SEU Hector Gaming Company Project Management Case Study Questions

  

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Please read the Case-2.1 “Hector Gaming Company.” from Chapter 2 “Organization strategy and Project Selection” given in your textbook – Project Management: The Managerial Process 8th edition by Larson and Gray page no: 61 also refer to specific concepts you have learned from the chapter to support your answers. Answer the following questions with 500 Words limit.

Peters has hired you as a consultant. She has suggested the following format for your consulting contract. You are free to use another format if it will improve the effectiveness of the consulting engagement.

Provide a detailed action plan that attacks the problem. Be specific and provide examples that relate to HGC.

1. What is our major problem? (150 words)

2. Identify some symptoms of the problem. (150 words)

3. What is the major cause of the problem? (200 words)

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Chapter 2 Organization Strategy and Project Selection
Magretta, Joan, Understanding Michael Porter: The Essential Guide to Competition
and Strategy (Boston: Harvard Business Press, 2011).
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Project Management with Business Strategy,” Project Management Journal, vol. 37,
no. 3 (August 2006), pp. 98–110.
Morris, P. W., and A. Jamieson, “Moving from Corporate Strategy to Project
Strategy,” Project Management Journal, vol. 36, no. 4 (December 2005), pp. 5–18.
Mortensen, M., and H. K. Gardner, “The Overcommitted Organization,” Harvard
Business Review, September/October 2017, pp. 58–65.
Motta, Silva, and Rogério Hermida Quintella, “Assessment of Non-Financial Criteria
in the Selection of Investment Projects for Seed Capital Funding: The Contribution of
Scientometrics and Patentometrics,” Journal of Technology Management Innovation,
vol. 7, no. 3 (2012).
Raskin, P., et al., Great Transitions: The Promise and Lure of the Times Ahead,
www.gtinitiative.org/documents/Great_Transitions.pdf. Accessed 6/3/08.
Schwartz, Peter, and Doug Randall, “An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and its Implications for United States National Security,” Global Business Network, Inc., October 2003.
Shenhar, A., “Strategic Project Leadership: Focusing Your Project on Business
Success,” Proceedings of the Project Management Institute Annual Seminars &
Symposium, San Antonio, Texas, October 3–10, 2002, CD.
Swanson, S., “All Things Considered,” PM Network, February 2011, pp. 36–40.
Case 2.1
Hector Gaming Company
Hector Gaming Company (HGC) is an educational gaming company specializing
in young children’s educational games. HGC has just completed their fourth year of
operation. This year was a banner year for HGC. The company received a large influx
of capital for growth by issuing stock privately through an investment banking firm.
It appears the return on investment for this past year will be just over 25 percent with
zero debt! The growth rate for the last two years has been approximately 80 percent
each year. Parents and grandparents of young children have been buying HGC’s products almost as fast as they are developed. Every member of the 56-person firm is
enthusiastic and looking forward to helping the firm grow to be the largest and best
educational gaming company in the world. The founder of the firm, Sally Peters, has
been written up in Young Entrepreneurs as “the young entrepreneur to watch.” She has
been able to develop an organizational culture in which all stakeholders are committed
to innovation, continuous improvement, and organization learning.
Last year, 10 top managers of HGC worked with McKinley Consulting to develop
the organization’s strategic plan. This year the same 10 managers had a retreat in Aruba
to formulate next year’s strategic plan using the same process suggested by McKinley
Consulting. Most executives seem to have a consensus of where the firm should go
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Chapter 2 Organization Strategy and Project Selection 61
in the intermediate and long term. But there is little consensus on how this should be
accomplished. Peters, now president of HGC, feels she may be losing control. The frequency of conflicts seems to be increasing. Some individuals are always requested for
any new project created. When resource conflicts occur among projects, each project
manager believes his or her project is most important. More projects are not meeting
deadlines and are coming in over budget. Yesterday’s management meeting revealed
some top HGC talent have been working on an international business game for college
students. This project does not fit the organization vision or market niche. At times
it seems everyone is marching to his or her own drummer. Somehow more focus is
needed to ensure everyone agrees on how strategy should be implemented, given the
resources available to the organization.
Yesterday’s meeting alarmed Peters. These emerging problems are coming at a bad
time. Next week HGC is ramping up the size of the organization, number of new products per year, and marketing efforts. Fifteen new people will join HGC next month.
Peters is concerned that policies be in place that will ensure the new people are used
most productively. An additional potential problem looms on the horizon. Other gaming
companies have noticed the success HGC is having in their niche market; one company
tried to hire a key product development employee away from HGC. Peters wants HGC
to be ready to meet any potential competition head on and to discourage any new entries
into their market. Peters knows HGC is project driven; however, she is not as confident
that she has a good handle on how such an organization should be managed—especially
with such a fast growth rate and potential competition closer to becoming a reality.
The magnitude of emerging problems demands quick attention and resolution.
Peters has hired you as a consultant. She has suggested the following format for
your consulting contract. You are free to use another format if it will improve the
effectiveness of the consulting engagement.
What is our major problem?
Identify some symptoms of the problem.
What is the major cause of the problem?
Provide a detailed action plan that attacks the problem. Be specific and provide
examples that relate to HGC.
Case 2.2
Film Prioritization
The purpose of this case is to give you experience in using a project priority system
that ranks proposed projects by their contribution to the organization’s objectives and
strategic plan.
COMPANY PROFILE
The company is the film division for a large entertainment conglomerate. The main
office is located in Anaheim, California. In addition to the feature film division, the
conglomerate includes theme parks, home videos, a television channel, interactive
games, and theatrical productions. The company has been enjoying steady growth over
the past 10 years. Last year total revenues increased by 12 percent to $21.2 billion.
The company is engaged in negotiations to expand its theme park empire to mainland
China and Poland. The film division generated $274 million in revenues, which was an
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