Ariba Med-X Case Study

Ariba Med-X Case

1. Which of the two components are underperforming according to the plan? How do you know this?

Solution:

Project Schedule – Project Timeline status reflected that the Project Started on May and the project go-live was on 1st October 2001.Eventhough the CRP was as planned, the project was not capable to go live on 1st October. Also, the schedule performance indicator for the technical infrastructure segment of the project was 0.929 at the end of June and 0.919 at the end of July, indicating a schedule delay.

Project Budget-

The technical infrastructure- Cost performance Index implied the project was over budget(CPI<1).

1. Are the components of the project within budget? How do you know?

Solution:

Software -Within the budget.(As CPI>1)

Technical infrastructure- Over budget.(As CPI<1)

1. What can you conclude by looking at the combined earned value data for the entire project?

Solution:

By looking at the combined earned value(SPI>1), it can be concluded that the projects are on track and can be completed under budget and before the schedule.

1. Why did Terry Baker think that the project was going according to plan the entire time?

Solution:

Terry Baker did not follow a proper project processes.  She did not have proper controls in place that would keep her informed.  Also, it seems that Martin realized that there were issues early on in the project, but he did not communicate these issues to Terry.  This lead Terry to assume that the project was going as per the plan.

5. How much longer will the project take?

Solution:

The project will take additional 30 days to complete.

6. What should Martin have done earlier in the project timeline to prevent delays?

Solution:

Below steps could have been implemented:

1. Martin Could have had a better clarity of the project status if the Earned Value Analysis was UpToDate.
2. There should have been proper communication between Martin and Terry regarding the project blockers.
3. If the project delay was foreseen, there could have been an appropriate resource allocation to manage the work.
4. Martin should have planned effectively on the hardware required for the project ahead of when it is required, to make sure a delay in shipping will not delay the project.
5. Martin should have concentrated on the Quality Assurance department by implementing more testing, so that there are not large sections of work that come back with errors.

7. What should Martin do when managing future projects to prevent similar problems from developing?

Solution:

• Strict Project monitoring and control
• Enhanced communication plan
• Stock the Hardware materials prior
• Hire flexible and dedicated resources to the project
• Setup system access security prior
• Initiate testing phase early