Information Technology Management Phase 1 DB2 Essay

Information Technology Management Phase 1 DB2 - Essay Example the article states, the employees spend a lot of time talking to their families, friends, and their specific target market noting market trends and emerging needs. Through these exposures, they are able to design products which are suitable to the lifestyle of their market. It should also be noted that Pottery Barn’s employees are aligned with the company’s goals. They have absorbed a culture of developing nice looking, high quality, and reasonably priced product. When planning to penetrate their market, these strategies can also be pursued by Pottery Barns. Their employees should also be strategically aligned with the customer value that the company wants to deliver as well as market-driven. The SWU identifies their clients as â€Å"post-college singles, newlyweds, and new families.† From these descriptions there is a common need which SWU wants to fulfill—to be able to design, manufacture, and sell products which bring convenience but are priced significantly lower in order to maximize the purchasing power of the market. The key strategy in SWU is cost leadership that is, offering high quality products at a lower cost. On the other hand, Pottery Barns customer base has branched out from newlyweds, to kids, and even to teens. The company is now looking at the needs of almost the entire market for furniture because of the huge profit and business opportunity. Aside from emphasizing a low-cost strategy, however, Pottery Barn has the strong commitment of providing really high quality products which makes living in this fast paced world more convenient and comfortable. The company draws its strength in the unique and customer-driven designs as well as reasonable pricing scheme for its various products. Thus, in a sense Pottery Barn is a direct competitor of SWU when it comes to serving post-college singles, newlyweds, and starting families. However, Pottery Barns market is relatively larger than that of SWU. From the conception of a product to its sales in

Project management maturity model Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Project management maturity model - Assignment Example Project management principles that need application and support are included in this level. These principles are related to methodologies applied by the company. III. Level 3 Singular Methodology: A company is in a position to integrate all corporate methodologies into one with a focus on project management. These effects termed as synergistic effects simplifies process control in combination with single methodology rather than multiple methodologies. IV. Level 4 Benchmarking: at this level, competitive advantage is enjoyed by a company. Process improvement is the focus of management so that the company maintains this advantage. This level is performed regularly and continuously. Decisions made at this level look at whom and what to benchmark. V. Level 5 Continuous improvement: all information from benchmarking are important for success in project management. This information is used in benchmarking followed by a decision whether the information will empower singular methodology. The se levels of maturity are not only accomplished by companies’ in a consequential manner but may overlap in one manner or the other (Kerzner 2001, pp.41-44). Ferris HealthCare, Inc. ... The need for project managers in career path position with a structure to accommodate project management was seen a priority in making the organization prosper. A project management training program was conducted by a consultant in the organization. One twelfth of the organization’s employees participated in the training program. The fifty trained officials held several meetings in the next two months to set out models to use for the firm. Finally, three stage gates were identified although dictated by personal interests. The models were information systems, new products portfolio and corporate clients. The models developed had several similarities since they had rigid policies and procedures. After a year of implementation of the models, a problem in decision making about the right project manager for a specific project emerged. Project managers were obliged to understand the three models. The only option available was assigning project managers who understood particular meth odology. Later, the company consolidated the methodologies into one, with a focus on guidelines rather than policies and procedures. The new model received support from most employees. The company organized another training session for untrained employees on project management with a focus on the new method. Unfortunately, there was no success in future projects. Questions a. What difficulty did the management face to initiate one methodology from the start? b. Why did the three methods based on policies and procedures? c. Why do you think the company was forced to seek for single methodology? d. Why did the company decide that the methodology rely on guidelines rather than policies