Project management for strategic change in British Airways
Task 2
Project specification
British airways have had its share of misfortune as described in T5 Heathrow experience. According to Willie Walsh, the chief executive of British airways, he identified the loopholes that led to that fateful day (T5 chaos ‘not BA’s finest hour’ 2008, para. 1).The debacle caused in 2008 resulted by poor coordination, inefficient training of personnel and in adequate security screening facilities (T5 chaos ‘not BA’s finest hour’ 2008, para. 22). In order to solve these problems, there is need to create quality change in certain areas. For example, increase the sufficiency in screening gadgets and train the stuff to be flexible and reliable. In this context, the project specification involves increasing sufficiency and efficiency among the workers, finding ways of providing sufficient service delivery to the passengers and identifying modern and effective screening gadgets to avoid debacles.
:
Resources Implications Budget (£)
Human resources
A well-trained team of stuff will enhance coordination in the Company. Service delivery will be efficient and at all times.
In addition, there is need to counsel the staff as they work under pressure most of the time. This will relieve them some burden and feel like there is someone concerned about their welfare. £ 850, 000
Financial resources
In order to achieve efficiency and good service delivery there should be enough finances. This can be got from the company’s investments and the stakeholders. £900,000
Equipment resources Advanced screening gadgets are required to speed up the screening process. Air traffic controllers also need gadgets to ensure proper packing and create space. £500,000
The table represents the importance of the different resources in achieving the projects course. These three resources are responsible for increasing the chances of good coordination, proper service delivery and in the end increase sales.
Some stakeholders may find it expensive to initialize change in T5. For example: appreciating the use of new systems like screening gadgets to reduce lateness. Purchasing new gadgets will need some extra cash. Stakeholders are responsible for a number of changes in a company. The calls they make will determine the fate of a project or success of a company. The stakeholders should contribute or come up with the amount required to make change. The help of stakeholders in raising the funds will determine how the project in place can be achieved eventually.
Stakeholders should also participate in screening process to determine the most appropriate personnel to direct a department. While they help in choosing the appropriate person to handle the department issues, they will be in a better position to identify a neutral person.
There was poor coordination among the staff in terms screening passengers and their luggage. Initially, the staffs were few and less experienced. Therefore, there was need for training the staff on how to appreciate time. Walsh the chief executive of British airways stated that the staff had difficulties in moving around the car park and getting through some security areas (Osborne 2008, para. 5). If the staff is given enough training and techniques of moving around, then they could effectively assist the travelers in getting to their flights on time.
Another important resource that should be considered to instill change is financial resource. T 5 did not have enough money to sustain their passengers when they cancelled the flights. The travelers were given $100, however, hotels asked, them more twice more. In order to solve such scenario, the company should invest have well equipped lodges for their customers in case of a problem like this. There were few trained staff to handle the passengers, and this contributed to the debacle all through.
Task 3
Project plan for applying change in quality systems at BA
After reviewing the situation that befell Terminal 5 Heathrow, there was need to change and improve certain factors in the company. In order to do this, a survey should be done to identify the departments that face problems. Research proved that there should be change in human, financial and material resources. Through the help of the project management team it was important to carry out Product Breakdown Structure (PBS), Work Breakdown structure (WBS), Cost breakdown structure (CBS) and Critical Path Analysis (CPA).
Product breakdown and Work breakdown to improve resources at BA
Cost break down
Amount
Training Air traffic controllers $ 780, 000
Training Marshaller $500,000
Training security guards $450000
Training other employees $800,000
Buying screening gadgets $200,000
Workshops $100000
Regular counseling $100000
Corporate treat $500000
Increase parking space $1000000
Models for change
While carrying out the project plan there were certain models used to provide quality change. Training, counseling, supervision and coordination are important models that should be dealt with to initiate change.
When the staffs are trained, they get equipped with skills and knowledge of handling challenging situations. For example, in case there is a misunderstanding between a passenger and a BA staff, the BA staff can be patient and help to solve the issue without involving a third party. In the end, the travelers will get satisfied with the work the company is doing. Training also equips the staff with advanced skills to handle the current technology (Caruso 2011, para. 4). There are usually new methods of screening that saves time. Therefore, when the staffs are given regular training they will be equipped to face the challenges facing them.
British Airways should ensure that they have efficient supervisors who are ready to work hard. Working in the Airways can be stressing therefore requires someone who can handle pressure. In the end, level of coordination will be high and fewer debacles will be experienced. Under other occasions, having experienced supervisors who understand those who work below them motivates the employees to work harder. Teamwork is the greatest thing that can stimulate change in an organization. Therefore, a supervisor should encourage teamwork at all times in the work place.
When people work under pressure, they get depressed a lot. Therefore, it is important for BA to make sure that they have regular counselors to help the employees deal with personal and work related stressing issues.
Coordination is an important model for change. According to the foul that faced T5, it was discovered that poor coordination among various departments led to the cancellation of many flights. To avoid such incidents from happening again, creating seminars that can bring various departments together to appreciate the work of their colleagues can help (Greenberg n.d., p.1) In this case, the staff learn how various departments work and how effective they are to each other.
Plan to implement model of change
Implementation of the models will depend on the stakeholders. They give the final word if they are satisfied with the need for change in the company. Once BA is ready to handle the operations, the people who are responsible towards working on the training are and counseling are informed (Aguinis & Kraiger n.d., p.10). There is need to have a backup plan in case any of the trainers fail to show up. The trainers also need to be paid on time to make sure that they do not lose trust of the organization. The Organization will have to do the training in shifts that wil not affect the regular BA routine.
Monitoring and evaluation of the process
There should be supervisors who make sure that the process goes on well and smoothly. As the training goes on, other trained personnel who have worked with the industry should be employed to monitor how the employees are putting what they learn in practice. The training should take 1 month, to make sure that all employees get the training. In addition, the employees should not be forced to go for counseling. They should be advised and incase of difficulty in opening up then the employee can be given time to sort out his issues.
When the training is in progress, sampling if employees to give their feedback on the training can help in knowing how important the project was (Martin 2006, p.5). Some passengers too can b asked to comment on the kind of service delivery they are given. These comments can help in solving challenges that face the project.
While defining the tools and resources used for systematic quality change it is vital to know their importance. Having a well-trained staff will increase the level of service delivery and sales (Monitoring and evaluating program implementation n.d., para 5). The company will make more sales at it will have more customers. Finance is equally important to make sure that the project is in order.
Task 4
While addressing the quality system changes at Terminal 5 of BA, it is noteworthy to consider the importance of human resources. Practically, the human resource is the most important resource. Human beings are the once who coordinate the other resources to make a project successful. Therefore, it is important to train human resources to have the best outcome. When employees are trained, they usually have the courage to perform their work to the best of their ability (Training, development, and human resources n.d., para.1).
In the BA community, there are several employees who work together to make work a success. They include engineers, security guards, air traffic controllers, marshaller, receptionists, hostesses, pilots, waiters and waitresses. Without this group of hardwiring personnel, work in the British airways can be unsuccessful. It is vital to note that these human recourses require regular training on how to handle pressure within the company. All these employees should have strong analytical aptitude, good communication skills, show attention to detail, think logically, creative, excellent technical knowledge, team players and good problem solving skills. In order to sustain quality change, the human resources require proper training and respect in what they do. In addition, there is need to boost their moral by giving them reasonable salary and regular counseling (Novotney 2010, para. 3). In addition giving the staff a treat occasionally to help them release stress can increase their morale. The project manager should be in a position to coordinate the staff and be patient with them.
Task 5
Monitoring the project
Projects should be monitored and evaluated after their implementation. When monitoring is done, the project manager is in a position to know where things are not going straight. While trying to administer quality change in BA there were certain challenges faced. There are certain stakeholders who were against the idea of purchasing new screening gadgets to instill quality change. They were not convinced that buying new gadgets could solve the problems faced in T5. In addition, the time allocated for training was not enough to train the staff adequately. There were issues with space in the parking lot.
Training the staff is essential in boosting morals of the employees and giving them analytical skills to handle challenging situations. However, the challenge got was to get enough trainers to handle the situation. Initially, the trainers had agreed on a certain amount. However due to the unavoidable circumstances they demanded a raise. The trainers breached the contract making it a challenge to handle the training sessions as per the project plan. In order to solve this scenario, the stakeholders should be involved to file a case against the training company that breached the contract and pay consequential damages (Remedies against Breach of Contract 2010, para.8). At the same time, alternative trainers can be incorporated to handle the situation with the shortest time possible. In addition, stakeholders can be advised on the importance of purchasing new gadgets. Identifying the few that need replacement is vital. In the end it will reduce expenses within the company.
Reference list
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