with mention of Bacchiads, Cypselus, Leukas, Ambrakia, Anactorion).

Trabajo de maquinas de fluidos

This is the full programme for 6th International Conference on Philosophy and Meaning in Life, which will take place in Liverpool from 17 to 19 June 2024. This is a hybrid event, so you can take part in person or online. You can register for the conference here:https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/philosophy/events/philosophy-and-meaning-in-life/

Il libro delle anafore della Chiesa copta ortodossa, 2023

Kentsel Planlama Ansiklopedik Sözlük, 2012

Pioneer: Journal of Language and Literature

Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Information Systems Security and Privacy, 2020

Applied Energy, 2013

E-Jurnal Akuntansi, 2020

Plasmid, 1996

Reta Handayani, 2023

Journal of Water Process Engineering, 2019

Finance and Stochastics, 2009

arXiv (Cornell University), 2008

Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, 2023

•   We're Hiring!
•   Help Center
• Find new research papers in:
• Health Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Cognitive Science
• Mathematics
• Computer Science
• Academia ©2024