The P-O-L-C framework

One of the most important tools used by business organizations to implement projects effectively is the P-O-L-C framework. It takes into account four important project implementation factors, namely planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Planning often involves defining the vision and objective, setting goals, developing a strategy, and creating a plan to attain them. The framework's organizing principle stresses the creation of the organizational structure, resource distribution, and job design. On the other hand, leadership focuses on giving the project direction, inspiring people, and making sure that the activities are properly coordinated. Lastly, the aspect of controlling in the framework focusses on managing the processes and the standards, reviews, and evaluation (Principles of Organizing, n.d.). Therefore, the framework is essential to the success of the projects.

The Galaxy Toys Inc is a toy company that has been in operation since the year 1956. The firm serves millions of people from different parts of the world through the manufacturing and sale of its toy products. It has concentrated on the production and sale of the spacecraft toys for the children as a way to motivate the children to pursue space exploration. It rides on a mission of creation of both the classic and the temporary space-related toys for all the ages. The company performed well over the years, winning many rewards for its excellent work. Currently, the organization looks forward to conducting both major short term and long term production objectives for the project MMTJE1.

This paper focusses on the last three main aspects of the implementation of the MMTJE1 project through the P-O-L-C framework. These factors are organizing, leading and the controlling of the project. The report creates a production floor after an analysis of the structural functions, the organizational chart, and the decision-making process. Besides, it assesses the change and focusses on the motivation, the leadership and the control of the project. Therefore, the paper is critical in the provision of the guideline for the successful execution of the MMTJE1 project.

Part One

The role of the Managers

At the organizational cycle, the managers are tasked with the responsibility of organizing the people, the physical resources, and the money. The process entails a close analysis of the resources available and the best way to manage them with a target to sustain the entire project up to the end. The function is critical for the managers, since, it allows a smooth flow of the project, its continuity and ensures that the exercise does not face the shortages or other challenges of people, physical resources in the endeavor (Episode 107: Establishing Decision-Making Authority, 2013).

At Galaxy, the managers have the responsibility of incorporating the goals and the objectives from the previous planning stage of the framework to ensure that there is a smooth transition from the planning step to the organization part. Usually, the managers achieve the synchronization of the two stages through an emphasis on the work plan, which is the main output from the planning step. Therefore, through the work plan for project MMTJE1, the managers at Galaxy are in a better position to understand the results from the planning phase and successfully transit to the organizing phase. The plan acts a guideline on how the requirements for the project will be utilized regarding time, quality and amount, making it easier for the managers to quickly establish and organize the resources that will compete for the goals (Management Roles: Planning, Organizing, Leading, Controlling, 2012).

As an approach to handle their responsibilities, the managers take up the task of creating the organizational structure for the project. The structure helps in managing the human resources towards successful implementation of the goals of the project. The managers also have the take the role of conducting the organization's decisions related to the design, as a way to control the resources involved (A New Role for Management in Today’s Post-Industrial Organization, n.d.). Besides, the managers handle the job design decisions in the organization as a way to manage the tasks and the process through which they are carried out. Therefore, the managers play a critical role towards the success of the project.

Organizing People, Physical Resources, and Money

According to project MMTJE1, there is need to prioritize objective three, which focusses on completing the prototype toy trials for the approval by the QC department by October 31, 2017. This short-term objective is critical since its completion affects the occurrence of other goals and objectives (Planning in Management: Strategic, Tactical, and Operational Plans, 2014). Trial prototype toys must be approved before the other three objectives in the production process. For example, the aim of producing 1.5 million toys cannot happen before the prototype toys are completed and approved by the QC, setting the target for the plant cannot take place before the prototype is accepted and shipment cannot take place before production. Besides, it is clear that this objective needs to be accomplished earlier than all the other objectives, a factor that necessitates its priority on the list. Therefore, toy prototyping must happen ahead of any other short-term objective of the four listed.

The second objective will be the start of producing 1.5 million toys by January 2018. The third objective by priority is to have each plant produce 375,000 toys by May 31, 2018, and lastly, to start shipping the products to the customers by June 2018.

Tasks Required for Each Short Term Objective

Prototype Toy trials will be completed and approved by QC by October 31, 2017

Hire four trained printer operators with computer expertise

Hire one new IT person to liaise with the IT department software and workers on the floor

Accommodate the prototype material at $4,000

Establish a service contract for the computers

Time supply of printed material for the creation of the toy and packaging

Producing 1.5 Million Toys by January 2018

Increase the budget of the production department from $300,000 to $650,000

Add Two conveyor lines with 100-foot clearance for printers and forklift, pallets and people

Upgrade the printers

Training of the backup employees

Maintain the Salaries of existing personnel and physical resources

Each plant must produce 375,000 toys by May 31, 2018

Add four compatible computers for each for each branch

Add two additional computers for the creation of the toy and packaging, service contract for the computer

Have branch will have four additional printers.

Ensure all the job positions on each plant are filled

Improve the frequency of production for each plant floor

Shipment to customers will begin June 2018

Timely implementation all the tasks

Provide the requirements for toy creation and their packaging

Frequency of output

Operate on shifts to ensure consistency

Ensure the budget accommodates all the financial needs of the project

Part Two

During the implementation of change through project MMTJE1, there are certain factors that can lead to lowered motivation and morale of the employees at Galaxy. At the company, it has been noted that the older employees experience lowered motivation when they notice that the new technology is replacing their long-serving skills on the job (Reduce staff turnover and employee engagement | Business Victoria, 2014). Firstly, their motivation is lowered because they experience reduced job security. They feel like the jobs are likely to be replaced by new technology in the field. The 3D printers are fast, accurate and require little human intervention making the staff feel irrelevant in the organization. Besides, the motivation and morale of the older employees are lowered to an interruption in the reward system. In most cases, organizations motivate the employees through measuring their performance, which is usually derived from the speed and accuracy when handling their task. The factor had been replaced by the machines in the MMJTE1 project.

Besides, the change to the use of new technology at Galaxy creates the fear of unknown within the employees. It denies the workers the ability to predict the future of their career life within the organization. Usually, the uncertainty affects the older staff more than the young ones. When the employees are operating in a state of unknown, their motivation and morale are significantly altered (What is the Balanced Scorecard, n.d.). Additionally, the process of change implementation without a good communication system increases the degree of uncertainty, a factor that significantly increases insecurity, hampering the motivation and the morale of the workers at Galaxy.

Yu should work to put in place robust strategies to ensure that he sustains the employee motivation and keep their morale for the success of the project. Firstly, there is need to provide that there is a good communication system in place during the time of implementation (Communication skills in the workplace for managers | Business Victoria, 2014). Communication plays a critical in change implementation through providing a channel through which the project leaders can use to clear misunderstandings that may lead to reduced employee motivation and morale. Secondly, Yu should employ strategies that will help to align the employee goals with the organizational goals. This is important and helps the workers to feel part of the change, a factor that in turn motivates and boosts their morale in the change process implementation.

Also, Yu needs to focus on the adoption of suitable approaches that facilitate the employee learning at Galaxy. Older staff in the organization usually perceive change as new knowledge well known by a younger generation. Thus, creating a learning environment makes them feel secure since they will gain sufficient knowledge about the change being implemented in the organization (Principles of Management | Boundless Management, n.d.). Therefore, putting appropriate measures in place significantly keeps the motivation and the morale of the employees in the organization during the execution of change.

Part Three

Standard Specifications

The chart shows production performance of the MMTJE1 project. From the diagram, it is apparent that each of the branches of Galaxy has performed well to attain significant toy pieces during the year. In the production, the White Plains branch was leading concerning the number of the pieces produced. The standard branch provided the lowest number of pieces throughout the year when compared to other divisions. Rating all the Galaxy branches’ performance regarding the number of toy pieces produced during the year gives White Plains to be leading, followed by Huntsville branch and then the Dayton branch. Toledo takes the fourth position while the Juarez branch takes the fifth department, leaving the Standard in the last place.

A look at the measurable factors in the new toy production chain unveils that different branches of Galaxy recorded different levels of the measurable factors. The difference in the value recordings of the measurable elements in each department dictates their productivity. Toledo incurred the highest cost while Juarez incurred the lowest in the project. The production time at Juarez was highest while that at White Plains being the lowest. Juarez recorded the highest quality control problem ratio while standard recorded the lowermost. Huntsville recorded had the biggest training time while Juarez the smallest. The shipping problems were highly pronounced at Standard while lowly pronounced at the Dayton. On the other hand, the 3D printing issues were much experienced at Juarez while Huntsville had the lowest. There is need to consider improvements, reduce the cost, production time, the quality control problem and the shipping problem all the branches that have recorded the highest values.

Corrective Action

The "corrective action" as a control function of the POLC refers to the activities or approaches that the management employs to overcome the current issues faced by the production chain. Usually, the strategies work towards avoiding the occurrence possibility of problems or issues that may probably happen. It forms one of the important aspects of achieving the improved production regarding quality and the quantity produced in the course. Increasing the quality, cutting down the cost involved and increasing outputs are one of the critical factors that help the organization to improve its profitability (Building a Learning Organization, 2008).

As a way to increase the profitability of the project, Yu should consider coming up with the corrective measures to enhance perfection and avoid the possible errors that may happen during the production process (Tutorialspoint.com, 2017). For example, Yu should enforce strategies to reduce the measurable attributes in the production process for each branch, such as minimizing the 3D problem by setting the printers to the best resolution possible. Therefore, the corrective measures will play a critical role in helping Galaxy to produce more toys of the best quality in the market, which in turn increases its profitability.

Long-term Planning

In the meeting, Keith should first recommend to the management that more 3D printer technology should be embraced. The printers have increased efficiency in the production process, and none of the managers at any branch is complaining about them concerning lowered productivity (3 Major Relationships between Planning and Controlling Functions of Management, 2013). Secondly, Keith should recommend the hiring of the specialist in the IT field. Managers are complaining about the lack of expertise to manage the 3D printers. Besides, Keith should also recommend that the managements should consider training the existing staff about the new production line. Additionally, the company should consider adopting motivation strategies that will help it achieve the employ retention and boost their morale to work for the organization.

Whereas the long-term planning focusses on setting the aims and objectives that will be implemented for many years to come, control functions emphases on the how the implementation of the goals and objectives will be attained in the best way possible. Most of the recommendations of Keith in the meeting has a lot of concern for the long-term goals of the company. The proposal to embrace the 3D printing technologies will permanently change the workflows in the company, modify the roles of the staff and many other changes in the production process. The hiring of the specialist as the other recommendation of Keith will have a long-term financial implication for the company. Besides, the recommendation to embrace the best motivation strategies in the organization will have a long-term impact on its operation, since, the program shall be sustained for generations once established (Huimfg.com, n.d). Therefore, these goals have a long time implication on the strategic planning of Galaxy for its success in the industry.

References

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